Stryker v. Vanderbilt

27 N.J.L. 68
CourtSupreme Court of New Jersey
DecidedFebruary 15, 1858
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 27 N.J.L. 68 (Stryker v. Vanderbilt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stryker v. Vanderbilt, 27 N.J.L. 68 (N.J. 1858).

Opinion

The Chief Justice.

The first objection to the plaintiff’s right of recovery is, that the deed tendered to the defendant was not a valid deed. The objection is, that the deed does . not set forth the date of the order of the Orphans’ Court, by virtue of which the sale was made, as required by the statute. Nix. Dig. 726, § 18.

By the act of 1799, it was required that the deed should set forth the order of the Orphans’ Court at large. Elmer’s Dig. 490, § 21. While this act remained in force, the legislature, by the act of 28th November, 1831, (Elmer’s Dig. 493, § 35,) declared that the deed should be valid, notwithstanding any variance in tile recital in the deed of the order of the Orphans’ Court authorizing the sale. The act of 1837 (Elmer’s Dig. 493, § 36,) rendered a recital of the order unnecessary, and simply required that the deed should set forth the fact -that the sale was made by virtue of an order of the Orphans’ Court, the term at which the order was made, and the date of the order. These provisions are retained in the existing' law. Nix. Dig. 726, §§ 18, 19. The deed may recite the order of the Orphans’ Court, the date of the order may be contained in such recital, and the recital, in that particular, may be erroneous. By the terms 'of the act, such recital would not invalidate the deed. And if the legislature have, in plain terms, declared that a mis-recital of the date should not render the deed invalid, the omission of the date ought not to be regarded as fatal.

The present statute requires that the deed should set [71]*71forth that the sale was made by virtue of an order of the Orphans’ Court, and the date of the order as a substitute for the recital of the order at length, as required b'y the former statute. The requirement of the existing statute is no more imperative in its terms than the former.

The provisions of the act should be regarded as directory. They relate merely to the form in which the deed is to be prepared. They are not of the essence of the thing. The authority to execute the deed and to convey the title depends upon the order of the court authorizing the sale, and the confirmation of the sale by the court, not upon the recitals of the deed.

It may he conceded that the grantee is entitled, under t he statute, to the benefit of the recital, as showing prima facie an authority in the executor to convey the title, and that he might have objected to receive the deed without such recital. But if such objection he valid, it should have been made at the time the deed was tendered. By the terms of the contract, the deed was to be delivered, and the purchase money paid, on the first of May, 1853, at the office of the plaintiff. The first of May falling on Sunday, compliance with the contract on Monday was a legal performance. The deed was then and there tendered by the plaintiff to the defendant, and no objection whatever was made to the draft of the deed. One of the witnesses testifies that the defendant, after examining the deed, said he was satisfied with it—that it was all right. The defendant’s witness, who acted on the occasion as the agent of the defendant, says that the deed was in the defendant’s hands; that he made no remarks about it; but the witness said it was no doubt right, as far as he could tell. The evidence clearly shows that no objection was made by the defendant to the form of the deed; on the contrary, it is apparent that the only difficulty was that the defendant himself was not prepared to comply with the contract on his part. The objection, as now presented, is not that there was any defect of title, or any inability on the part [72]*72of the plaintiff to execute (he conveyance, as in Conover v. Tindall, Spencer 516, but simply that the deed was not in due form, an objection which might have been instantly obviated upon being suggested at the time of the tender.

By the English practice, it is the duty of the purchaser to prepare the conveyance, and to tender it to the vendor for execution. Sugden on Ven. and Pur. (Am. ed. 1836) 293, 299; Chit, on Con. (ed. 1855) 276.

And in the recent case of Pool v. Hill, 6 Mees. & Wells. 835, it was held that it was not necessary, in an action by the vendor for the non-payment of the purchase money according to (he contract, to aver that the plaintiff offered or tendered a conveyance to the defendant. It was sufficient to allege that the plaintiff has always been ready and willing to execute a conveyance.

A contrary rule prevails here and in most of the American states. Chit. on Con. 276, note 2, 277, note 2; Sugden on Ven. and P. 293, note 158.

Still, conceding it to have been the duty of the vendor, at the time and place designated in the contract, to tender a deed, the purchase money being then payable, it became the duty of the defendant then and there to except to the form of the deed, if iLs terms were not satisfactory.

The case falls clearly within the principle of Todd v. Hoggart, 1 Moody & Mal. 128. It was there held that, in an .action by the purchaser to recover (lie deposit made on the purchase of an .estate, on the ground of a delect in the vendor’s title, that no objection could be insisted on at the trial which was not stated as a reason for refusing to complete the contract, if it be of such a nature that it might, if then stated, have been removed. In Hackett v. Huson, 3 Wend. 249, the consideration stated in the deed tendered by the vendor was not satisfactory to the purchaser, and the plaintiff, on that ground, refused to receive the deed. The court said that if the purchaser did not consider that the vendor tendered a deed pursuant to the agreement, he should have prepared one that did conform to it, and presented it to them to be executed.

[73]*73The instruction given by the court to the jury, that the plaintiff tendered a good and sufficient deed, in pursuance of the terms of the contract, was correct.

The only remaining inquiry is, whether the time of payment was, by the agreement of the parties, extended from the 2d to the 20th of May. If this fact is not established by the evidence, then the verdict should have been for the plaintiff. The parties met on the second of May, at the time and place specified for the performance. The plaintiff was ready, and offered to perform the contract upon bis part. He tendered the deed. The defendant was not ready to pay the purchase money, and obviously came to the place designated with no expectation or intention of fulfilling the contract upon his part. ITe failed to perform the contract. The plainliiUs right of action was complete. A promise to waive or give up that cause of action must be upon a new consideration. Grover v. Hoppock, 2 Dutcher 191.

But the evidence shows no such agreement in fact. There is no pretence that, prior to the time designated for the performance of the contract, the plaintiff had agreed to any postponement. The plaintiff” attended at the time and place specified, ready to perform on his part, and requiring performance by the defendant. The defendant also attended, and attempted, through his agent, to effect a pew agreement, by which he might obtain possession of the farm before he paid the purchase money. This agreement, it is clear, the plaintiff refused to make.

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Bluebook (online)
27 N.J.L. 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stryker-v-vanderbilt-nj-1858.