Fristad v. Thompson
Fristad v. Thompson
Opinion of the Court
This is an action for a rescission. On June 1, 1946, these parties entered into a contract by which the plaintiffs agreed to buy and the defendant agreed to sell a 5-aere tract of land. The purchase price was $4,500, payable $550 down, with the balance payable in monthly payments of $30, including interest. If and when the purchase price was fully paid, the defendant agreed to execute and deliver to the plaintiffs “a good and sufficient deed conveying said land free and clear of all encumbrances made, done or suffered by” him. The contract also provided for the conveyance of a 25-foot right of way across other land for the purpose of entry to the property. This contract was recorded on October 9, 1946, and all payments were made until this action was brought.
The complaint, filed in December, 1949, alleged that while the plaintiffs were not in default the defendant breached the contract by conveying to the city of Riverside, by grant deed, a perpetual easement and right of way across this property 10 feet in width and 1042 feet in length; that this deed provided that the grantee shall have the right to pass over said strip of land, and deposit tools and other material thereon, whenever necessary for the purpose of construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of a sewer; that said deed was executed on March 16,1948, and recorded on August 31,1948; that thereafter, at a date unknown to the plaintiffs, the city of Riverside went into possession of said easement and constructed a sewer line thereon with manholes and sewer con
There was evidence at the trial that the plaintiffs intended to subdivide this land for the purpose of building homes; that they were willing to have a sewer put in, but not at this location; that this sewer, as located, would destroy two building lots and would interfere with the proper length of other lots; and that plaintiffs were away from the community a large part of the two years following the date of the deed to the city of Riverside. There was a conflict in the evidence as to the time when the plaintiffs acquired actual knowledge of the construction of the sewer. Findings were waived, and a judgment was entered providing for a rescission and cancellation of the contract; awarding the plaintiffs $2,940.44 with interest; and decreeing that the defendant take nothing on his cross-complaint. The defendant has appealed.
The appellant contends that his deed of an easement to the city of Riverside and his deeds conveying rights of way to third parties did not breach the contract, and have not put it out of his power to convey a marketable title to the respond
Findings of fact were waived, and all presumptions are in favor of the judgment. The deeds in question were admitted in evidence but these exhibits have not been sent to this court, and it cannot be told whether or not the deed to the city of Riverside was, in legal effect, a quitclaim deed. The record, such as it is, indicates the contrary. In any event, that matter would not be controlling. In principle, the material facts of this ease are precisely similar to those in Switzler v. Robert A. Klein & Co., 94 Cal.App. 410 [271 P. 367], where a rescission was upheld, with the possible exception that the original contract in that case may not have been recorded. By his deed to the city of Riverside the appellant conveyed all the title he had with respect to the strip in question, and made it impossible for him to later give a deed to the respondents which would have conveyed to them the clear and unencumbered title called for by their contract. Moreover, he made it impossible by such a deed to give to them a clear right of possession, and it clearly appears that the city of Riverside has taken possession of this strip and is making use of the strip under a claim of right to do so. Assuming that the city of Riverside acted wrongfully as against the respondents, in taking possession of this strip, the appellant played an important part in enabling it to do so and is in no position to claim that he is without blame, or to place an added burden of that nature on the
The appellant further contends that respondents were not entitled to a rescission because they failed to act promptly in rescinding their contract. As a general rule, there is no laches in failing to give notice of rescission before the time has arrived for a final payment under such a contract because the vendor had until such time to make his title good. (Craig v. White, 187 Cal. 489 [202 P. 648].) There was no duty resting upon these respondents, under the circumstances here appearing, to keep up a continuous search of the records for the purpose of seeing whether their vendor had recorded something which might affect their future right to receive a full conveyance. As far as actual notice is concerned, there is a conflict in the evidence, and nothing appears which would conclusively show, as a matter of law, that the respondents had been guilty of a delay which would defeat their claim for .this equitable relief.
The judgment is affirmed.
Griffin, J., and Mussell, J., concurred.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ARTHUR W. P. FRISTAD v. BEN B. THOMPSON
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published