Wood v. Stevenson

217 P. 953, 30 Wyo. 171, 1923 Wyo. LEXIS 37
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 4, 1923
DocketNo. 1061
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 217 P. 953 (Wood v. Stevenson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wood v. Stevenson, 217 P. 953, 30 Wyo. 171, 1923 Wyo. LEXIS 37 (Wyo. 1923).

Opinion

Blume, Justice.

This is an action brought by W. J. Wood, plaintiff in the case below and appellant here, against E. C. Stevenson, defendant below and respondent here, to enjoin the defendant from foreclosing a mortgage given, as mentioned beloyq by one Andrews to respondent; also to declare said mortgage satisfied and for other equitable relief. The case was tried to the court without a jury; judgment was ren[175]*175dered against the plaintiff, his petition dismissed, and he appeals.

The material facts are substantially as follows: On the 16th day of October, 1919, one Albert Andrews was the owner of lots 7 and 8 in block 3 of the First Addition in Mooreroft, Wyoming. On that date, probably to secure the purchase price of some sheep, he and his wife executed to the defendant E. C. Stevenson a mortgage on the said premises in the usual form securing an indebtedness of $8610.00, the correct amount of which, by reason of an error in the counting of sheep, was, however, in fact $8010.00. Appellant says that respondent continued to claim the full amount of $8610. The record, however, is silent as to that, or, at least, that fact does not appear plainly. On the same date the mortgagors aforesaid also executed to said Stevenson a chattel mortgage on some personal property, which Avas- duly filed for record, and which was made to. secure the same indebtedness above mentioned. Subsequently on April 27,1920, said Andrews and wife entered into a Avritten contract with the plaintiff Wood for the sale of the premises in question, free of in-cumbrance, for the consideration of $2750.00, of which $850.00 is acknoAvledged to have been paid, and requiring the payment of the balance of $1900, to be made July 1st, 1920. The respondent WoodkneAv at this time of the existence of the mortgage above mentioned. Considerable, dispute appears in the record as to whether Stevenson consented to or authorized the foregoing contract. Appellant claims that he did; respondent denies this. To this matter Ave shall revert later. It is clear, however, that the appellant himself never had any talk with respondent in reference thereto, and relied wholly upon what Andrews told him. The contract was not acknowledged. Subsequent to the making of the contract above mentioned, and Avithout knowledge apparently of the appellant, said Andrews and wife, totally ignoring the pre[176]*176vious contract with respondent Wood, conveyed, by warranty deed, the premises in question to one Luther E. Pyle, said deed containing the following recital:

“This conveyance being made subject to a first mortgage lien in the amount of $8610.00 as shown by a certain mortgage deed of record in the records of the county of Crook, State of Wyoming, and wherein the above named grantors are mortgagors and E. C. Stevenson is mortgagee.”

The evidence shows that this transaction took place with the full knowledge of the respondent Stevenson.; that in fact it was brought about by his efforts, and he testified, in which he is corroborated by other testimony in the record, though disputed by other witnesses, that while he had some knowledge of a deal for the property between said Andrews and the appellant, said Andrews had stated, in effect, at the time of the making of the deed to Pyle, that the transaction with appellant had been terminated, and that he, the respondent, and Pyle had relied on such statement of Andrews. The sale price of the premises to Pyle was $3900.00, and Pyle in addition to that was to pay to the respondent the sum of $100.00 as commission. No money was, however, ever paid. The total consideration of the sale was to be paid over to the respondent, and accordingly the purchaser Pyle, in order to secure the purchase price, executed to the respondent a mortgage for $3900.00 on the property in question and some 320 acres of land in section 15 T 56 N. R. 69, the value of the land being about $3200.00 with a first lien of $800.00 against it. This mortgage was subsequently duly recorded. A credit of $3900.00 was thereafter endorsed on the Andrews note of $8610.00. The evidence is, however, clear, aside from the recital in the deed to Pyle, that it was then specially agreed that the original mortgage to respondent for $8610.00 should not be released.

[177]*177Subsequently, about July 1st, 1920, the appellant herein commenced an action in the district court of Crook County against Albert Andrews, Sarah Andrews and Luther E. Pyle, setting forth his contract made on April 27th, 1920, that the defendant Pyle had knowledge thereof, and asking that the property above mentioned be conveyed to the complainant. Upon issues made, the cause was tried on October 20th, 1920, and a judgment rendered directing the said Pyle to make a conveyance of the said premises to complainant upon payment of the sum of $1900.00 to the clerk of court for the use and benefit of said Pyle, and that in default of such conveyance by said Pyle, the decree should stand as the equivalent thereof. The $1900.00 was paid as directed. It appears that the respondent had knowledge of this judgment at the time of its rendition.

Thereafter, about Nov. 6, 1920, Luther E. Pyle commenced an action in the district court of Campbell County, Wyoming, against the respondent herein, asking a cancellation of the indebtedness and the mortgage given by him for the purchase price of the property aforesaid, by reason of failure of consideration and referring to the decree of the district court of Crook County, above set forth. On the same day the respondent herein filed an answer in said action admitting the statements and allegations contained in the petition. A decree was entered in said action on November 6th, 1920, ’ cancelling said mortgage, and directing respondent to release it of record, which he did on November 10, 1920, and the endorsement of $3900 on the Andrews note was also thereupon cancelled by respondent.

The original claim of plaintiff, as disclosed by the pleadings, was in substance as follows: That the defendant, by consenting to the sale of the property in controversy by said Andrews and wife to the said Luther E. Pyle, and by crediting on the indebtedness of the said Andrews the sum of $3900, being the amount of the purchase price of said premises agreed to be paid by said Pyle, and by accepting [178]*178from the said Pyle the mortgage given by him to defendant as hereinbefore mentioned, released the said Andrews mortgage in so far as affecting the Mooreroft property; further, that the said property was released from the operation of the mortgage by Pyle to defendant by reason of the voluntary release thereof by the defendant; that hence the defendant had no further interest in the Mooreroft property. Plaintiff also claimed that the security held by the defendant outside of the Mooreroft property was amply sufficient to pay his indebtedness and should first be exhausted before resorting to the Moor-croft property in order to satisfy the indebtedness due defendant. Plaintiff accordingly demanded, in his amended petition, that the said mortgage given by Andrews and wife be declared null and void and no lien upon the Mooreroft property, or, alternatively, that the court determine the balance due on the Andrews mortgage and decree the amount to be no more than $4210.00; that the value of the 320 acres of land included in the mortgage given by Pyle to defendant be determined and the amount credited on the Andrews mortgage; that the chattel mortgage be foreclosed and the amount realized therefrom also be so credited on the Andrews mortgage before foreclosing it as to the Mooreroft property.

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Bluebook (online)
217 P. 953, 30 Wyo. 171, 1923 Wyo. LEXIS 37, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wood-v-stevenson-wyo-1923.