Strobeck v. Blackmore

165 N.W. 980, 38 N.D. 593, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 59
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 165 N.W. 980 (Strobeck v. Blackmore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Strobeck v. Blackmore, 165 N.W. 980, 38 N.D. 593, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 59 (N.D. 1917).

Opinion

Birdzell, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the district court of Dickey county, quieting title in the plaintiff to certain lands [597]*597described in the complaint, and adjudging that certain mortgages held by the defendant and appellant have been fully paid and satisfied. The action is one to quiet title, and the complaint is in the statutory form. The defendant, Blackmore, interposed an answer setting up certain notes and mortgages as liens upon the land which he contends are unpaid. The sole question presented upon this appeal is whether or not the mortgages of defendant and appellant have been satisfied.

The facts are as follows: One Preston Z. Mowry, was formerly the owner of the lands described in the complaint, and, while owning the lands, he and his wife executed mortgages to the defendant, Black-more, as follows: One dated August 20, 1910, for $5,000; one dated October 28, 1910, for $2,500; one dated March 4, 1912, for $2,500; one dated March 9, 1912, for $2,500; one dated October 26, 1914, for $6,000; and one dated March 3, 1915, for $6,000. No interest was paid on any of the mortgage notes in 1915, and on November 1, 1916, by reason of such nonpayment and the acceleration provision in the otherwise undue obligations, there was due and owing to the defendant, according to the tenor of the various notes, the sum of $28,229. The respondent, however, contends that an accord and satisfaction has been effected whereby the lien of the mortgages has been discharged by the payment of a lesser sum. It appears that Blackmore, who resides at Davis, Illinois, loaned money upon the security of lands in North Dakota, and that one F. B. Dille, cashier of the Farmers & Merchants’ Bank of Monango, had acted as his agent in making the loans. In October, 1916, Mowry informed Blackmore that he could not raise the money to meet his obligations and was consequently compelled to dispose of the land. He further requested that Blackmore send the papers, including releases, abstracts, mortgages ■ and notes to the Farmers & Merchants’ Bank at Monango for collection, and stated that they would be taken up on or before November 1st. Blackmore complied with this request about October 20th, by forwarding the papers to F. B. Dille, cashier of the bank. For the convenience of the purchasers of the land, these papers were forwarded by Dille to the Fergus Falls National Bank, which, on November 1, 1916, collected $27,911.50 thereon, remitting to Dille in the shape of a certified check for that amount, signed by Strobeek and Ulland. This check was payable to F. B. Dille, cashier. In the letter accompanying the remittance, the cashier of the Fergus Falls [598]*598National Bank called attention to the fact that the satisfactions which had been sent by Blackmore were defective, and he asked Dille to “please see that the satisfactions were properly executed before using the funds.” lie stated, further, that as the money was payable at the Monango bank, the purchasers wished it to be understood that no interest would accrue on the mortgages after November 1st. The amount remitted corresponded with the tabulated statement of the amount due, contained in Dille’s letter of transmittal to the Fergus Falls National Bank. The subsequent correspondence between Dille and Blackmore is unimportant except as it shows that Blackmore was kept in ignorance of the amount that had been collected upon the papers, that he refused to acquiesce in the delay in the transmittal of the money owing to him, and that he demanded interest for the use of the money until payment.

It seems that Blackmore was perfectly willing, at least as far ás Mowry was concerned, to liquidate the entire indebtedness owing to him on the basis of 7 per cent for the money loaned, and at a similar rate upon overdue interest, even though, under the notes and mortgages, he would have been entitled to collect more. In a letter of October 17, 1916, written to Dille, Blackmore said: “I have dealt with Mr. Mowry a long time, and am very sorry to have him go under, and all I ask of him is to get me 7 per cent for the use of my money. When he returns the principal, and I want it understood that I never expect to charge any of my customers anything extra for failing to get around in time, but I wrote to him that as on one of his notes where-there was no coupon I could not collect compound interest, so I would have to take more on the coupon in order to get even.

“You know what I mean. I only want 7 per cent fair, that is all.” In another letter of October 26th, Blackmore also says: “I have sent them (the mortgages and notes) and want you to see that I have just 7 per cent on them on all of the time the money is in use. I know that cannot fail to suit all pao'ties. I do not know, of course, when they may be paid, but expect them paid November 1st. I told Mowry that I knew I could not collect compound interest, and as he has the use of the money, if no other way, I could charge a higher rate on the unpaid coupons. Thus you will see I only want 7 per cent on all of the money while in use.”

[599]*599It is undisputed that Mowry’s obligation to Blackmore, figured at 7 per cent to November 1st, amounted to more than the sum collected by Dille; namely, $27,911.50.

The trial court found that Dille’s computation placed the amount at $64.58 too low. It also appears in the findings that the plaintiff, on the 13th day of March, 1917, at the time of the trial of the action, deposited in court $33.48 and interest at 10 per cent from November 1, 1916, to date; and that on the 13th of April, after the trial of the action, plaintiff deposited in court the sum of $32.75 as a balance due the defendant under the settlement. Under the above facts the trial court, having found that the mortgages were satisfied, entered a judgment in favor of the plaintiff.

From the foregoing statement of the undisputed facts, it is manifest that Blackmore, the defendant, has never actually received full satisfaction of the notes, according to their tenor, and it is equally apparent that before the commencement of this action, in fact soon after the partial conditional payment was made, he withdrew the offer he had previously made to settle for a lesser sum. It is argued, however, by the respondent, that Dille was the agent of Blackmore for the purpose of collecting the notes, and that, being such agent, he was bound by the proposition submitted by Dille to the Fergus Falls bank, under which he called for the payment of $27,911.50. Counsel have, however, apparently abandoned this theory; for they have paid into court an additional amount sufficient to equal the principal and 7 per cent upon the indebtedness. Regardless of any concession that might be implied by payment ■of a balance into court, we are convinced that the proposition of the agent, considering him for the purpose of argument as such, was neither unconditionally accepted by the purchaser of the land nor by anyone on iis behalf; for, instead of paying the amount unconditionally, the Fergus Falls bank remitted to Dille directly, and instructed him not to use the funds until satisfactions were properly executed. In no sense could such ■a remittance with these accompanying instructions be regarded as an unconditional acceptance of Blackmore’s proposition made through Dille to settle the entire indebtedness for $27,911.50. This transaction, regarded in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, falls far short of .amounting to an absolute payment of the lesser sum.

[600]

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

Related

Meske v. Melicher
194 N.W. 737 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1923)
Rokusek v. National Union Fire Insurance
195 N.W. 300 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1923)
Lehde v. National Union Fire Insurance
180 N.W. 56 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1920)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
165 N.W. 980, 38 N.D. 593, 1917 N.D. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/strobeck-v-blackmore-nd-1917.