Fleckner v. Grieve's Syndics
Fleckner v. Grieve's Syndics
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court. Against the validity of these alienations a variety of objections have been raised.
The first in order is that the sale, by Corp to Durand, had not been completed and the property not yet transferred, when the appellants seized the lot as the property of Corp.
The next is, that supposing the sale to have been complete, in point of form, it is void, 1.
The last is that should the sale be decreed valid, in form and substance, the plaintiff ought not to have possession of the premises, because the property is held under a lease.
I. The first, and by far the most important, objection presents the following difficulty. The contract of sale, entered into at London, between Corp and Durand, being for real estate situated in this country, could not affect the rights of third persons here, unless recorded in some notary’s office, as required by our laws.—Until then, it must have been considered as having no more force, in this state, than a private bill of sale. The instrument, executed in London, was never recorded here, and therefore never acquired any binding force against the citizen of this state. One of the contracting parties, however, wishing to remove any difficulty, which might occur on that account, caused another instrument of sale of the premises to be executed in this country. But, that sale is objected to as incomplete, because the purchaser who was represented therein solely by a person, who volunteered his services, on that occasion, did not ratify and approve the acceptance made in his
Before we examine what must have have been the effect of this second bill of sale, we must refer back the first, and see what was the situation of the parties. An act, which we shall consider as a private one, had been passed between them, by which the property had been conveyed to Durand. He had accepted it and was bound. The contract, as between vendor and vendee, was complete: but, in order to make it binding on other persons, something more was necessary. The instrument was to be recorded, or some public act was to be passed here. Now, such a public act has been passed, by which the public has been notified that Corp divested himself of the property in question and transferred it to Enoch Durand, of London, in whose name Thomas Elmes accepted the conveyance. The instrument is undoubtedly such as ought to have effect against third persons, and tho’ Durand might (which we doubt) have a right to decline ratifying it, yet from the moment it was passed, third persons were bound by it, in the case of Durand’s subsequent ratification.
But, it is said that Durand never had possession of the premises, under that act. It is law
II. But admitting the sale to be complete in point of form, it is said to be void. 1. as covering a usurious loan: 2, as intended to defraud the venders creditors.
On the first ground, however, supposing that the appellants have a right to set up such a plea, nothing can be shewn than can induce us to view the transaction in that light. Mere conjectures and inferences are not sufficient to shake a contract apparently valid: neither have we heard in support of the second objection, any sufficient
The title to this property being now fixed in Durand, and nothing having been shewn, which can invalidate the sale by him made to the plaintiff, there seems to remain nothing to do, but to decree possession.
But a difficulty of a singular nature is finally set up by the appellants. They pretend to remain in possession, under Durand, by virtue of the lease which the plaintiff has alleged, against Samuel Corp. In order to avail themselves of such a title, is was expected that they should at least attempt to shew, how that lease passed to them. So far however from that being the case, the question is not even at issue between the present parties: the character of the appellants,
It is ordered, adjudged and decreed, that the judgment of the district court be affirmed with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FLECKNER v. GRIEVE'S SYNDICS & AL.
- Status
- Published