Bellair v. Wool
Bellair v. Wool
Opinion of the Court
It is utterly impossible ■ to reconcile the testimony of complainant and her husband in this case with that of defendant Wool. Courts are very reluctant in coming to the conclusion that a witness has willfully given false testimony in a case; they much prefer to attribute all seeming or real discrepancies to the uncertainties of recollection, or some other cause consistent with honest intentions. In this case these witnesses are diametrically opposed to each other in every essential particular, and this in reference to matters *about which they could not be mistaken or have forgotten, so that, however charitably disposed we might be, yet we could not harmonize or make consistent the testimony of defendant Wool with that of complainant and her husband. Complainant and her husband were not residing together. He was about to go away, and claiming an interest in certain property, she concluded to secure it in some way for herself and for the benefit of their child, who was living with her. She applied to defendant Wool, an attorney, with whom she seems to have been quite intimate, and upon his advice wrote to her husband that she wanted to see him. Her husband came as requested, and she told him that she wanted to purchase the property, but as she could not tell him how much money she could raise for him, he agreed to call again. She then had an interview with defendant Wool, who told her to offer anything less than two hundred dollars for the property, and agreed to loan or furnish her with the money. On her husband’s return, she offered him one hundred and seventy-five dollars for the property. He told her this was a small sum, but in consideration
Defendant Wool denies having, purchased or agreed to purchase these premises for complainant, or of having loaned or agreed to loan her any money for such purpose. He says there was but one deed drafted or executed and that, the deed to defendants; that when drafted on the 18th day of August it was handed to her. to be executed, and that he did not see it again until after it was executed on the 19th; that he was pres
The testimony of defendant Wool does not make a favorable impression, even with the testimony of Minock to partially corroborate it. The expressions contained in the letter which he introduces and testifies he received from complainant, but which she denies wx-iting, are equally consistent with complainant’s as with defendant’s theory. The receipt for one hundred and twenty-five dollars on the back of defendant Wool’s check, complainant denies having signed, and her signature is not proven satisfactorily; she also denies ever having received this check, or received a dollar from defendant Wool, and there is no evidence except that of Wool himself, tending to show that he ever paid to her or for her benefit a single dollar which could be applied upon this check or in payment for this property. The evidence introduced, in so far as it goes, shows the property to be worth four thousand dollars, that Oliver 0. Bellair offered to sell it to his wife for eight hundred and fifty dollars, — the consideration in the deed was one thousand dollars, — while the consideration according to defendant’s theory, was only three hundred and fifty dollars. There is nothing in the case tending to show that Oliver 0. Bellair was com
It but remains to consider the legal objections to the relief sought.
I. That Oliver C. Bellair and not complainant should have filed this bill. We see no force whatever in this. He agreed to and supposed he was conveying this property to complainant, but on account of the fraud practiced upon him the conveyance executed was to other parties. A reconveyance to him would not place the title where it was intended to be, in complainant. She would still be under the necessity of instituting proceedings in case Oliver should refuse to convey. Nor can she be obliged to wait his taking steps to set aside this deed.
II. It is claimed that as defendant Prentis purchased and paid for this property in good faith, he is entitled to protection, at least to the amount paid by him, which should be refunded. There are two sufficient answers to this. In the first place it is not at all clear that complainant supposed she was borrowing money from defendant Wool, and she had no communication with defendant Prentis. She *claimed he, Wool, was owing her, but if we view it as a loan, there was no agreement to give any security, or as to when it should be repaid. And in the second place Prentis purchased and advanced his money at the request of, and upon representations made by Wool, and the complainant in this case is neither legally nor equitably bound to indemnify him for the false and fraudulent conduct of the party through whom he acted. She never authorized Wool to apply to Prentis either to purchase this property or to loan her money, nor did she suppose she was borrowing money from him, and she is therefore under no obligation to repay him. We have no doubt but that Mr. Prentis acted in the utmost good faith in the premises, but his remedy is against the party who defrauded him, and not against this complainant. If he insisted in retaining this property after being informed of the fraud, he could not, on being defeated, ask the court to compel complainant to make good his losses.
The decree of the court below must be reversed, with costs, and a decree entered in favor of complainant, in accordance with this opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Janet F. Bellair v. George W. Wool and Another
- Status
- Published