French, Richards & Co. v. Robinson
French, Richards & Co. v. Robinson
Opinion of the Court
Robinson purchased, from French, Richards & Co., through their attorneys in fact, John M. Clarke & Son, a lot in the city of Atlanta, and took from said French, Richards & Co., in their firm name, on the 8th day of February, 1870, a joint bond for title to the same, to be conveyed by the said firm to him, the said Robinson, upon his compliance with the conditions therein mentioned; and on the 13th of June, 1870, Robinson having complied with the conditions of the bond, French, Richards & Cotj by their said attorneys, executed and delivered to him a deed, in their firm-name, conveying to him the premises. Upon the sale of the lot, Robinson immediately went into possession, and after it was executed, he remained in pos
On the trial, the defendants, French, Richards & Co. demurred to the declaration upon the ground that it set forth no cause of action against them. The demurrer was overruled, and the jury, under the evidence admitted and the charge of the court, found for the plaintiff $200; and in addition thereto, the sum of $28 for interest, and $20 for attorneys’ fees. Whereupon the defendants made a motion for a new trial, upon the several grounds in said motion set forth, which being overruled, they brought the case to this court; and their bill of exceptions and writ of error make the only question necessary for our determination.
We are of opinion that the demurrer to the declaration was well taken, and should have been sustained. The plaintiff got the deed for which he bargained, and his complaint makes a case of mutual mistake between the parties, as to the sufficiency of the deed of the firm to convey the fee vested in each of the partners as tenants in common to the lot in question. The purchaser went into possession and remained in the undisturbed and adverse possession of the land for more than thirteen years before he made any attempt to have the alleged mistake corrected. There is evidence in the record showing that the money paid for the land was turned over to the vendors and received by them. The receipt of the proceeds of the sale, or any part of them, by the individual members of the firm, was a ratification of the same; and this places it upon the same footing as if each of the partners, as tenants in common, had in person taken part in the transaction; and the purchaser thus became entitled to assert his purchase against each and all of them. This conferred upon him a title to the land, good and valid, both in law and equity. Sewell vs. Holland, 61 Ga. 608. But after the express ratifica
The judgment is reversed, and the cause remanded to the superior court, with directions to sustain the demurrer and dismiss the suit.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.