Greene v. Adomaitis
Greene v. Adomaitis
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff in his bill, wherein specific performance is sought of the agreement hereinafter referred to, alleges in substance that he is the owner of certain described real estate situated in Brockton, Massachusetts; that he on November 5, 1925, entered into a written agreement. (copy of which is annexed to the bill) with the defendants whereby the defendants were to exchange certain described real estate in Brockton, owned by them individually, for the described property of the plaintiff; that he has always been ready, willing, able and desirous of complying with the terms of that agreement but the defendants refuse and have refused to perform their part. The defendants, admitting in part and denying in part the allegations of the bill, which are not now in issue, further answer in substance that "there was no meeting of minds” in that there was a material misrepresentation of fact. The defendants filed a cross bill wherein by reason of certain alleged misrepresentations they ask that the contract be rescinded and declared null and void.
From the agreement and from the master’s report the facts pertinent to the issue raised by the answer, the cross bill and the amended cross bill are shown to be as follows: The "Agreement of Exchange” states "that a first mortgage of $20,000 is held by the Brockton Savings Bank, and a second mortgage of $3,000 is held by Mary N. Winner” on the property of the plaintiff. In reference to the mortgage to the Brockton Savings Bank, the master finds that Harry K. Stone and Joseph Stone, the predecessors in title of the described land of the plaintiff, on June 27, 1925, executed a mortgage note payable to Daniel E. Brown in the amount of $20,000, payable in three years from June 27, 1925, with interest at six per cent per annum, secured by a first mortgage on the property now of the plaintiff; and that on the same day Daniel E. Brown executed a note of $10,000 payable to the Brockton Savings Bank in one year with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum, and as collat
The words of the agreement, “A first mortgage of $20,000 is held by the Brockton Savings Bank,” taken literally are not misstatement of a fact; but, as understood by all parties to the agreement, they imported not merely that the legal mortgage title was in the bank, but also that the bank held that title as an original mortgagee to secure a loan that it had made on the faith of its appraisement of the value of the property as a safe investment for savings bank funds. No one of the parties knew when the agreement was executed in November, 1925, that the loan which the bank had made to Brown was to become due and payable June 27, 1926, with the result that the mortgage would thereafter be held by Brown as mortgagee and no longer by the bank
It results that the decree should be reversed and a decree entered (1) confirming the master’s supplemental report; (2) dismissing the bill with costs; and (3) granting the prayer of the cross bill that the written agreement be rescinded and declared null and void.
Decree accordingly.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Louis H. Greene v. Karol Adomaitis & another
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published