Rank v. Garvey

92 N.W. 1025, 66 Neb. 767, 1902 Neb. LEXIS 488
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 17, 1902
DocketNo. 11,948
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 92 N.W. 1025 (Rank v. Garvey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rank v. Garvey, 92 N.W. 1025, 66 Neb. 767, 1902 Neb. LEXIS 488 (Neb. 1902).

Opinion

KIRKPATRICK, 0.

This is a suit for specific performance of a contract for the sale of land, brought by appellee Clara V. Rank against appellants Mary J. Garvey et al. The petition sets up the contract of sale entered into by Mary Garvey, her husband; Thomas J. Ryan, his wife; Catherine Garvey, her husband; Annie Halpenny, her husband; and William and Mildred Tighe and Thomas Tighe, their guardian; the persons named being heirs at law of Thomas Ryan, deceased, and together owning a five-sixths interest in certain real estate situated in Douglas county, described in the petition, of which Thomas Ryan died seized. Attached to the petition as an exhibit is the contract, which it is claimed all the parties executed, and which was in fact executed by all the parties except Mary Garvey, whose name was signed to the contract by her husband in her absence. The name of Clara Y. Rank was signed to the contract by her attorney in fact, J ohn P. Breen. The petition pleads tender of full performance on the part of appellee, with prayer for specific performance of the contract. Separate answers were filed by Mary Garvey and James Ware. Catherine Garvey, Thomas J. Ryan, Theresa M. Ryan and Annie Hal-penny united in an answer. The answers, aside from that filed by Mary Garvey, are of great length, and not even their material allegations can be set out in detail. The answer of Mary Garvey admitted that she is an heir of Thomas Ryan, deceased; that Patrick Garvey is her hus[770]*770band; that she is the owner of an undivided one-sixth interest in the land described in the petition; and denies generally all the other allegations of the petition. The answer of Catherine Garvey, Thomas J. Ryan, Theresa M. Ryan and Annie Halpenny, briefly stated, is as follows: They admit their relationship to the deceased, and their ownership of an undivided interest in the premises, as alleged in the petition; they admit the signing of the contract set out; allege that it was tentative only; that they withdrew from such agreement before it was ever accepted or acted upon by appellee, and notified their agent not to deliver it, and that it never was in fact delivered; that it was not to become a binding contract .until signed by appellee; that her attorney in fact exceeded his authority in signing her name to the contract, and that it never became a completed or binding contract; that the contract was vague and contained inconsistent provisions, rendering it unenforceable in equity; that Thomas J. Ryan and wife were entitled to homestead in the premises, and that they never acknowledged the contract before' an officer authorized to take acknowledgments. They admitted the execution of deeds to the premises to James Ware, but denied that such deeds were fraudulently made. They alleged that Selby, their agent, was without their knowledge or consent also acting as the agent of appellee; that such fact was known to ap-pellee, and was through her procurement, and that such conduct amounted to a fraud upon appellants, rendering the alleged contract void; that Clara V. Rank had no interest in the subject-matter of the controversy, and that the suit was not brought by the real party in interest. The separate answer of James Ware does not essentially differ from the joint answer just referred to.

To these various answers replies were filed by appellee, which, in addition to a general denial, pleaded that James Ware entered into the contract of purchase, not in his own interest, trat in the interest of the South Omaha Stock Yards Company, and with full knowledge that the Ryan heirs had entered into a contract to convey the premises to [771]*771appellee; and that such conveyance was talcen by Ware for the purpose of defrauding appellee. The reply further admitted that Clara Y. Rank, appellee, was acting as trustee for Albert H. Yeeder, who was the beneficial owner of the contract sought to be enforced.

The facts in the case as disclosed by the record, briefly stated, are as follows: On May 23, 1898, Mary G-arvey, Catherine Garvey, Annie Halpenny, Thomas J. Ryan and Maud Ryan, were the sole living children of Thomas Ryan, deceased, and William and Mildred Tighe were the minor children of a deceased daughter of Ryan. Each of the children named, and the two grandchildren, Avho were minors, jointly owned undivided interests in certain lands and lots in South Omaha. On that day, the parties desiring to sell the land, all of them except Maud Ryan, whose whereabouts were unknown, entered into a contract of agency with Walter L. Selby, a real estate agent of Omaha. They authorized him either to sell or find a purchaser for the premises upon the terms mentioned in the contract. The contract provided that the property might be sold at a price less than the sum mentioned, provided the owners agreed, and also reserved a right on the part of the heirs to revoke the agency in writing at any time within ninety days from its date. Selby immediately began looking up a purchaser, and corresponded with one Albert H. Yeeder, of Chicago, who subsequently came to Omaha to examine the property, but refused to take it at the price named, indicating, however, a willingness to take it at a lower price. Selby got the heirs together soon afterwards, and they agreed to sell at a price which was acceptable to Yeeder. Curing the progress of these negotiations Yeeder informed Selby that he did not desire to be known in the transaction as a purchaser, and inquired whether title could not be taken in the name of some other person. Selby suggested the name of appellee, his cousin, residing in Ohio, as a suitable person in whose name title could be taken. After some inquiry Yeeder accepted the arrangement, with the agreement that appellee should execute a [772]*772power of attorney to John P. Breen, of Omaha, constituting him her attorney in fact to execute the contract and perform all necessary acts. Selby thereupon informed the heirs that he had secured a purchaser, and prepared the contract, which is attached to the petition as an exhibit, and delivered it to one of the heirs to be executed. The contract was retained by the Ryan heirs for a time, but was finally properly signed by all the heirs except Mary Garvey, who was absent from Omaha on a visit, and her name was signed to the contract by her husband. The contract was returned to Selby, who delivered it to John P. Breen, attorney in fact for appellee, who, after examination, executed it and retained it, delivering a copy to the agent, Selby. In the meantime Yeeder had forwarded to Selby the money for the first payment, and also f200 to be used in the matter of obtaining partition and sale of the premises in order to get title from the minors. Selby, on receipt of the remittance from Veeder, deposited the money to his own account in the bank, and mailed to each of the heirs a check for $100, being the amount agreed upon as a first payment. The heirs seem to have refused the checks, except Thomas Tighe, guárdian; and in the meantime, and within a day or two after Selby delivered the signed contract to Breen for examination and for his signature as attorney in fact for appellee, other parties, acting in the interest of the South Omaha Stock Yards Company, offered to the heirs a considerable sum more than they were being paid for the premises by Veeder, and all of the heirs, with the exception of Maud Ryan and the .minors, accepted the offer made on behalf of the stock yards company; and after taking from parties representing them a contract and bond to indemnify from any damages on account of the contract they had made with appellee, they deeded the premises to Ware, who it appears is an employee of, and took title for, the stock yards company.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Berube v. Montgomery
463 A.2d 158 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1983)
Property Sales, Inc. v. Irvington Ice Cream & Frozen Arts, Inc.
165 N.W.2d 78 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1969)
Johnson v. Quaal
83 N.W.2d 796 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1957)
In Re Foley
97 F. Supp. 843 (D. Nebraska, 1951)
Swanson v. Madsen
18 N.W.2d 217 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1945)
Arkmo Lumber Co. v. Cantrell
252 S.W. 901 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1923)
Hecht v. Marsh
181 N.W. 135 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1920)
Stutsman v. Crain
185 Iowa 514 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1919)
Lansing Co. v. Rogers
149 N.W. 1000 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1914)
Iske v. Iske
146 N.W. 918 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1914)
Hetzel v. Lyon
126 N.W. 997 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)
Furse v. Lambert
124 N.W. 146 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
92 N.W. 1025, 66 Neb. 767, 1902 Neb. LEXIS 488, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rank-v-garvey-neb-1902.