Tolbert v. Short

104 S.E. 245, 150 Ga. 413, 1920 Ga. LEXIS 189
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided September 15, 1920·No. No. 1787·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

Hill, J.

(After stating the foregoing facts.)

1. The petition was not subject to the general demurrer on the .'ground that the description of the land set out in the contract was too vague and indefinite. In Clark v. Cagle, 141 Ga. 703 (2), 704 (82 S. E. 21, L. R. A. 1915A, 317), it was held: “Where a contract for the sale and purchase of a tract of land was dated at White Plains in this State, and described the property as the place of the vendor known as the ‘Humphrey Place’ containing 330 acres, more or less, this description was not so vague and indefinite as to render the contract unenforceable. The description could be applied to its subject-matter by alleging and proving that the vendor had a described tract of land containing the number of acres mentioned, located near White Plains, in a named county, and known as the ‘Humphrey Place,’ and that this was the only place in that county known by that description.” It will be seen that the Clark ease is similar in its facts to the case being reviewed. In-each ease the contract is preceded by a given date and the name of the town and State wherein the contract was executed j and it was held in the Clark case that the description was not so vague and indefinite as to render the contract unenforcible. King v. Brice, 145 Ga. 65 (88 S. E. 960), was a ease where the following contract was sued upon to recover damages for its breach, viz,:

[418] “$100.00. Atlanta, Ga., July 2, 1913.
“Received of R. D. & C. S. King one hundred 00/000 dollars as part purchase-money on the following described property: 26 Ponce de Leon Ave. 70 x 185 & 15 foot alley included, which, on and for account of the owner and vendor, we have this day sold to the purchaser above named, subject to the titles being good, for the sum of $40,000.00 forty thousand dollars to be paid as follows:
five thousand cash 5,000
Bal. 1-2-3-4 years, 6% 14,250
Assumed indebtedness 20,750
40,000.00
M. C. Kiser Real Estate Company, per H. K.
“I hereby agree to purchase the above-described property on terms and conditions above named.
R. D. & C. S. King, R. D. King, purchaser.
“I hereby approve of the above-mentioned sale on the terms and conditions named, and agree to pay to M. C. Kiser Real Estate Company, real-estate agents, on the date formal transfer is made a commission of..................dollars.
John A. Brice, owner and vendor.”
In that case it was held: “ The description of land in a contract of sale is sufficiently definite where the premises are so described as to indicate the grantor’s intention to sell a' particular lot of land. Where the contract indicates that a particular tract is intended to be conveyed, its practical identification can be proved by extrinsic evidence. The description of the property mentioned in the contract of sale, appearing in the first division of the opinion, is sufficiently definite to form the basis of a suit for recovery of damages from a breach of the contract.”

From the foregoing authorities we hold that the court did not err in overruling the demurrer.

2. The court charged the jury “that where the contract in question describes the land as a tract of land containing seventy-three acres, more or less, known as the Hartly place, adjoining lands of Mrs. Lipscomb, W. L. Ragan, and others, that those words are ambiguous and do not of themselves distinctly identify the land that was the subject of the sale, and the law allows parol evidence to be admitted to the jury for the jury toi determine [419] whether with the aid of parol evidence they may be able to ascertain what was the particular and certain tract of land that was the subject-matter of the contract.” Error is assigned upon the instruction that the words in the contract were ambiguous; whereas it is insisted that they were vague and uncertain, and the court therefore erred in construing the contract as being an ambiguous one. The evidence showed that there were two tracts of land, each containing seventy-three acres, to which the description in the contract was equally applicable, and therefore the contract contained a latent ambiguity. While evidence is inadmissible to add to, take from, or vary a written contract, all the attendant circumstances may be proved; and if there is an ambiguity, latent or patent, it may be explained. Civil Code (1910), § 4268. “Where the description applies equally to several tracts, a latent ambiguity results, which may be explained by showing which one of the several tracts was claimed by the grantor.” 2 Devlin on Real Estate (3d ed.), 2026, § 1043; 25 R. C. L. § 283, middle section p. 652, and citations under note 14; Clark v. Powers, 45 Ill. 283. Therefore the charge' complained of contains no error which requires a reversal.

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Tolbert v. Short, 104 S.E. 245, 150 Ga. 413, 1920 Ga. LEXIS 189 (Ga. 1920).

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