Cox v. Boyd

Supreme Court of Alabama
Cox v. Boyd, 38 Ala. 42 (Ala. 1861)
Walker

Cox v. Boyd

Opinion of the Court

R. W. WALKER, J.

The case made by the bill-is t-as follows : In December, 1853, T. W.- Smith & Co. sold - certain lands, on credit, to John R. Richardson, who gave - his two-notes for the purchase-money, and received from, the vendors a bond to/make titles upon'the payment of the .-purchase-money. Richardson went into possession under this purchase, and paid one of the--'--notes at its maturity. The other note, which was for $1080,-and due December 25, 1854, remained unpaid. - After tbe maturity of this .-note, namely, on the 14th Februs&'y, 1855, the complainant purchased the lands above mentioned, together with other lands, from Richardson, for $4,800. A portion of the pu-r- <. ehase-anouey was paid in cash, and the-balance was arranged *43"■by an obligation executed by the complainant, by which ■he bound himself to pay certain specified notes, one of -them being the above-mentioned note for $1080. Richardson gave the complainant a bond, conditioned to make title to all the lands included in the purchase when the several notes reieired to were paid ; and under this purchase complainant went into possession. Subsequently, and while the complainant was in possession of the land • under his purchase from Richardson,- T. W. Smith & Co. filed a bill against Richardson, to enforce their lien on the land for tbo payment of the note for $1080, and obtained a decree, in. pursuance of which the land was sold on the 30th March, 1857, to the defendant Boyd, for $1370. On the same day, ' the complainant abandoned the possession. On the 30th March, 1S59, the complainant tendered to both- Boyd and. Richardson $1670, which, it is alleged, is more than the purchase-money paid by Boyd at the register’s sale, with 10 per cent, jper annum interest thereon, and all lawful charges and expenses, and demanded a conveyance of the -. title to said land, which each of them refused to make. Thereupon, the complainant filed-this bill,- the object of ' which is to have the--:iitle to the land purchased by Boyd - decreed to be couveyed to-complainant.

-.The undertaking of .Richardson was to convey to complainant upon the performance by the latter of the-obligation executed by him. ..To decree the conveyance to com->i)lainant-of the legal title to this land, before he has performed, or offered to perform, his obligation to Richardson, •would be a violation of the maxim, that “ he who seeks equity-must do equity,” •'■which lies at the foundation of equity jurisprudence. This-bill cannot he treated,-therefore, otherwise than as a -bill for the specific performance -of Richardson’s agreement to make titles to the complainant. Consequently, it should aver that the complainant has paid,* or -offered to pay, the notes specified in bis obligation to' Richardson ; for the agreement of the latter was to make titles upon the payment of these notes. There -is .no. averment that the complainant has paid, or offered-to *44pay, the notes to Wesley C. Tarver >and Robert Robinsony* mentioned in the obligation and bond’for titles; nor does-complainant, by his bill, offer to qjay these notes, More-, over, if tire complainant bad complied with his agreement with Richardson, made move tiran two years before the register’s sale,-to pay off the vote for $1080, that sale would' not have taken place. As the complainant’s bill shows that his own laches led to the sale of which he complains, and fails to show either a compliance with his agreement to, pay the notes to Tarver and-' Robinson, or any excuse for ■ his failure to pay them, it was - without equity. — Billingsley v. Billingsley, 37 Ala. 425 ; Bell v. Thompson, 34 Ala., 636.

Decree-, affirmed.,

Reference

Full Case Name
COX v. BOYD
Cited By
1 case
Status
Published