Darst v. Thomas
Darst v. Thomas
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
It is objected to this decree, that it gives compensation in money instead of simply enforcing the equity of appellee to have the sales set aside, and to have the property sold, selling lot 12 first, the west half of lot 3 next, and the east half last. Solicitors for appellants say these were the original equities ofappellee, and the court can not properly give him more.
We see no objection to the decree in this regard. By the fraud of Darst and Horn the appellee has been placed in a condition where he can not so readily assert what are called his original equities. The possession of the east half of lot 3 is taken from him, and the price of lot 12 is paid over to the non-resident mortgagee. Although it may be that appellee might have followed the course suggested, he is not confined to that remedy. The sham bid of McKee wa.s procured by Darst and Horn. On the faith of it, lot 3 was sold at $3900, and gave appellee an equitable right to $1750 out of the surplus of that bid over the amount apparently left unpaid of the mortgage debt, after deducting the price of lot 12. Others having acted on the faith of that sham bid, Darst and Horn were bound, as its authors, to make it good. This they failed to do. By that failure, and by their connivance, appellee was deprived of that sum of money, and Darst and Horn, as the owners of lot 12, got the full benefit of that much money, which ought to have been paid to appellee. It is but right that they should refund it, with interest. The loss was the fruit of their fraud—they mtist respond.
Horn having died, it is right and proper that his property in the hands of his heir and devisee should be subjected to the same burden which the decree would have imposed upon Horn, if living.
The cause of complaint rests upon the fraud of Darst and Horn, and appellee had his election to proceed at law or in equity. He was not confined to his remedy at law, as suggested by counsel.
It is complained that $1750 is more than the value of appellee’s interest in the land. From the findings it seems no more than just.
We can not consider the objection that the findings of the court are not supported by the proofs, for the evidence is not preserved in the record. We must assume that' the findings are true.
We find no sufficient cause to disturb the decree of the circuit court.
Decree affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jacob Darst v. Owen A. Thomas
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Fraud—in sale of property mortgaged. Where A conveyed real estate to his -brother, to enable him to raise money on the same and other land, and afterwards the brother reconveyed, subject to a deed of trust given by him, and he afterwards sold the other lands in the deed of trust to B and C, and at the trustee’s sale of the premises B and C procured D, an irresponsible person, to make a sham bid on their part of the land, and then they bid off A’s land, which, with the amount of B’s bid, made $1750 more than the debt secured by the trust deed, and B and C paid all of their bid to the incumbrancer, and D not paying his bid, they advanced the balance due the mortgagee and obtained a release for their land: Meld, that A could recover back the sum out of which he was so defrauded, with interest, on bill against C and D. Having procured a false bid upon which others acted, they were bound to make it good. A, in such case, had his election to sue at law or in equity. 2. If one, by fraud, procures a sham bid on his property when offered for sale, by an irresponsible person, and thereby succeeds in having the land of another sold to pay off a portion of the debt he is equitably bound to pay, such injured party may recover back the sum so lost, by him in the sale of his property, or the sum realized by the other, with interest. 3. Chancery—finding. Where the evidence is not preserved in a chancery suit, this court must assume the finding of the court below in the decree to be true.