Schiavone v. Ashton

269 Ill. App. 386, 1933 Ill. App. LEXIS 728
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 8, 1933
DocketGen. No. 35,694
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 269 Ill. App. 386 (Schiavone v. Ashton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schiavone v. Ashton, 269 Ill. App. 386, 1933 Ill. App. LEXIS 728 (Ill. Ct. App. 1933).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hebel

delivered the opinion of the court.

In this case Sadie C. Sehiavone and Michael F. Sehiavone brought their bill in equity against Catherine Ashton to set aside and hold for naught a contract dated September 25, 1924, in and by which they had agreed to sell a vacant lot in Chicago to Mrs. Ashton. Mrs. Ashton filed an answer and cross-bill to specifically perform the contract. A decree was entered by the court canceling the contract and denying specific performance. Upon an appeal to the Supreme Court, Schiavone v. Ashton, 332 Ill. 484, an opinion was filed and judgment entered at the December 1928 term, reversing and remanding the cause with directions to enter a decree dismissing the original bill and granting specific performance in accordance with the prayer of the cross-bill. In the instant case, after reversal by the Supreme Court, supplemental bills of complaint were .filed by Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone and Mrs. Ashton, in which Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone, in their supplemental bill, seek to prevent conveyance of the property until they are compensated for or permitted to remove improvements made on the property during the litigation, and Mrs. Ashton, in her supplemental bill, seeks to remove certain mortgages made during the litigation, cancel leases, obtain possession and damages for the loss which she has sustained because Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone have refused to convey on time as agreed in their contract.

The case was again referred to a master, who made his report, together with an additional and supplemental report. Objections filed to the report by all parties were overruled and ordered to stand as exceptions to the master’s report.

On September 23, 1931, the final decree was entered, wherein the court finds that the execution of the original contract was not obtained by fraud or misrepresentation, and that the contract is fair and equitable; that Catherine Ashton in January, 1929, 'tendered Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone $1,691, the entire balance due on said contract, with interest, and demanded a deed; that Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone illegally and unlawfully repudiated the contract on January 26, 1925, and on the next day filed the original bill of complaint herein.

The court further finds that on November 28, 1927, Sadie C. and Michael F. Sehiavone made, executed and delivered their three promissory notes for $10,000, and interest, and secured payment by the execution of a trust deed on the premises in question; that said notes were sold, and are now owned by the Chicago Title and Trust Company, one of the defendants herein.

It further appears from said decree that after the filing of the report of the Honorable D. J. Normoyle, master in chancery, and beginning on or about the first day of November, 1927, Mr. and Mrs. Sehiavone, believing themselves to be the owners of said premises and in good faith relying upon the report of said master and the decree of the Honorable Harry M. Fisher, one of the judges of the circuit court, and having a right, as a matter of law to rely thereon, did in good faith erect upon said lot a brick building at a cost of $11,685.76, which enhanced the value of the premises to that extent, and for which Mr. and Mrs. Schiavone are entitled to credit with interest at five per cent in the aggregate -amount of $13,853.46; that the Schiavones also paid certain taxes and insurance for which they are entitled to credit with interest in the sum of $528.34.

The decree further finds that Mrs. Schiavone collected rents from Goodman Bros., a tenant in the premises, for which she should account to Mrs. Ash-ton, with interest, in the amount of $7,331.70; that Mrs. Ashton is entitled to credit for the costs taxed in the Supreme Court and interest aggregating $319.22; that Mrs. Ashton, the cross complainant as a matter of law, is not entitled to recover the depreciation in value of the property since the filing of the original bill by the complainants, Mr. and Mrs. Schiavone, and it is therefore unnecessary to determine such depreciation; that the statutory fees of the master in the sum of $349.50, which were paid by the cross complainant, should not be allowed to her as a credit for said sum so advanced.

The court further finds that the net balance due Michael F. and Sadie C. Schiavone is $8,421.88, which has been pledged to the Chicago Title & Trust Company by the notes and trust deed aforesaid; that the court denied any relief under the original bill filed by Mr. and Mrs. Schiavone; directed specific performance of the contract entered into with Mrs. Catherine Ashton, subject to a lien of $8,421.88 to the Chicago Title and Trust Company by virtue of a certain trust deed and notes executed by the original complainants.

The court further directed the furnishing of an abstract or-guaranty policy within 30 days, ordered that said sum of $8,421.88, be paid by the cross complainant with interest at five per cent after date and within 60 days, whereupon the Chicago. Title & Trust Company was directed to release the trust deed, otherwise the trust deed to become a valid lien for this amount at six per cent from date; ordered dismissal of the portion of the supplemental cross-bill seeldng damages for depreciation and directed all defendants to forthwith surrender up said premises to Mrs. Catherine Ashton. It is from this decree that this appeal has been perfected by the cross complainant Catherine Ashton.

The cross complainant contends that the chancellor erred in- refusing to dismiss complainant’s .original bill and the supplemental amendment thereto filed by the original complainants for want of equity.

The mandate of the Supreme Court in the case of Schiavone v. Ashton, 332 Ill. 484, directed the trial court to dismiss the original bill filed by the complainants, Sadie C. and Michael F. Schiavone for want of equity, and also directed the court below to grant the relief prayed for by Catherine Ashton in the cross-bill filed in that case.

It is well understood that the purpose of a supplemental bill is to bring before the court supplemental facts that occurred after the original bill was filed, so that- the court may grant the successful complainants relief on the facts as they appear at the date of the decree. The trial court should have followed the mandate of the Supreme Court, which directed that the bill be dismissed for want of equity. The court, however, finds in the decree in the instant case that complainants illegally and unlawfully repudiated the contract between the parties thereto. If the complainant is not entitled to relief based upon the charges contained in the original bill of complaint, snch bill cannot be aided by a supplemental bill such as was filed in this case. Brownback v. Keister, 220 Ill. 544. Therefore the court erred in not dismissing the bill of complaint and the supplemental bill thereto for want of equity.

The next point to be considered is, Did the chancellor err in finding and decreeing that Mr. and Mrs. Schiavone placed the improvements on the vacant lot in good faith, and in granting compensation therefor 1 From the cross-bill of Mrs. Ashton and the knowledge that Mr. and Mrs. Schiavone had of the terms of the contract which was executed, by them, and the finding by the chancellor that the complainants illegally and unlawfully repudiated the contract executed by them, would indicate lack of good faith.

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269 Ill. App. 386, 1933 Ill. App. LEXIS 728, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schiavone-v-ashton-illappct-1933.