Winker v. Robinson

36 Misc. 2d 804, 233 N.Y.S.2d 981, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2293
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1962
StatusPublished

This text of 36 Misc. 2d 804 (Winker v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Winker v. Robinson, 36 Misc. 2d 804, 233 N.Y.S.2d 981, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2293 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Michael Catalano, J.

The plaintiff seeks to foreclose a duly recorded purchase-money bond and mortgage executed by the defendants, as mortgagors, under date of November 1, 1957, running to Sophia Winker (herein called “ Sophia ”), as mortgagee, in the amount of $7,000, payable “ at the rate of Two Hundred ($200.00) Dollars semi-annually, on April 1st and on November 1st of each year, together with interest at the rate of four per cent (4%) per annum payable semi-annually, on April 1st and on November 1st of each year, the first payment on the principal to be due and payable on November 1, 1959, and semiannually thereafter, said payments to continue until the mortgage shall be fully paid” and providing, inter alia, that the whole of said principal sum and interest shall become due at the option of the mortgagee after default in the payment of any installment of principal or interest for 30 days.

On August 1, 1961, this bond and mortgage was assigned to the plaintiff by an instrument duly recorded on August 28, 1961.

The plaintiff’s complaint alleges that no part of the principal has been paid, thus there is due him “the principal sum of Seven Thousand Dollars ($7,000.00), together with interest thereon from the 1st day of August, 1961.” His bill of particulars states that the defendants failed to pay $200 upon the principal on April 1 and November 1 of each year since November 1,1959.

[806]*806The defendants’ answer alleges full compliance and payment under the bond and mortgage. Their bill of particulars alleges payment by them between December 19, 1957 and December 24, 1961 according to an agreement between Sophia and the defendants who allowed Sophia to reside on the mortgaged premises from December, 1957 to her death, December 24, 1961, without payment of rent and permitting Sophia to collect and retain all rents from said premises, “ in consideration for which the said Sophia Winker waived and cancelled and discharged all payments of interest and principal due on the said bond and mortgage during such period of time. ’ ’

The real property involved, known as 1003 — 19th Street, Niagara Falls, New York, is described as follows: “ all that tract or parcel oe laud, situate in the City of Niagara Falls (formerly Town of Niagara), County of Niagara and State of New York, known as and being Subdivision Lot 48, situate on the east side of 19th St. (formerly Stedman St.) as shown on a Map showing part of Lot 39 of the Mile Reserve and part of Lot 21, Township 13, Range 9, being the Kinsley Purchase of the Child’s Estate, as subdivided by Myron H. Kinsley, surveyed and drawn by Julius Frehsee, Surveyor, August 27th, 1887, and filed in Niagara County Clerk’s Office September 26,1887.”

The simple issue is: Was the bond and mortgage paid when due ? The answer is: Yes.

The plaintiff is the son of Sophia who was the grandmother of defendant Margaret who is the wife of defendant Richard. Sophia died December 24, 1961 at the age of 85 years. Sophia resided on the mortgaged premises from December, 1957 to June, 1961; she rented three or four car spaces at $4 each monthly in the rear of the premises during that time and retained the rents paid therefor. In June, 1961, Sophia, then aged 85 and very ill, went to live with her son, Earl Winker, a brother to plaintiff and an uncle to defendant Margaret. The interest on the mortgage had been paid up to August 1, 1961, when the plaintiff acquired it. The actual payment of interest was made by allowing Sophia to live in the house without payment of rent during occupancy; the payment of principal was postponed during Sophia’s occupancy according to agreement.

When Sophia vacated the premises, the plaintiff took complete possession thereof, boarded up the windows and obtained the key to the house. He refused to give the key to the defendants at any time.

On November 10, 1961, the plaintiff received a check for $270 dated November 7, 1961, payable to him from the defendants, $200 of which was for principal and $70 of which was interest [807]*807from August 1,1961 to November 1,1961. On May 27, 1962, the plaintiff received a check for $340, payable to him from the defendants, $200 of which was for principal and $140 of which was for interest. Both of these payments were refused by the plaintiff.

Before this action was commenced, the attorney for defendants requested the plaintiff’s attorney to furnish defendants with a statement of any amounts due on this mortgage, but no statement was ever given.

In a foreclosure action brought by the assignee of a mortgage, a parol promise by the assignor to the debtor to extend the time of payment of the secured debt is binding and enforcible as a defense, where consideration was given for the promise, for such does not vary the terms of the mortgage but merely holds payment in abeyance until the expiration of the time fixed by the new contract. (Dodge v. Crandall, 30 N. Y. 294, 303, 305.) The consideration given for the new promise makes the contract an executed one, since there is nothing executory on the part of the promisee to do, thereby removing the contract from the Statute of Frauds. (Ibid., pp. 304, 307; followed in Brown v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co., 117 N. Y. 266, 273; see, also, Fish v. Hayward, 28 Hun 456, 458, affd. 93 N. Y. 646.) The extension contract may be proved under a general denial. (Ibid., 30 N. Y. 294, 306.)

Trusts may arise from the acts of parties, whose intention is presumed, although not expressly declared, under the name of “constructive trusts” or “trusts ex maleficio,” where the legal owner of property is deemed a trustee, who is bound to hold that property for the benefit of an innocent beneficiary, so that the Statute of Frauds will not be used as an instrument of fraud and so that a person who obtains title to property through the influence of a confidential relation may not retain it in violation of a confidence to his unjust enrichment. (Wood v. Rabe, 96 N. Y. 414, 422, 425, 426; see, also, Harrington v. Schiller, 231 N. Y. 278, 284.) The confidential relationship protected not only extends to the family, but to lawyer and client, doctor and patient, priest and parishioner, and many others bound by intimacy and trust. (Fraw Realty Co. v. Natanson, 261 N. Y. 396, 402; see, also, Goldsmith v. Goldsmith, 145 N. Y. 313.)

In cases involving trust property, strict performance may be waived by any agreement, declaration or course of conduct by the holder which leads the owner to believe justifiably that a forfeiture will not be claimed without a reasonable opportunity to redeem, and no further consideration is required to enforce a waiver of a contractual condition requiring payment .on a [808]*808certain date. (Toplitz v. Bauer, 161 N. Y. 325, 333.) A waiver of strict payment by extending the time in which it may be made cannot be used as a default that entitles a mortgagee to foreclose under an acceleration clause in a bond and mortgage, unless the debtor is allowed a certain time for payment or has been given a reasonable time after notice within which to perform. (Arnot v. Union Salt Co., 186 N. Y.

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Bluebook (online)
36 Misc. 2d 804, 233 N.Y.S.2d 981, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2293, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/winker-v-robinson-nysupct-1962.