Pierro v. Pierro

264 A.2d 692, 438 Pa. 119, 1970 Pa. LEXIS 762
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 25, 1970
DocketAppeal, 106
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 264 A.2d 692 (Pierro v. Pierro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pierro v. Pierro, 264 A.2d 692, 438 Pa. 119, 1970 Pa. LEXIS 762 (Pa. 1970).

Opinions

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Cohen,

Appellant, Alphonso Pierro, instituted this action in equity against his brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Marie Pierro, appellees, to compel specific performance of a provision in an agreement relating to the conveyance of a portion of a farm and to construct a trust.

On June 16, 1946, appellant loaned to his brother $2,000 with the loan agreement calling for repayment in five years with interest at an annual rate of four percent. The agreement further provided that if the amount loaned were not repaid within five years, Joseph would transfer to Alfonso ten acres of his 45 acre farm located in Jamison, Bucks County in satisfaction of the debt. The ten acres to be conveyed were not identified except for the stipulation that no more than 50% of the parcel would front on either Poor House or Dark Hollow Roads. This agreement was put into writing on June 6, 1948, and the agreement bears a [122]*122notation that in lieu of interest after June 16, 1948, the provision calling for the transfer of the ten acres would become effective.

Joseph and Alphonoso entered into a subsequent loan agreement on October 17, 1947, which provided that Alphonso was to loan his brother $1500 on condition that the sum be repaid within five years with an annual interest rate of 4%. The agreement further provided that if the sum were not paid within five years Joseph would transfer to Alphonso 7 1/2 acres of his farm. Again the land is not described, but the agreement contains the condition that no more than 50% of the parcel would front on either Poor House or Dark Hollow Roads. This agreement was also put into writing on June 6, 1948. The agreement bears the notation that $500 was repaid on April 17, 1954 and that in lieu of interest after April 17, 1959 the provision relating to the transfer of the 7 1/2 acres was to become effective.

On April 15, 1966, Joseph transferred the farm to himself and his wife as tenants by the entireties. Subsequent to that appellees tendered to appellant $4400 in payment of principal and interest on the loans which appellant refused.

After the pleadings had been filed, appellees moved for judgment on the pleadings. In an opinion dated January 15, 1968, the lower court stated that although specific performance could not be had because the writings were not sufficient under the Statute of Frauds, Act of March 21,1772,1 Sm. L. 389, §1, 33 P.S. §1, and although a constructive trust could not be imposed, the motion was being denied because the complaint stated a cause of action for fraudulent conveyance which, if proven, could result in the conveyance to appellees being set aside. The court emphasized that the setting aside of the conveyance would be solely for the purpose of securing the debt from Joseph to Alphonso and [123]*123that if the alleged sums due were paid into court this action would be rendered moot as there would be no need for security. Appellant appealed to this Court from the order denying appellees’ motion for judgment on the pleadings, and we quashed that appeal, 434 Pa. 131, 252 A. 2d 652 (1969).

When the record was remanded to the court below, appellees filed another motion for judgment on the pleadings in which they stated that on December 20, 1968, they had deposited with the court $4400 and that the matter was now moot. On June 27, 1969, the court granted that motion and entered judgment for the appellees.

Appellant asserts that the lower court erred because the descriptions of the land in the agreements were sufficiently definite to meet the requirements of the Statute of Frauds and because the 17 1/2 acres should have been made subject to a constructive trust.

It is well settled that specific performance will not be granted unless the terms of the agreement are sufficiently set forth and the property to be conveyed is sufficiently identified and described. Portnoy v. Brown, 430 Pa. 401, 243 A. 2d 444 (1968). “Adequate or ample description is that which would enable a competent surveyor to find the land in question from the agreement or from the references made in it.” Prager v. McAdam, 20 Pa. D. & C. 2d 314, 315 (1960), aff’d., 399 Pa. 405, 161 A. 2d 39 (1960). “Where a description is sufficient so that one may determine the exact limits of the property included by reference to a plan, deed or other similar record, the law is satisfied. . . .” Cheney v. Carver, 370 Pa. 543, 88 A. 2d 746 (1952). See also Suchan v. Swope, 357 Pa. 16, 53 A. 2d 116 (1947) ; Shaw, Ex’rs v. Cornman, 271 Pa. 260, 114 Atl. 632 (1921): The Safe Deposit & Trust Company of Pittsburg v. Diamond Coal & Coke Company, 234 Pa. 100, 83 Atl. 54 (1912).

[124]*124The descriptions in the agreements disclose what area is to be conveyed (10 acres and 7 1/2 acres) and what may be one boundary line. The agreement states that not more than 50% of the parcels will be on either Poor House or Dark Hollow Road. It is certainly possible that less than 50% would be on either road, and it is theoretically possible that none of either parcel would be on either road. In the Diamond Coal & Colee Company case, supra, this Court refused to grant specific performance where the only thing definitely stated in the memorandum was the number of acres to be sold and where the boundary lines were totally uncertain and indefinite. A similar factual situation arose in Prayer <o. Me Adam, supra, where the defendant agreed to sell 61 acres of her 63 acre tract. The agreement, however, gave no clue as to which acres were to be sold and which retained. Finally, in Mellon v. Davison, 123 Pa. 298, 16 Atl. 431 (1889), specific performance was refused when the only description was the length of one side of the tract, a situation very close to the one now before us.

Appellant, citing Felty v. Calhoon, 139 Pa. 378, 21 Atl. 19 (1891), argues that the tract can be described by creating a rectangle whose area is 17 1/2 acres and one of whose long sides would be one-half the frontage owned by appellees along Dark Hollow Road. The problem with this is that nowhere in the agreements does it state that the tract is to be a rectangle or that it must consume one-half the Dark Hollow Road frontage. There are an infinite number of shapes the 17 1/2 acre tract could assume, and there are practically an infinite number of locations on which that tract could be located.

Appellant next contends that the court below erred in granting the motion for judgment on the pleadings in light of this Court’s decision in Goldman v. McShain, 432 Pa. 61, 247 A. 2d 455 (1968). In that opinion we [125]*125stated at 73-74: “Thus, a defendant may not rely on his affirmative defense to sustain a motion for judgment on the pleadings, unless of course plaintiff has failed to deny the allegation in defendant’s new matter which raises that defense. . . . Moreover to say that a possible affirmative defense exists to a complaint is not to say that such a complaint is legally insufficient on its face. It may still state a claim upon which relief can be granted, even though the relief itself will eventually be denied should defendant prove his affirmative defense. ... To prevail, defendant would still have to prove that defense at trial. . . . Appellees have raised the statute of frauds in their new matter and appellants have denied its applicability.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
264 A.2d 692, 438 Pa. 119, 1970 Pa. LEXIS 762, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pierro-v-pierro-pa-1970.