Giordano v. Stubbs
Giordano v. Stubbs
Opinion of the Court
The appeal in this case is from the judgment of the Superior Court of DeKalb County denying the motion of the plaintiffs for a summary judgment against the defendant Stubbs for damages in the amount of $145,000, plus interest, and the cross appeal is from the denial of the defendant Stubbs’ motion for a summary judgment in his favor as to all issues in the case. At issue is the validity of a sale by Stubbs, under power granted him in a deed to secure debt, of 35.52 acres of land located in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The undisputed facts show that Stubbs sold the land in question to one Donald E. Gaston on the 15th day of November, 1963, giving to Gaston a warranty deed therefor and receiving from Gaston a note and deed to secure debt in the amount of $30,000, payable interest only in semiannual instalments of $900 each until November 14, 1969, at which time the principal balance with accrued interest thereon was due and payable. Gaston sold the property to a third party who, in turn, sold it to the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs thereafter sold it to Bob E. L. Pope on the 31st day of July, 1969, for a recited consideration of ten dollars and other valuable consideration. As a part of the sale price from the plaintiffs to Pope, the latter gave to the plaintiffs a note and deed to secure debt in the amount of $163,500, and assumed the note and deed from Gaston to Stubbs in the amount of $30,000, as had each successive grantee prior to him. On November 1, 1969, Stubbs wrote to Joseph P. Giordano a letter advising him that, "Your note in the amount of $30,000.00, plus interest of $900.00 is due and payable Nov. 14, 1969. I have assigned this note to the Trust Co. of Ga. Please mail check in the amount of $30,900.00 to Trust Co. of Ga., East Atlanta Branch, 514 Flat Shoals Ave., S. E., Att: Mr. Harold Williams.” On December 11, 1969, the indebtedness not having been paid, the attor
1. Applying the laws of this State to the above facts, the
2. The Giordanos, appellants, and cross appellees, contend that the sale of the property by Stubbs was infected by several irregularities which would authorize a court of equity to set the same aside. None of these contentions is meritorious. In view of the ruling made in the preceding headnote, it was clearly immaterial that Stubbs had
3. Inadequacy of price paid upon the sale of property under power will not of itself and standing alone be sufficient reason for setting aside the sale. It is only when the price realized is grossly inadequate and the sale is accompanied by either fraud, mistake, misapprehension, surprise or other circumstances which might authorize a finding that such circumstances contributed to bringing about the inadequacy of price that such a sale may be set aside by a court of equity. Smith v. Ga. Loan &c. Co., 114 Ga. 189 (39 SE 846); Croft v. Sorrell, 151 Ga. 92
4. The foregoing disposes of the entire case and renders moot the questions raised on the main appeal.
Judgment reversed on the cross appeal; main appeal dismissed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting in part. I recognize the principle cited in Division 3 of the majority opinion, that, in order to set aside a sale of property under power, not only must the price realized be grossly inadequate, but also the sale must be accompanied by either fraud, mistake, misapprehension, surprise or other circumstances which might authorize a finding that such circumstances contributed to bringing about the inadequacy of price. No argument should be necessary to show that the price realized, $35,000, was grossly inadequate for the property sold, evidence of the value of which ranged from approximately $100,000 to $215,000. If the inadequacy of price be great, it is of itself a strong circumstance to evidence fraud (Parker v. Glenn, 72 Ga. 637 (2)); that circumstance, taken in connection with others of a suspicious nature, may afford such a vehement presumption of fraud, as will authorize the court to set aside the conveyance. Lasater v. Petty, 220 Ga. 592, 594 (140 SE2d 864) and cit. There are many cases
It is true, as the majority opinion indicates, that Stubbs was authorized by the terms of the security deed to bid in the property himself, which he did through his agent. Apparently overlooked, however, has been the fact that Stubbs was acting in a dual role in the sale. He was not only the buyer, but also the seller under the irrevocable power of attorney granted him by the security deed, which constituted him an agent of the original grantor in the deed. That such agency was thereby created is indicated by the fact that "[t]he proper method to be employed by an attorney in fact in signing a deed for his principal is to sign the principal’s name, with the additional statement that it is done by him (the agent) as attorney in fact, thus: 'John Smith, by his attorney in fact, William Hall.’” Powell on Actions for Land, § 218, p. 231. Stubbs later became also the agent of the Giordanos, subsequent grantors in privity with the original grantor. Delray, Inc. v. Reddick, 194 Ga. 676 (22 SE2d 599, 143 ALR 519).
"An agent is a fiduciary with respect to the matters within the scope of his agency. The very relation implies that the principal has reposed some trust or confidence in the agent, and the agent or employee is bound to the exercise of the utmost good faith, loyalty, and honesty toward his principal or employer. The fiduciary relationship existing between an agent and his principal has been compared to that which arises upon the creation of a trust, and the rule requiring an agent to act with the utmost good faith and loyalty toward his principal or employer applies regardless of whether the agency is one coupled with an interest, or the compensation given the agent is small or nominal, or
What did the exercise of the utmost good faith, loyalty and honesty require of Stubbs in the instant case? What kind of consent does the law contemplate in reference to one’s consent that his agent purchase at his own sale? Does it mean a free and untrammeled one or one contained in a deed to secure debt, where the grantor has no choice but to consent and the knowledge of which in many cases is wholly unknown and unconsciously given? It has been held that "[t]he trustee or mortgagee must use reasonable effort
Stubbs had the choice of reducing his claim to judgment and letting a neutral and impartial officer sell the land securing his debt or of selling the security under his power of sale, in which latter event he would act as attorney in fact of the owner, owing Gaston good faith in exercising the power as such agent. If good faith had been exercised and the property produced its fair market value, there would have been an excess of the amount owed by Gaston, which Stubbs would have held in trust for those who later bought the land and assumed existing loans. These subsequent purchasers were in privity with Gaston and the good faith duty of Stubbs inured to the benefit of all later purchasers, who would have been entitled to such proceeds as were sufficient to cover their claims in the event the property brought its true value or an amount approximating it.
Stubbs’ selling the property at somewhere between approximately one third and one sixth of its value is not good faith toward Gaston and his privies, especially since he himself bought it and would stand to benefit tremendously by such transaction. Stubbs might have exercised the requisite good faith under the circumstances, for example, by paying a fair price for the property if he bought it himself, or even by refusing to sell it under his power of sale if a
I am aware of Code § 37-104, and cases holding to the effect that, before a debtor can have equitable relief against a sale under power in a security deed, he must pay or tender the principal and interest due. See Gilbert v. Carson, 213 Ga. 387, 389 (99 SE2d 105) and cit. I do not believe that a tender was necessary in the present case, however; firstly, because, in addition to equitable relief, there was a demand for alternative relief in the form of a monetary judgment, which would be an adequate remedy. Secondly, "[i]n order for the plaintiff to prevail he must show that the circumstances complained of produced gross inadequacy of price, and that he himself was free from fault.” (Emphasis supplied.) Croft v. Sorrell, 151 Ga. 92, 96 (106 SE 108). Gaston and the other grantors have done nothing wrong or inequitable; hence, they are free from fault and in court with clean hands.
Even if a tender was required, moreover, "[djelinquencies which have had no injurious consequences are held not to defeat a suit.” 27 AmJur2d 674, Equity, § 138. The "clean
The complaint raised a jury question as to whether the circumstances justified the relief sought. However, there was various opinion testimony as to the value of the property sold, based upon which summary judgment can never issue. Ginn v. Morgan, 225 Ga. 192 (2) (167 SE2d 393). For the latter reason, I would affirm the lower court’s judgment denying the motions for summary judgment of all of the parties and I dissent from the majority opinion reversing the judgment denying Stubbs’ motion for summary judgment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GIORDANO Et Al. v. STUBBS Et Al.; And Vice Versa
- Cited By
- 65 cases
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- Published