Lawrence v. Sullivan

79 A.D. 453, 80 N.Y.S. 499

This text of 79 A.D. 453 (Lawrence v. Sullivan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lawrence v. Sullivan, 79 A.D. 453, 80 N.Y.S. 499 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1903).

Opinion

Nash, J.:

In and prior to January, 1895, the defendants entered into negotiations with the plaintiff for the exchange of real. properties in [455]*455which the defendant William F. Sullivan, for his. wife, agreed with the plaintiff to exchange certain real estate of the wife for a farm of the plaintiff, the title to which was in John M. Otto.

It was orally agreed that the real estate of Mrs. Sullivan, free of incumbrance, should be conveyed, part to Otto and the remainder to the plaintiff, and that the farm should be conveyed by Otto to Mrs. Sullivan subject to a $2,400 mortgage, and that the plaintiff should pay to Mrs. Sullivan $1,600 in cash.

The real estate which Mrs. Sullivan was to convey being subject with other of her lands to a-mortgage of $4,000, the consent of the mortgagee to release the lien thereof upon the lands to be conveyed by Mrs. Sullivan for the sum of $900 was obtained.

Pursuant to their oral agreement the parties met and made their conveyances. Two deeds from the defendants to Otto and the plaintiff and the deed of the farm by Otto to Mrs. Sullivan were executed and acknowledged, and at the request of the plaintiff Mrs. Sullivan made a mortgage to F. J. Humphrey for $600 upon that part of Mrs. Sullivan’s real estate conveyed to Otto, and all of these papers were deposited for safekeeping in the safe of one McClure pending the consummation of the contract by the payment of the $1,600 to Mrs. Sullivan. Thereafter, without making such payment, and without the knowledge or consent of the defendants, the plaintiff obtained possession of the papers and took them to the clerk’s office for record, which fact having become known to Sullivan, he objected to the recording of the papers until the agreement should have been fully performed and the parties severally regained possession of their papers.

Things remained in this condition several days, when the plaintiff applied to the defendants to further assist him in raising money to perform his part of the agreement, and upon his request and for his accommodation, according to the testimony adduced upon the trial, the defendants made a mortgage upon other lands of Mrs. Sullivan for $600 to Humphrey, which mortgage contained the personal covenant of the defendants to pay the amount secured by the mortgage, according to its terms, the plaintiff agreeing with the defendants that he would take care of the mortgage. Pursuant to this last arrangement the parties met at the office of L. A. Hayward, the last-mentioned mortgage was executed and acknowledged by the [456]*456defendants, and the parties executed and acknowledged an agreement in writing, as follows:

“Memoranda of agreement made and entered into at Warsaw, N. Y., this 30th .day of January, 1895, between Maria Sullivan and William F. Sullivan, her husband of Gainesville, N. Y., first party, and Abram B. Lawrence of Warsaw, N. Y., second party.

“ 1. First party deposit in escrow with L. A. Hayward of Warsaw, N. Y. the following duly executed and acknowledged instruments in writing, viz: Mortgage for $600 dated January 1st, 1895, from first party to F. J. Humphrey on premises conveyed to John M. Otto, January 1st, 1895. Deed of premises near ErieR. R. Station, Warsaw, N. Y., from first party to John M. Otto, January 1st, 1895. Deed of premises near said Erie R. R. Station from Said first party to said Abram B. Lawrence, dated said January 1st, 1895.

“Mortgage on premises adjoining said premises deeded to said John M. Otto and A. B. Lawrence for $600, payable to said F. J. Humphrey and dated January 1st, 1895. All to be delivered by said Hayward to said second party Upon the delivery by said second party of a deed from John M. Otto to Maria Sullivan of a certain farm of 119 acres known as the Lawrence farm in Wethersfield, N. Y., now owned by John M. Otto, said deed to bear date January 1st, 1895 and subject to an incumbrance of $2400 and interest thereon paid to January 1st, 1895, an acknowledgment of release by the Wayne Building Loan and Accumulating Fund Association for payment of $900 by second party to apply upon a certain mortgage of $4000 owned and held by said Wayne Association upon the aforementioned premises, deeded and mortgaged, and a satisfactory provision of settlement by second' party with first party for $100 and for the. $600 on account of the last mentioned $600 mortgage.”

The agreement contained certain other provisions not pertinent to or affecting the issue here, and further provided that “ all the aforementioned papers and evidence of payments and transfers are to be deposited with said L. A. Hayward in escrow to be by him delivered to the respective parties to. whom the same are intended to go upon the completion of all papers herein specified and evidences of payment and transfer, and said L. A. Hayward is hereby authorized and empowered by both parties hereto to deliver all such papers to the respective parties who should possess the same when all con[457]*457ditions hereinbefore mentioned are complied with without revocation or recourse, subject however to the possibility of not being able to obtain said Wayne Association release upon the portion of mortgaged premises aforementioned by April 1st, a. d., 1895,” in which case it was further provided that the entire agreement for the exchange of properties should be annulled.

“ Possession of premises to be given by and to the respective parties April 1st, 1895.

“ Witness our hands and seals and the delivery in escrow to the said L. A. Hayward, date and place first above written.

“MARIA SULLIVAN . [seal]

..“WILLIAM F. SULLIVAN [seal]

“A. B. LAWRENCE [seal].”

The agreement was acknowledged by the parties January 31, 1895. On the 26th of April, 1895, Sullivan made an indorsement upon the agreement as follows :

“ $32.00. Received for and on account of Mrs. Maria Sullivan, named hereon, and myself, Thirty-two dollars, in full settlement of all claims and demand against A. B. Lawrence — party hereto — under this contract.

“ Waesaw, N. Y., April 26, 1895. W. F. SULLIVAN.”

On the 8th of March, 1895, the plaintiff procured an assignment to himself of the mortgage to Humphréy secondly described in the agreement, being the one made for his accommodation, and on April 14, 1899, brought this action against the defendants upon their covenant in the mortgage, there not-having been any action brought or proceeding taken to foreclose the mortgage.

The defendants at the trial gave evidence under objection of the oral negotiations preceding the written agreement, and of plaintiff’s request to make the second mortgage to Humphrey, and of his promise to take care of it. The plaintiff introduced in evidence the written agreement, whereupon the court struck out all of the defendants’ evidence of the oral negotiations and agreements which preceded the execution of the contract or memorandum of agreement in writing, and directed a verdict for the plaintiff for the amount of the indebtedness secured by the mortgage less a small pay[458]*458ment of thirty-seven dollars and forty cents acknowledged by the plaintiff to have been made thereon.

The sole question here is whether the writing precluded the defendants from showing that they made the second mortgage to Humphrey upon the promise of the plaintiff, for his accommodation and upon his request to take care of it.

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78 N.Y. 74 (New York Court of Appeals, 1879)

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Bluebook (online)
79 A.D. 453, 80 N.Y.S. 499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lawrence-v-sullivan-nyappdiv-1903.