Hawk v. Leverett
Hawk v. Leverett
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff filed her bill against the defendants, and the jury found a verdict for the defendants. Plaintiff moved the court for a new trial upon several grounds set out in the motion,‘which was overruled by the court, and plaintiff excepted, and prosecutes this writ of error to reverse the judgment of the court in 'refusing to grant the new trial.
It appears from the facts in the record, that plaintiff was the owner of a certain tract of land- known as the Sparks place; that she was very old and feeble, and her brother having died, she had no one to help her; in 1870 she applied to Leverett, one of the defendants, to assist her, as she had known him a great while, which he agreed to do, and did so; that a short time afterwards Lane wished
This bill was filed to subject the Sparks place, in Leverett’s hands, to the payment of plaintiff’s judgment against Lane for the purchase money.
The first ground in the motion for new trial is, because the court erred in refusing to charge the jury, as requested by plaintiff’s counsel, as follows: That if the jury believe from the evidence that, at the time plaintiff sold the land to Lane, that Leverett was either the agent or confidential friend and adviser of plaintiff; that she made a deed
This request should have been given in charge to the jury; it embodies the law of this case, as shown by the facts set forth in the record.
It is quite evident that Leverett, when he advisea plaintiff to make a deed instead of giving a bond for titles, occupied the position of confidential adviser to plaintiff; and it is plain, when he made the trade and acquired the title to this property, the Sparks place, he was the agent of the plaintiff; and now to allow him to hold this land, freed from the lien of plaintiff for the purchase money tnereof, by the very means advised and counseled by himself as the proper means to secure plaintiff the payment of the purchase money, would be to sanction a fraud upon his part.
It will make no difference that, at the time Leverett gave the advice to plaintiff to make the deed to Lane, he acted honestly and believed his advice to be correct, and did not then have in contemplation himself the purchase of the land from Lane. He knew, at the time he did purchase the land from Lane, what advice he had given, and that plaintiff acted upon such advice; his act in purchasing the land from Lane was an act calculated to deprive plaintiff of part, if not the whole, security for the purchase money, which she had taken under his advice. This conduct on his part is fraudulent in law, however honest he may have been when he gave the advice. This conduct renders the land in his hands liable to pay plaintifi’s judgment for the purchase money. Code, §§3174, 3177. 2636.
It is unnecessary to review the other grounds taken in the motion for new trial, as we are satisfied that the charge
Judgment reversed.
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