Beazley v. Embree
Beazley v. Embree
Opinion of the Court
Defendant Wilson appeals from a judgment entered in this action against him; and also from an order made prior to judgment denying his application for a change of place of trial from the county of Orange to the county of Los Angeles.
This action was brought to recover the sum of one thousand dollars and certain interest money alleged to be due from the defendants on account of conditions stated in a certain contract for the sale of realty. The real property was located in the county of Los Angeles. Plaintiff alleged that in 1911, as vendor, he made a contract for the sale of the real estate with the two defendants Embree as vendees; that in November, 1912, the vendees assigned their interest in the contract to the defendant Wilson, the assignment being in the following form: “We hereby transfer all our right, title and interest in this contract to Philip L. Wilson, and he agrees to accept the same. O. H. Embree, Rachel M. Embree, Philip L. Wilson.” This allegation followed: “That at the time of receiving and accepting said transfer, all of the facts concerning said transaction were known to the defendant Philip L. Wilson and he thereby consented to and assumed all of the obligations arising from it and all of the obligations of the defendant O. H. Embree and Rachel M. • Embree contained in said written agreement for purchase and sale.” In the contract of sale, copy of which was attached to the complaint, it was shown that the total purchase price of the property was 'to be the sum of eight thousand dollars, which, after the first two payments of five (hundred dollars each, was to be paid in installments of one thousand dollars annually, with interest. The plaintiff alleged that four thousand dollars had been paid, but that the payment of one thousand dollars, due December 1, 1915, *708 with interest, was unpaid. This action was brought February 16, 1916: It appeared without dispute in the evidence thát defendant Wilson received the assignment of the Embrees immediately after the first two payments of five hundred dollars each had been made and that he took possession of the land and made the additional payments of three thousand dollars and interest which in the complaint it was admitted had been credited on the account. In this action the Embrees were permitted to file a cross-complaint as against defendant Wilson, in which they alleged in general substance the same facts respecting the assumption by Wilson of their obligation under the contract, and prayed that they have judgment against Wilson for any amount for which the court might render judgment in favor of plaintiff against them, and that Wilson be declared the principal debtor. The court’s judgment awarded nothing to defendants Embree, but did direct, in accordance with the prayer of the complaint, that judgment be against the three defendants and “that execution first issue upon said judgment against the defendant Philip L. Wilson, and that upon a return of the same unsatisfied as to the whole or any part thereof, execution then issue against the defendants O. H. Embree and Rachel M. Embree for the balance then due.”
In the endeavor to show liability of appellant to the vendor on the contract, one of the vendees was allowed, over the objection of appellant, to testify as to what was discussed and understood at the time the assignment was made. In this connection respondent O. H. Embree testified as follows: “When Wilson and I closed up our deal at the time of the assignment of the contract to him, he paid me what I had already paid Mr. Beazley on account of the contract and I got back from Wilson whatever I had paid to Beazley. That was the payment to me of my equity. I had nothing to sell but my équity. I was selling the contract. At the time of the assignment I got from Mr. Wilson a little less than fifteen hundred dollars in money. When the assignment was indorsed on the contract my wife and I signed it and Mr. Wilson signed it right there with us at that time, right there in the house. . . . The discussion was that he was to take the contract the same as I had,-—the thousand dollars a year, interest and taxes.” Conceding that this oral testimony was competent to enlarge the terms expressed in the written assignment, we do not think,' under the decisions cited, particularly under the language used in the concluding portion of the opinion in Lisenby v. Newton, supra, that any agreement was shown which would operate further than to create a liability against appellant in favor of his assignors. The ease of Lisenby v. Newton was cited with approval in Southern Pacific Co. v. Butterfield, 39 Nev. *711 177, [154 Pac. 932]. In the latter decision other cases are referred to holding to the same effect. Among these, and as very much in point on the general subject, is Bimrose v. Matthews et al., 78 Wash. 32, [138 Pac. 319]. See, also, 2 Ruling Case Law, p. 625.
That judgment of reversal should be entered on this appeal is evident from the conclusions which we have expressed. Plaintiff here was not without a remedy against this appellant, but that the remedy was to foreclose the interest of appellant upon /default being made in the installment payment. However, he preferred to sue directly for money payments under the contract. Appellant had made no contract obligating himself to pay the plaintiff—no privity existed, hence no right to recover.
The order denying defendant’s application for change of place of trial is affirmed.
The judgment is reversed.
Conrey, P. J., and Shaw, J., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- E. E. BEAZLEY, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. O. H. EMBREE Et Al., Defendants and Respondents; PHILIP L. WILSON, Defendant and Appellant
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published