Booth v. Parrish
Booth v. Parrish
Opinion of the Court
Appeal from interlocutory decree overruling demurrers of Booth and Sinclair Refining ¡Company, appellants, to the amended bill of John Parrish, appellee.
The bill seeks affirmative relief against Booth for redemption from a mortgage foreclosure, for an accounting to determine the amount of the mortgage debt, and for the cancellation of any deed to the suit property by Booth to Bennett and Morrison (the latter two respondents not appealing), and some sort of accounting from Sinclair Refining Company, as lessee of the property. Booth and Sinclair only are appealing and have separate assignments of error. We hold the bill good as against Booth but that no proper showing is made to make Sinclair a party.
The bill against Booth shows: Parrish owned the tract of land subject of suit, on
The bill prayed (1) for an accounting from Booth to determine whether there be a balance due on the mortgage debt after deducting the amount of the Sinclair rentals which he had received, and to redeem the property, meanwhile offering to do equity in that regard; (2) the cancellation of any deed executed by Booth to respondents Bennett and Morrison; (3) the ascertainment of the reasonable rental value of the filling station property after the-expiration of the Sinclair lease by reason of Booth’s possession and use thereof; (4) an accounting by Sinclair as to the amount of rentals paid to Booth; (5) for general relief.
Very clearly the bill is good against Booth.
As alleged, the mortgage was executed in reliance upon the representations, by Booth as to its contents; these representations were false; the complainant relied upon them and was not bound by the recitals of the mortgage to the contrary, notwithstanding he could and had an opportunity to-read it before executing it, if he did not so-read it and acted upon these representations. Adams Hardware Co. v. Wimbish, 201 Ala. 548, 78 So. 902.
The relation of principal and agent, coupled with the other alleged confidential
We think the equity plead, namely, .to be allowed to redeem even though the statutory period had expired, comes clearly within those cases which hold that under the ■circumstances as here shown, Booth was estopped to claim title under the foreclosure .sale. It is declared by abundant authority that the mortgagee must do no affirmative act to mislead or deceive the mortgagor to his prejudice as to the fact of foreclosure or the time, place or manner of sale. And though the recorded mortgage itself is declared to operate as notice of the power to sell and of any title acquired by a purchaser •.thereunder, yet if a person holding under a recorded instrument does not remain merely passive, but does some affirmative act to •mislead or deceive, he may be estopped to assert title against the persons dealing with the property as their own. Stout et al. v. Thomas, 221 Ala. 675, 130 So. 189; Ivy v. Hood, 202 Ala. 121, 79 So. 587, 590.
This court in the Ivy case quoted with approval the following from Schroeder v. Young, 161 U.S. 334, 344, 16 S.Ct. 512, 516, 40 L.Ed. 721: “Defendant relies mainly upon the fact that the statutory period of redemption was allowed to expire before this bill was filed, but the court below found in this connection that, before the time had ■expired to redeem the property, the plaintiff was told by the defendant Stephens that he ¡would not be pushed, that the statutory time :to redeem would not be insisted upon, and •that the plaintiff believed and relied upon :such assurance. Under such circumstances, •the courts have held with great unanimity •.that the purchaser is estopped to insist upon ■the statutory period, notwithstanding the assurances were not in writing and were ■made without consideration, upon the ground that the debtor was lulled into a false security.”
So, in the present case very clearly Parrish pleads a proper equity. By reason of the confidential relations existing between lim and Booth, on whose representations -he is alleged to have relied, he was led to his prejudice to fail to redeem within the statutory period and has set forth sufficient allegations to now entitle him to that right.
Of such was the import of the following observation in the Ivy case: “ * * * a mortgagee who has foreclosed and thereafter positively continuously recognized the right of the mortgagor to the redemption, would be estopped to deny that right, provided such mortgagor had been induced by such conduct or admission of the mortgagee to fail to redeem, within the time prescribed by the statute, or to act with reference thereto to his material detriment. * * * ” 202 Ala., at page 124, 79 So. at page 590.
This is much the same case and governed by like principle as First National Bank of Opp v. Boles, 231 Ala. 473, 479, 165 So. 586, where the essential facts on which the complainants relied as creating an estoppel was an agreement entered into by the mortgagee, who entered upon the lands with the consent of the complainants upon the understanding that the respondent would collect the rents and apply the same according to the agreement, whereby the respondent was permitted to continue in possession of the land long after the statutory period of redemption had elapsed, the holding being that the mortgagee was estopped from repudiating the agreement and insisting on rights acquired by foreclosure. The court said: “The question here presented is not one of divesting title to land by estoppel in pais, but the question is rather whether the respondent will be permitted to assert his title to defeat a legal right in the complainants, which legal right was not timely asserted by reason of a positive agreement on the part of the respondent that it would so act as to make the assertion of complainants’ legal right unnecessary.” 231 Ala. at page 479, 165 So. at page 592.
It is not controverted hut that the failure of Booth to furnish a proper statement of the debt and lawful charges on original demand of the complainant averted the necessity of making a tender, the offer in the bill to do equity being sufficient. Harris v. Bradford, 245 Ala. 434, 17 So.2d 145.
We repeat, the bill as against the demurrer of Booth is good, hut as to Sinclair we are not so convinced. Sinclair is not shown to have any interest in or connection with the subject matter which gives equity jurisdiction, namely, the property in suit and the right, vel non, of the complainant to redeem from the mortgage foreclosure, and no relief is sought against Sinclair in that regard. It is not contended by the bill that Sinclair owed complainant anything and it would be vexatious to require it to defend the suit. 39 Am.Jur. 904, § 36.
The decree of the lower court is affirmed as to appellant Booth and reversed and remanded as to appellant Sinclair Refining Company.
Affirmed in part and in part reversed and remanded.
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