Keplar v. Weir
Keplar v. Weir
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action to set aside a deed. Judgment was for plaintiff. Defendants appeal.
Plaintiff alleged that on September 2, 1931, he was the owner and in possession of a house and lot in El Dorado, Kan., and that he had been negotiating with defendant, Frank Weir, relative to exchanging his house and lot for eighty acres of land in Saline county owned by Weir. He alleged that Weir represented that he owned this eighty acres clear of encumbrance except for a mortgage in favor of a life insurance company in the amount of $1,400 and another in the sum of $250 in favor of T. P. Wheatley. He alleged that defendant represented to him that he would convey the eighty acres owned by him, subject only to the'two mortgages mentioned, in consideration of the conveyance to him of the house and lot owned by plaintiff; that plaintiff agreed to do this and that deeds were exchanged. Plaintiff further alleged that defendant Weir furnished him an abstract of title purporting to show all the instruments of record affecting the title to the eighty acres, and that the abstract did not show one mortgage on the land to T. P. Wheatley
Plaintiff tendered into court the deed to the eighty acres, executed by Weir and his wife, and offered to reconvey this real estate to Weir.
Plaintiff prayed that the deed conveying his house and lot to Weir be canceled; that Weir and his wife be ordered to reconvey the house and lot to him; that the deed from Weir and wife to Naylor be adjudged null and void, and for other temporary relief.
Defendants Frank Weir and Mary Weir answered that at all times Weir advised plaintiff that the eighty in Saline county was subject to one mortgage in the amount of $1,400 and another in the amount of $500; that they did not know that the indebtedness to Wheatley was divided into two mortgages and therefore referred to it as a mortgage to Wheatley for $500; that defendants had nothing to do with the abstract of title and do not know what it showed;
Defendant Naylor answered by a general denial of the allegations of the petition. He further stated that he traded a farm in Pottawatomie county for the El Dorado property; that possession of the farm was delivered to Weir; that he was renting the El Dorado property to Weir for a monthly rental; and that when Weir was returning to his home in El Dorado after the trade had been consummated defendant asked Weir to take his deed to the register of deeds office and record it for him and return the deed to defendant; that defendant was an innocent purchaser for value of the El Dorado property. The answer prayed that the prayer of the plaintiff be denied.
Trial was to the court.
Keplar, the plaintiff, testified that Weir told him there was a first mortgage of $1,400 to a life insurance company, and a second mortgage of $500 to T. P. Wheatley, one-half of which had been paid; that Weir showed plaintiff some receipts that he had received from the insurance company showing payment on the mortgage; that after Weir had looked at the place of plaintiff the trade was made; that he was unable to get the money to pay for the taxes and abstract, and that Weir agreed to take the money for an oil lease that was on the Saline county land and to take Keplar’s note for the difference necessary to pay the taxes and for the abstract. Plaintiff further testified the agent of Weir gave him his deed and he took it home; that he did not get the receipts; that he does not know
For the defense Weir testified that he told Keplar there was a first mortgage of two thousand or twenty-two hundred with seven notes of $205 paid off; that he never did tell Keplar there was a second mortgage of only $250; he thought there was a second mortgage of $500; that he traded the Keplar house with Naylor for 120 acres in Pottawatomie county with $2,200 against it; that when he was up there Naylor asked him to bring his deed down and record it; that the eighty was sold to him for $2,600 and there were the two mortgages against it; that he didn’t pay anything for the place; that Naylor is related to him by marriage. A. H. Murphy, the real-estate agent, testified that Weir told Keplar there was a second mortgage of $500.
F. E. Naylor testified that he bought the 120 acres in Pottawatomie county in August, 1931; nobody lived on it; he conveyed it to Weir October 10, 1931; in consideration he received the deed to the El Dorado property; he had looked at the property; he rented it to Weir for $10 a month; he took in twenty-two hogs at the price of $60 to apply on- the rent; the loan on the 120 had to' be fixed up and he wanted to get rid of it; he bought the equity for $750; paid it in money; didn’t own any other land; does not own any now except the El Dorado lots; ran into Weir at Fairbury and asked him to take his deed down and record it; cannot think of the name of the man from whom he bought the land; he did not know then how much of a mortgage was on the place; saw the owner, but cannot recall his name; did not find out when the mortgage was due nor whether the interest was paid. He further testified he got some
E. W. Grant testified, that Weir informed him that he never told Keplar there was a $1,400 mortgage on the place, but that he said there was a large mortgage in the sum represented by the receipts shown plaintiff. Defendant asked permission to amend the answer to conform with proof in that respect.
The court found the issues generally in favor of the plaintiff and against all the defendants.
The court set aside the deed from the Weirs to the Keplars; the deed from the Keplars to the Weirs and the deed from the Weirs to the Naylors. The court further canceled the note from Keplar to Weir and found that Naylor and Weir should retain the rents from the El Dorado land but that they had no claim for the taxes that they had paid.
Defendants appeal, and allege as error that there was no evidence to support the findings and judgment of the trial court.
The pleadings presented a clear-cut issue of fact. Between Keplar and Weir it was — Did Weir misrepresent as to the amount of the second mortgage? Did Keplar rely on it? (Carpenter v. Wright, 52 Kan. 221, 34 Pac. 798.) The evidence was conflicting, but it cannot be said that there was no such evidence. There was the testimony of four or five witnesses as well as some highly persuasive circumstances. The issue between Naylor and Keplar, was — Did Naylor give any consideration at all for the conveyance to him of the El Dorado property? The court heard the testimony of Naylor. No doubt the court considered the circumstances. The court was not bound to believe Naylor’s testimony merely because it was not contradicted. (See Sharp v. Losee, 109 Kan. 211, 199 Pac. 94; also, Weber Implement & A. Co. v. Dubach, 132 Kan. 309, 295 Pac. 979.)
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.