Lawton v. Gordon
Lawton v. Gordon
Opinion of the Court
This is an action to cancel certain deeds. The plaintiffs allege that one Barron owned an interest in certain mining claims, and being “ fearful that one James Vaughn, and other persons,” creditors of Barron, would attach the same, on the 5th of July, 1864, executed and delivered a conveyance of the same to one Reed, without consideration, and for the purpose of defrauding said creditors; and that said Reed took said conveyance with a like purpose, and filed it for record, but, before it was actually copied into the records, withdrew the same, and returned it to said Barron, who delivered it to one Briggs to keep ; and that the same was so withdrawn and delivered to Barron with intent to cancel the same; that on the 20th of September, 1864, after the said deed was so withdrawn from the Recorder’s office, and
At the hearing the Court dismissed the complaint for want of equity, and plaintiffs appeal.
Reichling does not appear to have been a creditor. At all events, he has not stated a case which entitles Mm to impeach the conveyance from Barron to Reed on the ground of fraud. The conveyance from Barron to Reed was valid between the parties and all the world except creditors. The delivery of the deed passed the title, and the redelivery to the grantor, under the circumstances, did not invalidate the conveyance, or revest the title in Barron. (Bowman v. Cudworth, 31 Cal. 149; Killey v. Wilson, 33 Cal. 690; Kearsing v. Kilian, 18 Cal. 493.) The title, then, is in Reed’s grantees, unless Reichling or his grantees took the title as subsequent purchasers, in good faith, for a valuable consideration, under the twenty-sixth section of the Act concerning conveyances. They cannot be purchasers in good faith unless they took without notice of the conveyance to Reed. (Landers v. Bolton, 26 Cal. 419; Galland v. Jackman, 26 Cal. 87; Colton v. Seavey, 22 Cal. 497.) There is no averment in the complaint that plaintiffs, or their grantors, had no notice of the conveyance from Barron to Reed. This is an essential averment; for without such averment it does not appear that they are bona fide purchasers.
For this reason, if for no other, the complaint failed to
Judgment affirmed.
Mr. Justice Shaetep, expressed no opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ASA T. LAWTONs. v. M. W. GORDONs.
- Cited By
- 7 cases
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- Published
- Syllabus
- Fraudulent Conveyance.—A conveyance of real estate, made and received for the purpose of defrauding the creditors of the grantor, is good between the parties and as to all the world, except the creditors of the grantor. Idem.—Such conveyance is good as against subsequent purchasers from the grantor, unless they buy without notice and for a valuable consideration. Redelivery of Deed.—A redelivery of a deed by the grantee to the grantor, • with the intention of cancelling the same, does not revest the title in the grantor.