Woods v. Peery

86 S.W.2d 655
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 23, 1935
DocketNo. 4471.
StatusPublished

This text of 86 S.W.2d 655 (Woods v. Peery) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woods v. Peery, 86 S.W.2d 655 (Tex. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

JACKSON, Justice.

C. N. Peery was the legal owner of 1,360 acres of land in Ochiltree county, against which the Renfrew Investment Company held vendor’s lien note for $7,000, which, with the unpaid interest, amounted to approximately $9,000, and was secured by a first lien on the land. He had become indebted to the Midway Bank & Trust Company in the amount of $9,000, which indebtedness was secured by a second lien on the land.

He was in default, and the holders of these obligations instituted suit to foreclose their respective liens against the property.

C. N. Peery had an equity in the land, and it was agreed that foreclosure should be delayed to afford him an opportunity to procure a purchaser or purchasers therefor who would pay a sufficient consideration to satisfy these debts and liens and pay him for his equity.

Pursuant to this agreement, on January 1, 1931, Peery entered into a written contract by the terms of which he agreed to sell and convey to E. E. Jones, who agreed to buy, a certain 500 acres of land for a consideration of $10,000, to be paid $58 in cash and by the execution of one vendor’s lien note for $4500, payable on demand, and six additional vendor’s lien notes, each for $907, one of which was due on January 1st each year thereafter until said notes were paid. The contract provided that the purchaser should make application for a farm loan, the proceeds of which should be used to take up the notes he had agreed to give; that Peery should carry the balance as a second lien and secure a release of the indebtedness to the Renfrew Investment Company and the Midway Bank & Trust Company.

On February 17th Peery entered into a contract with E. B. and H. B. Cagle, by the terms of which he agreed to sell and convey, and the Cagles agreed to buy, a certain 320 acres of said 1,360-acre tract *656 for a consideration of $6,400, to be paid by the execution of one vendor’s lien note for $3,000, payable on demand, and four additional vendor’s lien notes, two for $800 each and the last for $1,000, one of which was due on each December 31st thereafter until the notes were paid. This contract' also' provided ' that the purchaser should make application for a farm loan, the proceeds of which was to be used . in the payment of' the demand note for $3,000; that Peery should' carry the balance as a second lien, and secure a release of 'the indebtedness to said investment company and to said bank.

By. an oral agreement, Peery agreed to sell James N. Fleck the remaining 540 acres of the 1,360-acre tract for a consideration of $16,200, and thereafter agreed orally to sell .and convey the entire 1,360 acres to Chas. C.. Woods, who was president of the Midway Bank & Trust Company, and who agreed to assume ’ the obligations of Peery in the Jones and Cagles contracts,' and to execute a contract to sell to James N. Fleck said remaining 540 acres according to the oral contract between Peery and Fleck. ■

In compliance with this understanding, Chas. C. Woods, on March. 10, 1931, entered into a written contract, by the terms of which he agreed to sell and convey, and James N. Fleck agreed to buy, the remaining 540 acres for a consideration of $16,200-to be paid by the assumption by Fleck of ⅛ lien of about $5,100 to be secured on said 540 acres, and the execution of 'three vendor’s lien notes, ea'ch for the sum of $3,700 and due one, two, and three years after date, respectively.

Contemporaneously with the last-mentioned contract, Peery entered into a written contract to sell and convey the entire 1,360 acres of land to Chas. C. Woods, who agreed “to pay in consideration therefor the release of the Renfrew Investment Company and Midway Bank & Trust Company liens and $6,600.00 to be paid as follows: $1,000.00 in cash upon the securing by the said Woods of a land loan, and $5,600.00 by three time certificates of deposit of $1,866.66 each of the Midway Bank & Trust Company, due one, two and three years from approval of abstract and delivery of deed, and drawing four per cent interest per annum from date.

“It is agreed that the purchaser shall apply for a loan as soon as deed is received and upon closing and receipt of cash from loan said Woods agrees to pay Peery the above $1,000.00, without interest,” from which $1,000 was to be deducted the unpaid taxes on 220 acres of said land.

The record discloses that all of the above contracts were written by Chas. C. Woods.

Peery, 'on March 11, 1931,' deeded 'the entire tract to Chas. C. Woods, who delivered the three time certificates of deposit on the bank and promptly secured releases of the liens held by the Renfrew Investment Company and the Midway Bank & Trust Company.

About February 1, 1933, Chas. C. Woods deeded to each of the purchasers — Jones, the Cagles, and Fleck — the tract each purchaser was to^ receive, for the consideration and upon the terms and conditions stipulated in said sales contracts.

The appellee, C. N. Peery, on August 24, 1934, instituted this suit in the district court of Dallam county against Chas. C. Woods to recover the sum of $1,000, less certain taxes, which he alleged was due him under the contract entered into by him and appellant for the sale of the land on March 10, 1931.

Appellee pleads his compliance with the contract, the refusal of appellant to secure a loan, his failure' and' ref'Uskl' to pay the obligation; that a year is a reasonable time in which to obtain a loan; that a reasonable time has elapsed therefor, by reason of which he is entitled to a judgment for said $1,000, less certain taxes as stipulated in said contract.

The appellant answered by general denial and alleged that at the time the contract was made it was contemplated that he would apply for a loan for '$12-,6.00, and it was agreed and understood at that time that, unless he could secure a loan on the land for said sum within a reasonable time, he was not to become obligated to appellee for the $1,000 mentioned in the contract, and that the securing of such loan was a condition precedent'.to. his liability; that he had exercised due diligence to secure a loan on the land for said -sum, and failed because of no fault of his, and appellee was therefore not entitled to recover.

In response to special issues, the jury answered in effect that the payment of the $1,000 stipulated in the contract was not conditioned on appellant’s ability to procure a loan of $12,600 on the land; that he *657 failed to exercise due diligence to procure said loan within a reasonable time; that he was not unable to procure a loan within a reasonable time, which would have been one year.

The court, after deducting $200 for the taxes on the 220 acres of land mentioned in the contract, rendered judgment in'favor of appellee for the sum of $800, with legal interest from the date of the judgment.

The finding of the jury that one year was a reasonable time in which appellant could have procured a loan is not questioned.

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

Related

William F. Mosser Co. v. Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co.
138 A. 85 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1927)
Bush v. Merrill
206 S.W. 834 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1918)
Pegg v. Olson
222 P. 223 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 S.W.2d 655, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woods-v-peery-texapp-1935.