Palmer v. Moore
Palmer v. Moore
Opinion of the Court
At the July Term for 1871 of the district court of Cherokee county, in a suit pending therein, of E. H. Curtis against Norman Reed, judgment was rendered for the plaintiff restraining the defendant from maintaining a dam across Spring river in said county above the height of thirty inches, measuring from a given point. The judgment also required its abatement to that height, and awarded execution to carry the judgment into effect. Subsequently Curtis bargained away his interest in the land injured by the raising of the dam, and his trustee, with his wife, executed a title-bond to Murphy & Bryant, the purchasers of’the land, conditioned for the making of a deed to M. & B. upon the payment of $4,000, in four installments, viz., $1,000 on October 1st 1871; $1,000 on March 1st 1872; $1,250 on March 1st 1873; and $750 on March 1st 1874. The title-bond contained the provision that if M. & B. failed to comply with the conditions of the bond, the same should be void and of no effect. In pursuance of said contract, the first payment was made by M. & B., and notes executed and delivered for the balance, and thereupon possession of all the property was turned over to M. & B. M. & B. held possession of the property until in February 1873. They then had failed to make the payments due March 1st 1872. In February 1873, by agreement of all the parties to the title-bond and the notes, the title-bond was forfeited, and delivered back to the obligors; the notes of M. & B. were canceled, and the premises and the possession thereof delivered up to E. H. Curtis. During the time M. & B. were in the possession of the real estate, and prior to February 1873, Reed, with their consent, and under an agreement with them, raised his dam above the height named ih the judgment of Curtis v. Reed. This was done without the knowledge or consent of Curtis; and at the time the title-bond was canceled and the notes returned, Curtis had no knowledge that the dam had been raised. Reed sold out his interest in the land, and the dam
Murphy &t Bryant, at the time of the consent to Eeed, to raise his dam, only had an equitable interest in the property in their possession, and could not transfer greater rights than those possessed by themselves. Upon the payment of the purchase-money in full, the equitable title of Murphy & Bryant would have sufficiently ripened as to have authorized them to have demanded the transfer to them or their grantees of the legal title. Prior to the payment of the purchase-money, they held the premises subject to a forfeiture of all their rights and interest therein,upon proper proceedings had by their grantor on default of payment of the moneys stated in the title-bond. When the contract for purchase was rescinded by the mutual agreement of all the parties to the title-bond, and the notes given by the purchasers canceled, and the premises delivered back into the possession of Curtis, the equities of Murphy & Bryant were determined. The property then reverted back to Curtis in the condition it was prior to the execution of the contract of sale. Eeed had no equities superior to Murphy & Bryant; and as he had actual notice, and was also bound in law to take notice of the rights of Murphy & Bryant in the premises, he cannot claim any benefit arising under them as against the judgment of Curtis, when they have returned the land and all their equities to Curtis. The possession of the premises, under the contract of purchase, by Murphy & Bryant, gave them no power or
Counsel for plaintiff in error ask this court to reverse the judgment, and to order the court below to render judgment in favor of Curtis and Palmer. We cannot construe the record as showing that the court made any findings of fact; and as the case was not tried upon an agreed statement of facts, we can only order a reversal of the judgment.
The judgment of the court below is reversed, and cause remanded for a new trial.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Palmer and Curtis v. John Moore
- Status
- Published