Hacienda Homes, Inc. v. Peck
Hacienda Homes, Inc. v. Peck
Opinion of the Court
Defendant appeals from a judgment in favor of plaintiff in an action to quiet title to real property.
On July 1, 1925, plaintiff who owned a large subdivision of property entered into a written contract for the sale of a parcel of the property to defendant for $7,253.67; the contract acknowledged receipt of a $5,000 down payment which was made by defendant’s release of a claim for a legal fee; the contract provided for payment of the balance in monthly installments of $75 plus interest, and for the pajnnent by defendant of certain road assessments and taxes; the contract contained a forfeiture clause and a clause making time of the essence. On the same day plaintiff executed a mortgage on the entire property to Anglo-California Trust Company to secure the payment of bonds in the amount of $650,-000, but expressly protecting the rights of defendant in the lot covered by his contract. On November 27, 1926, plaintiff executed as grantor a deed of grant, bargain and sale to Mercantile Trust Company, now known as American Trust Company. Contemporaneously with the execution of the deed the parties executed an agreement stipulating that the transaction was a mortgage, and also protecting defendant’s interest in the particular lot. Defendant never took possession of the property and paid none of the balance of the purchase price except $8.02 on May 24, 1928; he paid no road assessments or taxes after March, 1929, and paid the interest only until November 30, 1930. Plaintiff and American Trust Company wrote many letters to defendant requesting payment but defendant failed to respond except to suggest that he be allowed to trade his equity for a lot which would be fully paid up. He was advised to take up that question with an officer of the trust company but failed to do so. A conference between the parties on April 3, 1934, brought no offer by defendant to pay,
Appellant contends that as the property had been conveyed to American Trust Company, respondent was not the real party in interest and could not maintain this quiet title action. Plaintiff does not direct our attention to any of the evidence on this subject matter, but a reference to the respondent’s exhibits 3 and 4 discloses that the parties executed a contemporaneous agreement stipulating that the deed was delivered to the trust company to secure a loan and that a reconveyance was made to respondent. Though the date of this reconveyance does not appear we must assume that it was complete and within time for all purposes of the judg
There is no merit in appellant’s contention that the continued efforts of respondent to collect the installments and forbearance to declare a forfeiture constituted a waiver of the forfeiture clause of the contract. (Buckey v. McGraw, 206 Cal. 541 [275 Pac. 221].) The same authority is an answer to appellant’s contention that the notice of forfeiture was insufficient because signed by respondent’s agent. There being no evidence that appellant intended to comply with the terms of the contract no notice of forfeiture was necessary.
In his special defense and cross-complaint appellant tendered the issue of fraud because of the conveyance to the trust company. The evidence disclosed that this transaction was the usual one made under similar circumstances and that appellant’s interests were fully protected. The only evidence in the record supports the finding that there was no fraud.
The trial court found that respondent’s failure to tender a deed was excused because such a tender would have been futile. We have recited sufficient evidence in the statement of facts to support the finding. There was no evidence to the contrary.
It is not necessary to discuss the question whether appellant’s cross-complaint for a rescission of the contract and a return of the portion of the purchase price paid is barred by the statute of limitations. The cause of action there pleaded was founded upon the alleged fraud and rescission, neither of which was supported by any competent evidence.
All the points raised by counsel for appellant are highly technical and all have frequently been decided adversely. The contract was drawn in the usual form of an agreement of sale of real property. The rights of the vendee were fully protected, and he has not shown any act of the vendor which was contrary to the express terms of the contract, or which in any manner prevented him from complying with its terms. Time was expressly made the essence of the contract,
The ease presented is the simple one of a failure to abide by the plain terms of a written contract. Appellant knowingly and willingly, after repeated notice and demands, voluntarily relinquished all his rights under the contract. All the equities support the judgment.
The judgment is affirmed.
Sturtevant, J., and Spence, J., concurred.
Appellant’s petition for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied July 24, 1941. Carter, J., voted for a hearing. Gibson, C. J., and Spence, J., pro tem., did not participate therein.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.