Raymond v. Spitzer
Raymond v. Spitzer
Opinion of the Court
Under date October 18, 1895, the defendant Mary A. Spitzer, owning some property in the city of Mason, Mich., agreed to sell the same to one Charles S. Clark, and the parties executed and acknowledged in writing an executory contract for the purchase and sale of said premises, dated on that day, to the terms of which, because of the peculiar nature of the controversy, particular attention must be given. The purchase price stated in the contract is $1,000, and this the second party agreed to pay as follows: He was to transfer and assign to the vendor 10 shares of Class B stock in the Capitol Investment, Building & Loan Association of Lansing, Mich., evidenced by á certain certificate dated October 1, 1894, issued to one Irish, and by him in July, 1895, as
Clark, the vendee, went into possession of the premises. He sold and transferred his interest in the contract and in the premises to one Albert J. Hall, who also went into possession, and afterwards, and on the 12th of March, 1898, sold and assigned his interest in the contract and in the land to complainants, who claim in their bill to have made considerable improvements.
The bill in this cause is filed for specific performance of the contract by the vendor, and, until such performance, to restrain the Capitol Investment, Building & Loan Association from paying the defendant Spitzer the matured value of said certificate of stock, it being charged in the bill that the stock matured in September, 1907, and that the vendor, upon repeated applications made to her to execute a deed, refused to do so.
The defendant Spitzer answered, and in the answer claims certain affirmative relief. It is denied by her that complainants requested her to make, execute, and forward a deed of the premises in accordance with the terms of the contract, or that she ever received any communication, request, or demand from complainants to make, execute,
“ That she stood ready to make said deed and offered to deliver the same when the assignment of said contract was known to her, so that she could know positively to whom the deed should be mad© and delivered. This they omitted, refused, neglected, and failed to advise this defendant of, and have not, up to the beginning of this suit, advised this defendant who said contract had been assigned to.”
She further says she has been deprived of the avails of the property because of the contract, and of the rents which aggregate a large amount; that she became so involved that it was necessary for her to raise a sum of money and was compelled to and did mortgage the prem
“(1) That the said complainants may be required to make, without oath, their full, direct answer to the affirmative portion of the answer of this defendant.
“ (2) That there may be an accounting of the rentals received for said house and premises and expenditures for repairs and of taxes, and such other matters in that connection as may be deemed just and proper by this honorable court.
“ (3) That this defendant may, by order of this court, be decreed to be entitled to such moneys as may be found in excess of the moneys used in the repairing of said premises, and such moneys as have been paid upon the taxes thereof, and a balance thereof certified in her favor.
‘ ‘ (4) And that she may have such other and further relief in the premises as may be warranted under the pleadings and proofs in said cause and as equity may require*487 and as to this honorable court shall seem meet and proper.”
The cross-bill was answered, replications were filed, and the cause came on to be heard in open court. A decree was entered in accordance with the prayer of the bill of complaint, providing that upon the execution and delivery of a deed or the recording of a certified copy of the decree, the Capitol Investment, Building & Loan Association pay over to said Spitzer the matured value of the ten shares of stock.
O. M. Spitzer, the husband of defendant Spitzer, both of whom then lived and now live in Ohio, made the bargain for the sale of the premises, and his wife, acting upon his advice, executed the, contract. He gave testimony to the effect that "William Clark, Charles S. Clark, and A. J. Hall made representations to him that the stock would mature in 80 months from date of issue. The certificate was assigned to his wife and has been in her possession. The payments required to mature it were 50 cents a month a share, or $5 a month for 10 shares. It is incredible that one should have believed that with such payments the stock could be honestly matured in 80 months. It is perhaps equally incredible that the owner of property should sell it upon ,the terms stated in the contract and forego interest, rent, and all emolument for a period which should have been estimated at from 10 to 12 years. Payments were made to the local agent of the building and loan association at Mason, and the stock was matured in accordance with the rules and regulations of the company. The vendor, until after it had matured, never protested that the stock should have been earlier matured, never demanded why it was not matured. On the contrary, after the period of 80 months from October 1, 1894, had expired, and on February 8, 1902, Mrs. Spitzer wrote to one of the complainants stating she was informed that the insurance upon the property, the contract for the sale of which, she recites, had been assigned by
“As this is not in conformity with the terms of our contract, I now declare the contract void. However, if the balance due on it is paid me by March 1, 1902, I will give you a deed of the place upon receipt of same. Hoping that everything may still be fixed up satisfactory to yourself, as well as myself, I remain.”
Explanations were made which appear to have been satisfactory. It is not now claimed that the contract was forfeited. The money to cancel and retire the stock was sent to the local agent at Mason. Mrs. Spitzer on September 17,1907, drew on the building and loan association for $1,000. On September 30, 1907, she drew on the Mason agent for $1,003.40. On October 10, 1907, she drew on the association for $1,003.40. Apparently with her last draft, or at the time of making it, she wrote to the association the following letter:
“ I drew a sight draft on you for my certificate of stock class B2285 on September 19, 1907, with certificate attached, that you turned down, and you refer it to Mr. Hall of Mason. Then I drew on him, at your suggestion, and he also turned it down. Now, I have drawn the second one, with certificate attached, upon you people, on which I demand payment when presented to you, with the legal rate of interest which the State of Michigan allowed from the 19th of September, 1907. I shall not look to any one else for the payment of this stock, and if not paid, when presented, I shall expect damages. I have been to a good deal of trouble already. I have given you no authority to pay this money to any one. I want spot cash for this certificate, and nothing else. I drew threw the Elyria Savings Bank of Elyria the 10th of October, 1907.”
She made a deed of the property, reciting that it was upon condition, and sent it to a bank in Mason with instruction that it be delivered upon payment of $1,100. It is not necessary to recite here the efforts by personal interviews with Mrs. Spitzer and by correspondence to
We therefore affirm the decree, with costs to complainants.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- RAYMOND v. SPITZER
- Status
- Published