Parkyn v. Ford

160 N.W. 531, 194 Mich. 184, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 496
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 21, 1916
DocketDocket No. 29
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 160 N.W. 531 (Parkyn v. Ford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parkyn v. Ford, 160 N.W. 531, 194 Mich. 184, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 496 (Mich. 1916).

Opinions

Bird, J.

Plaintiffs were the owners of 93 acres of farm lands lying near the city of Hillsdale. Defendant, at the same time, was the owner of a farm of 288 [185]*185acres, situate near Summit, in the State of Mississippi. Defendant advertised his farm for sale, and the advertisement came to the attention of plaintiff Joseph O. Parkyn, and he wrote to defendant, making numerous inquiries concerning the farm. These inquiries were replied to by defendant, and further correspondence was had, but nothing came of it. A few months later the correspondence was renewed by Parkyn, and several letters passed between them, looking toward an exchange of farms. In his letters defendant invited plaintiff to come to Mississippi and inspect the farm for himself. He did so. He remained in Summit two days, and after looking the farm over and talking with some of the near neighbors, he left Summit, with the understanding that he would return home and talk the matter over with his family and advise him what conclusion they reached. A few days later he made the following proposition by letter for an exchange of the properties:

“Hillsdale, Mich., 2/24/1913.
“J. C. Ford,
“Summit, Miss.
“Kind Friend: I arrived safe in Hillsdale last evening and have spent the morning in attempting to tell my family of the advantages and disadvantages of your section of Mississippi and of those specially applicable to the Ford farm, and having reached the conclusion that we can venture to make the change I submit the inclosed proposition for your consideration, which is the best offer I can make.
“Proposition for Exchange of Farms.
“Mr. J. C. Ford,
“Summit, Miss.
“I will exchange my two farms lying within the city limits of Hillsdale, Mich., containing about 93 acres for your farm in Pike county, Miss., containing 288 acres, more or less, already visited and inspected by me Feb. 20-21, 1913. You are to assume the mortgages now on these farms amounting, accrued interest included, to $3,544, and I am to give you a mortgage [186]*186on the farm taken of you in exchange for my farm to the same amount, viz., $3,544, said mortgage to draw 6 per cent, annual interest, I should like the note this mortgage secures made payable five years after date with the privilege of paying $100.00 or any multiple at any annual interest payment, or have the note drawn payable on or before five years after date.
“If we can agree upon the amount to be paid for them, I will purchase your sows, pigs, mules, wagon, drill, other farm implements, hay and grain. As regards the exchange proposition you will readily understand this amounts to an even exchange, as I neither increase nor diminish my indebtedness, simply have it transferred.”

Upon receipt of this proposal defendant came to Hillsdale and inspected plaintiff’s premises. He appeared to be well pleased with them and accepted plaintiff’s proposition, save in this respect: He retained a half interest in certain gravel pits on the Mississippi farm. The value of the personal property mentioned in plaintiff’s, proposal was agreed upon, and plaintiff purchased it, agreeing to pay therefor $1,500. Conveyances of the real estate were exchanged on the 11th day of March, 1913. Following this defendant went into possession of the Hillsdale lands, and plaintiff and his family went to Mississippi and took possession of the Mississippi farm. Plaintiff and his family lived there from April until September, 1913, when Parkyn came north and commenced these proceedings in the Hillsdale circuit court, praying for a rescission of the entire transaction relative to the exchange of real estate, upon the ground that defendant had made false and fraudulent statements concerning the Mississippi farm. The misrepresentations referred to, and which were relied upon at the hearing, were five: First, that said farm was worth in the open or general market, $47.50 per acre; second, that there were no insects of any kind in the locality, except the cotton boll weevil that were worrying the farmer in that [187]*187section; third, that the gravel pits on said farm held the only available gravel in that locality.; fourth, that defendant had raised on the field south of the barn the preceding year of 1912, 60 bushels of shelled corn per acre, without fertilization; fifth, that there was no overflow from the river, except a small overflow now and then in the timber. The defendant denied that he was guilty of any fraud in connection with the trade. Much testimony was taken bearing upon the charges made by complainant, and at the conclusion thereof the chancellor was of the opinion that complainant was entitled to relief upon the third, fourth, and fifth allegations, but denied relief as to the first and second. Defendant, appeals from the decree.

Counsel have discussed, in oral argument and in briefs, each one of the five propositions involved, and their presentation of them has been very helpful to the court in reaching a conclusion. Our view of the case, however, will make it necessary to discuss only one phase of the case.

The record shows that both Parkyn and Ford were men abundantly able to take care of themselves in a business deal. Each took the precaution before trading to examine the other’s premises. After exchanging, plaintiff went to Mississippi in April with his family, and remained on the farm until September. On July 12th of that year plaintiff and defendant had a settlement, in which defendant allowed plaintiff $160 on his note for a shortage in the personal property which he had sold him. At that time the following receipt was signed by plaintiff:

“Received of J. C. Ford, $160 credit on a note, dated March 11,1913, for $400, due March 11, 1914, as itemized above, which is a full, complete compromise settlement of any and all differences on land and other trades, as per contract between us.”

At the time plaintiff signed this receipt he made no [188]*188complains that he had been overreached in the deal, although he had then been in possession of the farm for nearly 3% months. No such complaint had been made by him prior to July 12th, and no complaint was made by him after that date, and before he came north in September, notwithstanding defendant lived at Summit, only a few miles distant from him. In fact, plaintiff never complained to defendant about the falsity of his representations until he filed his bill in this case, although they appeared to be on friendly terms during all that time.

While it does not appear at what precise time plaintiff discovéred that he had been defrauded, we assume that a man of his mental caliber had ample opportunity, in the three months he lived on the farm before signing the receipt in question, to learn the selling value of the farm; to learn of the insects which infested the locality; to inform himself as to the value of the gravel pits; and to discover the fertility and productiveness of the soil. The extent to which the farm was overflowed by high water was known to him because of a freshet which occurred in June. If he knew, or had ample opportunity to know (Lee v. McClelland, 120 Cal. 147 [52 Pac. 300]; State Bank of Iowa Falls v. Brown, 142 Iowa, 190 [119 N. W. 81, 134 Am. St. Rep.

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Bluebook (online)
160 N.W. 531, 194 Mich. 184, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parkyn-v-ford-mich-1916.