Herberger v. Husmann
Herberger v. Husmann
Opinion of the Court
The parties to this action entered into a con tract for the sale by the appellant to the respondent of certain real estate, $1,500 of the purchase money to be paid at the time the contract was executed, and $1,000, the balance of the purchase money, at the end of one year, at which, time a deed for the property was to be executed. The contract was in the usual form of such agreements, except that it contained this clause: “And it is further agreed by and between the parties hereto that, should the party of the second part become dissatisfied with the purchase of said lots at the end of one year from date hereof, then, and in that event, should the said party of the second part so desire, the said party of the first part hereby agrees to return to said party of the second part the amount of money this day paid on said lots by the party of the second part, with interest thereon at the rate of ten per cent per annum, provided said party of the second part gives said party of the first part thirty days’ notice, and a surrender to said party of the first part of the title to said lots; but, should the party of the second part not notify the party of the first part, as agreed, then this agreement to hold good.” The contract stipulated that time should be the essence thereof. The contract was executed, and the $1,500 paid on the thirtieth day of November, 1887. On the twelfth day of September, 1888, the respondent served upon the appellant the following written notice: “Ton are hereby notified that, as per agreement in a certain article of agreement heretofore entered into by and between H. Husmann, the party of the first part, and Theobald Herberger, the party of the second part,
The appellant contends that the notice of the election of the respondent to rescind the contract, and his demand for the repayment of the amount paid by him, was not effective because it was, as he claims, prematurely given. The point made is that the notice must, by the terms of the contract, have been given at the end of the year, and could not properly be given before that time. We do not so understand the agreement. The appellant was entitled to thirty days’ notice of the respondent’s election not to complete the purchase, and this notice must necessarily have been given at least thirty days before the expiration of the year, at which time the respondent was entitled to a return of his money. The notice was given more than thirty days before the end of the year, but the appellant certainly has no reason to complain of this fact. It was to his advantage that more time than the agreement required was given him within which to raise the money, if necessary, to meet his obligation to repay the $1,500.
Again, it is contended that the respondent failed to make out his case because it was not shown that he, at any time, tendered a reconveyance of the title to the appellant, or offered to do any act that would relieve the latter from the effect of the contract, upon his title, or to place him in statu quo. No conveyance of the property by the respondent to the appellant was necessary, because the title had never passed to the respondent. There was an agreement
We concur: Fox, J.; Paterson, J.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HERBERGER v. HUSMANN
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Vendor and Vendee—Disaffirmance by Vendee.—Where a contract for the sale of land provides that the vendee may disaffirm the sale at the end of a year, in which event he is to be repaid his purchase money, with ten per cent interest, on giving thirty days’ notice of his intention to disaffirm, the vendor cannot complain that the vendee gave more than thirty days’ notice of his intention, as this is to the vendor’s advantage. Vendor and Vendee—Disaffirmance by Vendee.—A further provision in the contract of sale that on its disaffirmance the vendee should surrender the title acquired by him thereunder is sufficiently complied with by an offer, in the notice of disaffirmance, to surrender his claim to the land on the repayment to him of the purchase money; and, on the vendor’s refusal to make such repayment, the vendee may maintain an action therefor without tendering a release of his rights under the contract, Code of Civil Procedure, section 2074, providing that an offer in writing to deliver a written instrument is, if not accepted, equivalent to a tender of the instrument.