Piazza v. Sutherland

53 Misc. 2d 726, 279 N.Y.S.2d 640, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1588
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 21, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 53 Misc. 2d 726 (Piazza v. Sutherland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Piazza v. Sutherland, 53 Misc. 2d 726, 279 N.Y.S.2d 640, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1588 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1967).

Opinion

Jack Stanislaw, J.

On February 13, 1963 the parties put their names to a document upon which Piazza, the plaintiff bases this action for specific performance. Sutherland and D’Elia, the defendants, insist that the document is not sufficient to withstand their defense based upon the Statute of Frauds (General Obligations Law, § 5-703). Trial proceeded before the court and the following represents our decision pursuant to CPLR 4213.

The cause of action can only be sustained if the writing is, at least in the first place, a contract. It consists of three handwritten pages prepared by plaintiff’s attorney on the evening of the date noted, and was based upon various statements regarding terms and details related to him by the parties within the space of an hour or two. Pertinent to this action is a recitation that defendants, and one Caricola, owned certain lands in West[727]*727hampton designated as “ the oval track ”, “the drag strip”, 17 acres adjoining these, and another five-foot strip adjoining to the extent of about three acres. Sutherland owned 46%% of these lands and the other two 26%% each. There were recitations of a first mortgage reduced to $15,000 and a second mortgage of approximately $75,000. The three landowners also were stockholders in two “subsidiary” corporations, together with two others, which corporations had no interest in the land. In any event, defendants agreed to sell, and plaintiff to purchase, their interest in both property and subsidiary corporations for $16,000, but based upon Piazza’s assumption of a payment of $9,940.20 to the second mortgagee, “which payment is to be made 2/14/63 ”. The $16,000 was to be payable partly on closing and partly in two equal installments within three years thereafter. In addition, Piazza agreed to assume payment of certain other specified sums. A time and place of closing was set forth, as well as a schedule of documents to be delivered at‘such time.

Valid contracts for the conveyance of real property must be certain as to subject matter, consideration and parties, among other things. Whether or not these specifics are present in the writing upon which this action rests is a matter of no little conflict between these litigants.

Defendants identified their interest in the property as 73%%, and also located the ownership of the remaining percentage interest. The property itself, as noted, is referred to simply as a track, drag strip and surrounding acreage. Obviously, neither the description of the parcel nor even the ownership, to some extent, is identified with a great deal of precision. Assuming for a moment that the writing was a whole one, though patently obscure in some respects, the issue as to the sufficiency of the description of property would be capable of particularized expansion by parol or extrinsic evidence. A description which lends itself to definitive identification is sufficient to satisfy the Statute of Frauds (General Obligations Law, § 5-703). On the other hand, a writing devoid of any reference to or attempt at description will not support reception of proof of intent (Mandel v. Guardian Holding Co., 200 App. Div. 767).

To apply parol or extrinsic evidence the underlying description, as the writing itself, need not be perfect or even very close to perfect (Wright v. Weeks, 25 N. Y. 153). If definitive identification can be made by the use of such proof, that is, if the writing can be expanded with exactitude, then the Statute of Frauds has been satisfied. A seller’s “ property ” is easily not enough (Crandall v. Smith, 172 Misc. 92), nor is “ 60 acres ” (Cooley v. Lobdell, 153 N. Y. 596), a vague part of a larger tract [728]*728(Israelson v. Bradley, 139 N. Y. S. 2d 107, affd. 285 App. Div. 971), or one parcel which could as easily be another nearby similar to it and owned by the same seller (Hummell v. Cruikshank, 280 App. Div. 47). However, vague or fuzzy descriptive statements will suffice where the evidence, though extrinsic, operates to demonstrate sellers’ lack of ownership of other property in the same general area (Miller v. Tuck, 95 App. Div. 134; Waring v. Ayres, 40 N. Y. 357; Daniels v. Rogers, 108 App. Div. 338; Barber v. Stewart, 275 App. Div. 429; Leibowitz v. Buck, 276 App. Div. 1026; Morrison v. Brenmohl, 137 App. Div. 4), thus making clear identification a relatively simple proposition (see, also, Sokol v. Terry, 43 Misc 2d 168, affd. 22 A D 2d 855; Clifford v. Carrols N. Y. Development Corp., 50 Misc 2d 741).

I)’Elia conceded that he was in fact an owner of 17 acres adjoining an oval track and drag strip, and a five-foot strip. This was in part what the writing in question had recited. Sutherland admitted ownership in his pleadings. There is no question of either or both defendants’ ownership of any other property in the very broad general vicinity. Certain deeds were put into evidence by plaintiff showing defendants, among others, to have been grantees of extensively described property at Westhampton. These presumably show their ownership of the property in question. A mortgage in evidence tied D ’Elia to the oval track and drag strip which he had not conceded. The complaint, which sets forth full descriptions of all the parcels, insofar as admitted by defendants and together with the documentary addenda and admissions made during trial, all combine to isolate the property and make the initially meager description sufficiently exact to satisfy the Statute of Frauds.

Another alleged fatal defect in the writing is its confusion regarding the price and other ostensible items of consideration. Plaintiff was being induced to assume a payment due the following day by defendants’ agreement to sell their property and stock interests to him for $16,000. Piazza also assumed some other payments and was to get a transfer of defendants ’ interest in a condemnation award. It is quite clear that on February 14, 1963 Piazza did not make a payment of $9,940.20 to the second mortgagee, Tufano Contracting Corp. There was some discussion regarding the mortgage and mortgage payment as between Piazza and Tufano, and Piazza underlines the fact of these ‘1 negotiations ’ ’ as the preventive cause of Tufano’s nonforeclosure. On February 14 plaintiff states he offered to buy the mortgage from Tufano, the next day he agreed to a price, and then he related this information to D ’Elia.

[729]*729Tufano acknowledges the conversations and its position at the time to obtain payment, including arrearages, or else foreclose. An agreement regarding a sale of the mortgage is distinctly denied however, as is the receipt of any moneys from Piazza in satisfaction of all or part of installments due. Thereafter, Tufano continued to press for payments and did eventually receive some. Notwithstanding his failure to assume the February 14 payment plaintiff emphasizes that the second mortgage was not foreclosed or in process of foreclosure right up to the date set for closing. Therefore, defendants’ position at that latter time was theoretically the same as if plaintiff had actually made the payment. Since Piazza had agreed to assume the second mortgage anyway he points out that the transaction remained unchanged in terms of defendants’ expected net proceeds and avoidance of foreclosure, as a practical matter.

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Bluebook (online)
53 Misc. 2d 726, 279 N.Y.S.2d 640, 1967 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1588, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/piazza-v-sutherland-nysupct-1967.