Manzil v. White

255 S.W. 567, 161 Ark. 1, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 491
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 29, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 255 S.W. 567 (Manzil v. White) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manzil v. White, 255 S.W. 567, 161 Ark. 1, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 491 (Ark. 1923).

Opinion

Wood, J.

This action was instituted by the appellee against the appellants to restrain appellants from disposing of certain notes executed by the appellee to the appellants as purchase money for certain personal property which the appellee had agreed to purchase of appellants, and also to recover the sum of $575, which he alleges the appellants had realized on a check given ■to them by the appellee, and the further sum of $200 damages. The appellee, among other things, alleged that she purchased of the appellants all furnishings in a certain rooming-house in Fort Smith, and agreed to pay the appellants the sum of $1,100; that, prior to said purchase, the appellants represented to the appellee that twelve rooms in the rooming-house in which the furnishings were then located were occupied by roomers, and that the rooms paid the sum of $150 per month, 'exclusive of any and-all expenses to be incurred in the conduct of the rooming-house. Appellants represented that they were 'the owners of the furnishings in the rooms, and that there were no claims against them whatever. The appellee alleged that she relied upon the representations made to her with reference to the earnings of the rooming house and as to the ownership of the property mentioned, and by reason of such representations she gave her check to the appellant in the sum of $575 and executed ten notes of $50 each, payable monthly thereafter; that soon after the execution and delivery of the notes and check she ascertained that the appellants were not the .o-wners of a large portion of the furnishings in the rooms in the building mentioned, and that the rooms had not paid, and were not then paying, the sum of $150 per month, all of which facts were well known to the appellants at the time they made such representations; that such representations were false and fraudulent and made for the false and fraudulent purpose of inducing' the appellee to execute the notes and checks, and that she relied upon such representations in doing so; that the appellants had cashed the checks and unless restrained would dispose of the notes. She prayed for a restraining order preventing the appellants from disposing of the notes and for a decree in the sum of $575 for her damages growing out of such false representations.

The appellants answered, denying specifically the allegations of the complaint as to the fraudulent misrepresentations, and they averred, by way of cross-corn-plaint, that the appellants showed the appellee their rooming-house and advised the appellee that the appellants and their family occupied seven of the twelve rooms in said house as their home, and they told appellee that, if. she could rent all of the rooms, including those occupied by the appellants, she could get therefor approximately the sum of $150 per month. Appellants, at the same time, pointed out the furnishings in the rooming-house which did not belong to them, which included certain small articles, and told the appellee that these were not included in the sale, and, with the exception of .these articles so pointed out, the appellants informed the appellee that the furnishings in the house belonged to appellants, and that there were no liens or incumbrances against any of the property. Thereupon the appellants and the appellee closed a deal for the furnishings which appellants pointed out to the appellee as their property; that the appellee thereupon gave to appellants her check in the sum of $575 and executed her promissory notes as alleged in the complaint. They further set up that the appellee had thoroughly inspected the property before purchasing same and fully understood what she was purchasing. They averred .that appellee had not paid one of the notes at the time the same became due, and that, under the terms of the contract, such failure to pay rendered all of the series of notes due and payable. Appellants therefore prayed that the appellee’s complaint be dismissed for want of equity, and, by way of cross-complaint, that they have judgment against appellee for the sum of $500 with interest, balance due of the purchase money as represented by the promissory notes, and also for the sum of $25 represented by check which the appellee had given to appellants as earnest money and on which she had stopped payment at the bank.

Appellee testified that she purchased certain personal property under a bill of sale, which she identified and introduced in evidence. The bill of sale recited that, for the consideration of $1,100, the appellants sold to the appellee “the following property, goods, and chattels, to-wit, all the furnishings used in the conduct of a certain rooming-house located at 412^ Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, Arkansas.” It was recited in the writing that $600 had been paid in cash, and -ten notes in the sum of $50 each, due monthly thereafter, had been executed. The writing further recited that Mary Manzil was “the true and lawful owner of the property, goods and chattels hereby sold, and has full power to sell and convey the same. The title so conveyed is clear, free and unincumbered, and that she will warrant and defend the same against the claims of all persons whomsoever.”

The testimony of the appellee was substantially as follows: She examined the house and furniture before purchasing the furniture, in company with Mrs. Manzil, who showed appellee the property, and told her that everything in there was to be hers for the sum of $1,100, except trunks and a graphophone which belonged to people there. They went through the rooms, and Mrs. Manzel showed appellee everything in the rooms, There were six rooms on one side and six on the other. Appellee wanted to know what the income of the house was, and Mrs. Manzil stated they'were getting $150 a month for the place. Those were her exact words. Appellee relied upon these representations, and made the purchase. Appellee paid $575 for the house, and, in addition thereto, executed her notes as set forth in the complaint. The whole consideration amounted to $1,100. After she had purchased and executed the notes and given Mrs. Manzil her check, she returned to the house about 7 p. m. to take possession of it. She received information that appellant did not own all the things that she represented as being hers. Therefore she did not take possession of the house, and endeavored at once to notify the cashier of the bank not to cash the check she had given, but did not succeed that night, and the next morning she tried to stop payment on the cheek, and the bank officials promised not to pay the check. She saw Mr. Manzil, and asked him what he was going to do about the check, and he informed the appellee that he was not going to do anything about it; that he had already taken it to the bank and paid it in on a note that he was due the bank. She told Manzil that certain ladies had informed her that certain property, which Mrs. Manzil had represented as hers, belonged to them, linen, silverware, bedolothing, furniture, rugs, dishes and necessary cooking utensils and things that, according to witness’ understanding, belonged to the house. Mrs. Manzil told witness about these things that belonged to them; that everything belonged to'her except'the trunks and.1 the Edison graphophone. Witness was buying the furnishings for the rooming-house and was going to take a lease thereon. There were two families in the house on the light-housekeeping side, and one roomer and no other boarders in the rooms. Appellants represented to witness that they were getting $25 a month on the light-housekeeping side for the rooms, two rooms for each apartment, and that for the other rooms they were getting $15 per month.

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Bluebook (online)
255 S.W. 567, 161 Ark. 1, 1923 Ark. LEXIS 491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manzil-v-white-ark-1923.