Goodwin v. Eller
Goodwin v. Eller
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
On motion of both parties hereto in the district court for a summary judgment, such judgment was entered in favor of defendants in error against plaintiff in error in an unlawful detainer action. The correctness of that judgment is now challenged.
The Ellers, owners of property involved, gave Goodwin a lease thereto on March 28, 1950. Subsequently, negotiations between the parties for the sale and pur
Following this final determination of the specific performance action, both the Ellers and Goodwin moved for summary judgment in the then pending unlawful detainer action. The Ellers prevailed, and judgment in their favor for possession of the premises and costs was entered on October 8,1953.
Goodwin, plaintiff in error, admits that he has no right to possession since that question has been judi
We believe counsel for-Goodwin has failed to differentiate between what he terms a contract, which would relieve him of unlawful detention, and the wording of the opinion in Goodwin v. Eller, supra, which is, “Under these circumstances, the execution and tender of the deed by defendants, in legal effect, amounted to no more than an offer by them to sell the property * * *. By refusal to pay the full consideration demanded, and by insisting on a ‘credit’ of $350.00, plaintiff, in legal effect, submitted a counter offer which was not accepted by the owners of the property.” (Emphasis supplied.) And in the opinion our Court approves the following in Iselin v. United States, 271 U. S. 136, 46 Sup. Ct. 458, 70 L. Ed. 872: “It is well settled that a proposal to accept, or an acceptance, upon terms varying from those offered, is a rejection of the offer, and puts an end to the negotiation, unless the party who made the original offer renews it, or assents to the modification suggested.”
In keeping with this clear-cut decision, there was nothing that had the semblance of a contract for purchase upon which Goodwin could rely, because of the effect of the approved quotation, namely, “ * * * puts an end to the negotiation * * If the negotiations were thus ended by virtue of the decision to which we have herein referred, Goodwin’s holding over, as herein described, was without any support, either in fact or in
Mr. Justice Bradfield does not participate.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.