La Chance v. Brown
La Chance v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
Action to recover the sum of $1,071 paid by the plaintiff to the defendants on account of a contract for the purchase of real property, which contract it is alleged was abandoned by the defendants, and rescinded. From a judgment awarding to the plaintiff the sum of $411, the defendants appeal.
The complaint alleged that immediately after the signing of the contract the plaintiff and defendants entered into a supplemental agreement to the effect that a certain policy of insurance upon the improvements on the land was for the benefit of the plaintiff, and that in case of loss of the premises by fire any, sum paid upon the insurance would *502 be paid to the defendants, in case of total loss, and that the plaintiff was to be credited upon the purchase price of the property for whatever amount was recovered on : the policy; and in case of a partial loss, whatever money was paid by the insurance company so much of it as necessary was to be used to repair the damage by fire, and whatever remained over and above such expenditure would be credited to the plaintiff on the purchase price of the property; that after the fire by which the house was partially destroyed and after the repairs were completed, there remained the sum of $850 paid by the insurance company, which sum the defendants retained to their own use and refused to pay over or credit to the plaintiff. No evidence was introduced in support of the foregoing allegations [all of which were denied), and no finding of fact was made thereon. '
The contract price was three thousand five hundred dollars, of which four hundred dollars was paid at the execution of the contract. The contract provided that the remainder of the purchase price should be paid as follows: One thousand five hundred dollars by assuming a mortgage indebtedness held by the Producers Savings Bank against the property, which sum of one thousand five hundred dollars, together with the interest thereon, it was agreed should be paid by the plaintiff. The remaining one thousand six hundred dollars was to be paid in certain monthly installments. The interest on the mortgage was payable quarterly. It was agreed that if the plaintiff failed to make any of the payments provided within the time or according to the terms of the contract, the vendors should be released from all obligations in law or equity to convey the premises, and the purchaser should forfeit the same and his rights under the contract, and the vendors should be entitled to possession of the premises and to remove the vendee therefrom.
The court found that the fire occurred on the fifteenth day of February, 1912, and that the monthly average of payments theretofore made were up to and in accordance with the terms of the contract. These two findings are not sustained by the evidence. The fire occurred on the fifteenth day of January, 1912, and the payments theretofore made- were several hundred dollars less in their aggregate *503 amount and in their monthly average than the requirements of the contract.
The court found that the repairs, which the defendants made upon the property after the fire and without cost to the plaintiff, were completed on the seventh day of March, 1912; that the deviation in times and amounts of payments as made by the plaintiff were made with and by the consent of the defendants; that the defendants had waived time as an essential condition for the payment of the amounts provided by the terms of the contract; and that such failure to pay the amounts required by the contract at the times specified therein was with the consent of the defendants. Appellants claim that the evidence is insufficient to support these findings, but we do not agree with this contention.
Appellants claim further that the evidence is insufficient to support the court’s finding that the date of completion of the repairs after the fire was the seventh day of March, 1912. They claim that the repairs were completed on the fifteenth day of February, 1912. However, we find in the record testimony tending to show that some of the repair work was still going on after the seventh day of March. Immediately after the fire occurred it was orally agreed between the plaintiff and the defendants that the defendants should proceed to make repairs of the premises, and pursuant to that agreement the plaintiff removed therefrom. At that time neither party claimed that the contract was not in force, and by mutual consent they proceeded upon the theory that the removal of plaintiff was temporary and that defendants would proceed and complete the repairs on the understanding that the contract remained in force. The court made the following finding of fact, the truth of which is not challenged: “That *504 on the 16th day of February, 1912, the defendants demanded of plaintiff that he meet and perform every condition specified in said contract by the 25th day of February, 1912, at 12 o’clock noon, or defendants would immediately have all of plaintiff’s interest forfeited to defendants without further notice. That on the 15th day of February, 1912, defendants demanded of plaintiff that he perform all of the conditions of said contract required of him to such date, and offered in writing to give the plaintiff ten days’ time within which to comply with such demand, which was served on plaintiff on February 16th, 1912, at 4:30 P. M. and promised and agreed in writing that if said plaintiff should within ten days perform all of the terms of said contract by him to be performed to such date, they would reinstate the plaintiff under said con: tract, and allow him to enter in and upon the possession of the .said property, but that the said plaintiff failed, refused and neglected to pay any further or other sum to the defendants under said contract, or on account thereof.”
Evidently this notice was intended to put an end to the temporary suspension of the right of forfeiture by giving “a definite and specific notice of an intention to enforce” such right of forfeiture. (Stevinson v. Joy, supra.) This the vendors were entitled to do, and the vendee’s failure to comply with the demand would place him in default, unless such failure was excused by the fact that, when the time limit fixed by the notice expired, the repairs by which the house was being restored to a condition fit for occupancy had not been completed.
The judgment is reversed.
Shaw, J., and James, J., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- O. J. LA CHANCE, Respondent, v. C. D. BROWN Et Al., Appellants
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published