Howard v. Thomas
Howard v. Thomas
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The plaintiff states that he and one Holmes, in 1829, purchased from the' defendant a tract of land for seventeen hundred and fifty dollars, with interest at ten per centum from the first of March, 1828; and gave in payment a bill of exchange on William Bullitt, of NeW-Orleans, for seven hundred and fifty-eight dollars and sixty-seven cents, (of which one hundred and seventy-five dollars were for interest on the whole amount up to March 1st, 1829,) and two promissory notes payable to Leroy Stafford, and by him endorsed for five hundred and eighty-three dollars and thirty-three cents each, payable on the first of March, 1830 and 1831, with interest from the first of March, 1829. No special mortgage was retained by the defendant for the purchase money : But on the contrary,the deed expresses the facts as above set forth, and declares that the payment of eleven hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents, and interest, is secured by the two notes aforesaid. That the plaintiff thinking it might be expedient and necessary to mortgage the land, proposed to the defendant to forbear retaining any privilege or mortgage* and to be satisfied with personal security, to which the latter assented; and the plaintiff accordingly gave Bullitt and Stafford as his sureties: Notwithstanding which, the said defendant has sued out a writ of seizure and sale, and his petition does not allege any notice to the plaintiff of the dishonor of the bill; and he claims the sale of the land for the payment of seven hundred and ninety-one dollars and sixty-seven cents, with interest from March 1st, 1829, i e. for five hundred and eighty-three dollars and thirty-three cents, besides interest on the first note, and the balance of said sum of seven hundred and ninety-one dollars abd sixty-seven cents, on account of the bill aforesaid, with interest. The petition concludes by a prayer for a writ to enjoin this sale, which accordingly issued.
The injunction was dissolved, and the plaintiff appealed.
On the trial the plaintiff gave in evidence the notes and draft annexed to the petition for an order of seizure and sale.
The defendant gave in evidence the sale of the land, and| the draft and notes given by the vendees.
The appellant’s counsel has contended that the defendant’s! privilege was dissolved by his receipt of the draft and notes in payment, and relied on the case of Abat vs. Syndics of Nolte et als. 6 Martin, N. S. 636.
The deed shows that for the first instalment, on which failure of payment is the ground of the order of seizure, th plaintiffs gave their draft, which is in the words of the deed.] “ when paid will be in full,” &c. It is, therefore, clear thai until the draft was paid, the defendant was the creditor of his] vendees for the price or consideration of the sale, and if so, he] was, therefore, a fair legal creditor.
It is further urged, that the petition ought to have alleged a notice to the plaintiff of the dishonor of the draft. Nothing but the payment of the draft could affect the defendant’s claim; because till then the deed said the price of the sale remained due. If through the defendant’s laches the plaintiff received any injury, the latter is certainly entitled to remuneration. This he may demand by a separate action; and perhaps he might have pleaded it in the present case: but as he has not done so, we need not examine the question.
It is, therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed, that the judgment of the District Court be affirmed, with costs.
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- HOWARD v. THOMAS
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