Flynn v. Herye
Flynn v. Herye
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This is an action of ejectment for six feet four inches of ground in block 25 of Eiler’s survey of Carondelet, brought against defendant Herye. The defendant Herye sets up an equitable defence. It appears from the pleadings, evidence, and stipulation of record that one Motier died, leaving-seven children, and owning the greater part of block 25 in Carondelet, which block was supposed to front 300 feet on Main Street, but was discovered, in the course of the transactions which will be related, to contain a frontage of 306^-feet. Motier directed his executor, the defendant Dorman, to sell so much of this land, less than fifty feet, as should be expedient, to pay debts. Accordingly, on May 2, 1870, Dorman, as executor of Motier, sold forty feet fronting on Main Street to defendant Herye. These forty feet were nearly in the middle of the block, beginning 125 feet south of Main Street, and running thence south forty feet, which were marked out to him by Dorman by lines on the curb
In 1873 the plaintiff, Flynn, who resided in Washington County, bought of three of the heirs of Motier their interest, as heirs of their deceased father, in the property in block 25, being an undivided three-sevenths; and, on motion, was substituted as party defendant in partition proceedings then pending amongst the Motier heirs. During that year Mr. Flynn was twice in Carondelet, examined and made enquiries about the property, saw Herye’s house, and learned from him that he had purchased of the executor. By the commissioners in partition Flynn was assigned the lots immediately adjoining the Herye purchase on the north and south, being Nos. 17 and 19 on the plat. Flynn, or his attorney, discovered the error in the measurement of the block before final decree in partition; and, on motion of Flynn, the report of commissioners was amended so as "to make lot 17, assigned to Flynn, thirty-one feet four inches, instead of twenty-five feet, as it was originally reported. These measurements and changes are made in'telligible by the following plat, [see p. 363] which was used in the argument of the cause.
The lot bounded by the light lines is the lot actually occupied by Herye. The forty-foot lot bounded by the black lines
The filial decree in partition was made in May, 1874 ; and Flynn swears that he then learned for the first time that Herye’s house was on his ground, and before that he did not know exactly where any one’s lines ran. Herye knew nothing of the mistake until informed of it, at a date subsequent to this, by Flynn.
On these facts the Circuit Court made a decree that, *l on condition that John Herye shall tender, within ten
It will be remarked that, according to Herye’s possestion, Flynn has two lots of 25 feet and 33^2 feet respectively, and according to the deeds he has two lots of 27 feet and 31f-2 feet respectively. The total number of feet,, of course, remains the same in any case; the lots are unimproved, and it does not appear that their relative-value per foot will be changed by either measurement.
This is a clear case of mistake, and of a mistake made-by the representative of the Mo tier heirs. The partition should have been made according to the possession of Herye, and not according to his erroneous deed ; and all this might very well have been remedied at the time of the partition, had the mistake been then known. The mere visit of Flynn to the location would not be notice to him that the house of Herye was six feet north of the line of his deed ; for the eye could not detect so slight a misplacement in a line of 300 feet; but it would seem that he had discovered the error when he made application to have the dimensions of lot 17 enlarged, in the partition suit. But whether Flynn had notice of the mistake or not, we think that he is estopped to say that Herye is not in under his deed from the executor, — estopped because those from whom Flynn claims are estopped, and he bought subject-
A deed which purports to pass “ all the right, title, and interest” of the alienor does not show that the grantor assumed to pass, or the grantee to receive, a title other or better than that of the alienor; and the purchaser-of all the right, title, and interest of an heir in the undivided real estate of his father is bound by equities existing in favor of third parties in possession, at the time of the purchase,, by the act of the legal representative of the heirs. That the defence set up in this case would be good against the-Motiers cannot be disputed. We think that it ought to be allowed against the purchaser from the heirs before partition of an undivided interest in the land of which the lot in question forms a part.
The decree entered by the Circuit Court in this case cannot, however, be sustained. If Herye’s deed is to be. reformed according to the prayer of the answer, a conveyance from Herye to Flynn, as provided in the decree, would not be worth much. That a decree may be entered which shall bind all parties interested, and effectually settle the
The judgment of the Circuit Court is reversed and the cause remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.