Hoffman v. Fett
Hoffman v. Fett
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
The amended complaint substantially charges that plaintiff’s intestate, John Goller, on the second day of January, A. D. 1865, made a verbal purchase of an interest in a mining claim from the defendant, Benfeldt; that Goller was immediately put into possession by Benfeldt, and that both parties to the sale understood" that the titlfe to the interest sold passed to Goller, and intended that it should so pass ; that Benfeldt received the entire consideration of the sale, and that Goller, relying upon the purchase, proceeded to prospect the mine, bought materials, run expensive tunnels, developed the mine and made it valuable; that during all this time he was encouraged by Benfeldt to expend money, and perform labor in developing the mine, under the belief that he was part owner, and that he continued in possession as owner, and continued to work upon the mine until after January 3d, 1866, at which time Benfeldt conveyed the entire mine, by deed, to the defendant, Fett, who purchased with full knowledge of Goller’s equities, and that the sale was made to defraud Goller,
There can be no doubt that the facts stated in the complaint show a contract of sale, and that nothing remained to be done to render the same effectual, except the conveyance on the part of Benfeldt. It was not necessary that there
The facts stated in the complaint are clearly sufficient to show such a part performance as will take the contract out of the operation of the Statute of Frauds. The purchaser paid the entire consideration. He took possession, and was liable to be treated as a trespasser, unless he could invoke the protection of his contract. He expended large sums of money upon the mine. He developed it, and by his labor and money gave to it nearly its entire value. It would be a most palpable fraud, under the circumstances, to allow the vendor to decline to execute the contract.
The question of the Statute of Limitations does not arise in the case, for the transcript fails to show when the suit was commenced.
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FRED. HOFFMAN, Administrator of the Estate of John Goller v. CHARLES FETT and HENRY BENFELDT
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Fbauds—Statute of.—.When a purchaser of real property, under a verbal agreement, pays the entire consideration of the purchase, enters into the possession of the property, and expends large sums of money upon it in its improvement, there is exhibited such a state of facts as will take the case out of the operation of the Statute of Frauds. Idem. —Fubtheb Assurance__If there be a sale of real property, and the conditions of the sale, on the part of the purchaser, have been fuBy comptied with, it wiB be presumed that the vendor undertook to make such a conveyance as wBl render the sale effective. Statute of Limitations__If the transcript does not show when the suit was commenced, a question upon the-Statute of Limitations cannot arise before this Court.