Newmyer v. Roush

120 P. 464, 21 Idaho 106, 1912 Ida. LEXIS 105
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 8, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 120 P. 464 (Newmyer v. Roush) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Newmyer v. Roush, 120 P. 464, 21 Idaho 106, 1912 Ida. LEXIS 105 (Idaho 1912).

Opinion

STEWART, C. J.

This action was brought by the appellant against the respondent to enforce the specific performance of an alleged contract for the exchange of real property owned by the appellant and located in the state of California, for certain real property owned by the respondent and lpeated in the state of Idaho. At the close of the plaintiff’s evidence a motion was made by the respondent for a nonsuit. This motion was sustained, and thereafter the court made findings of fact and conclusions of law and entered a judgment in favor of respondent dismissing said action and for costs, and that the- injunction rendered in said cause in favor of the plaintiff be dissolved. A motion for a new trial was made [111]*111and overruled, and this appeal is from the judgment and from the order overruling the motion for a new trial.

The facts of the case are about as follows: The respondent Roush was the owner of certain lands located in Kootenai eounty, Idaho, and the appellant, W. J. Newmyer, was the owner of certain real property in the state of California. Negotiations were entered into for the exchange of these two pieces of property, which resulted in said parties making an agreement in writing for such exchange, specifying therein the particular conditions under which such exchange was to be made, among which are the following: “It is understood that both parties offers in exchange property with no debts or liens thereon or possibility of same. ’ ’

Afterward another writing was entered into between the parties, providing for the exchange of said real property, containing the following provision: “I am to give him a clear deed to this property and take care of the mortgage on it myself.....Deeds to be exchanged as soon as possible according to details to follow herein.”

Later the respondent executed and delivered to tLe appellant the following paper:

“While waiting the signing of final papers in the trade between W. G. Newmeyer and J. C. Roush and in view of the fact that none of us have a lease on life, this instrument drawn this 31st day of May, 1909, certifies, that the trade -has been made as shown in another set of papers and will be signed as soon as a few details can be arranged, Mr. J. C. Roush takes possession of W. C. NewMeyer Ranch June 1st, 1909.
“Dated, Mt. Hermon, California, June 1st, 1909.
“J. C. ROUSH.”

After these agreements had been made the appellant entered into possession of the Idaho lands and took possession of personal property described in the agreements and sold part of such property, and continued in the possession of said land until some time in August, 1909, when he was ousted from such possession by the respondent returning and taking possession of said property. The respondent and his wife, after the execution of the papers heretofore set forth, entered [112]*112into possession of the California lands, and remained in possession of the same from the 1st day of June until on or about the 8th day of August, and while thus in possession had full charge of said property. On August 5, 1909, the appellant tendered to the respondent his deed in writing granting and conveying the California lands, properly executed and in proper form, but containing the following reservation:

“Reserving to said F. A. Hihn Company, its successors and assigns, the right to place a gate at each end of said private road, which is forty (40) feet wide, which runs up the West bank of the Zayante Creek and to keep said gates closed; said Grantee to have the privilege to pass through said gates.
“Also reserving to said F. A. Hihn Company, its successors and assigns a Right of Way for itself and its assigns over the private road through the Southwest corner of said land and running from the Wpst boundary of the Zayante Rancho to the County Road up the West bank of the Zayante Creek.
‘ ‘ Said private road up the West bank of the Zayante Creek shall remain an open road' Forty (40) feet wide along the Eastern' boundary of the within described land.
“Said F. A. Hihn Company shall not be required to build any fences on the boundaries of the land herein conveyed. ’ ’

This deed of conveyance the respondent refused to accept, and immediately vacated the California lands and returned to the Idaho lands and took possession of the same. At the time the appellant tendered to the respondent the deed for the California lands the appellant also presented to respondent a deed of the Idaho lands which he had prepared, and requested the respondent to execute and deliver the same to the appellant, and the respondent refused to execute such deed, and ever since has refused and neglected, and still refuses and neglects, to make, execute or deliver any deed or conveyance to the appellant conveying said Idaho land. Thereupon this action was commenced.

It is contended by the appellant, first, that the reservations in the deed executed by the appellant to respondent for conveying the California lands did not constitute a breach of covenant against encumbrances j second, that by accepting said [113]*113land and taking possession thereof and exercising acts of ownership thereover, the respondent thereby admitted that the appellant had complied with all the terms and conditions of said agreement to exchange, and was thereby estopped to deny that the appellant had not fully complied with all the terms and conditions of said contract; third, that by each of said parties taking possession of the property agreed to be exchanged, by disposing of parts thereof and by accepting possession and exercising acts of ownership over said several pieces of land, the contract of agreement to exchange thereby became an executed contract, and that by the respondent delivering to the appellant possession of the Idaho property and appellant taking possession of the Idaho property, and by the appellant delivering possession of the California property to the respondent and the respondent taking possession thereof, that.each of said parties acknowledged that the other party had fully complied with all of the terms and conditions of said agreement of .exchange, and that upon each of said parties taking possession of said premises, the only thing remaining to be done under the terms and conditions of said agreement of exchange was to deliver deeds conveying the same. While counsel for respondent contend that the plaintiff, under the proof, did not show that he was entitled to have a decree for the specific performance of the contract for the following reasons:

First: That the writings relied upon by the plaintiff do not constitute a completed contract.

Second: That there was a total failure of evidence to show that the plaintiff had complied with all the terms and provisions of the alleged contracts on his part in the following particulars :

That the description of the California land which plaintiff agreed to convey to defendant in exchange for his Idaho land contained no reservations, and the plaintiff expressly agreed that he was to give defendant a clear deed to such land, while the deed tendered by the plaintiff to defendant contained [114]*114reservations for private roads, which constituted encumbrances upon the land.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
120 P. 464, 21 Idaho 106, 1912 Ida. LEXIS 105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/newmyer-v-roush-idaho-1912.