Struempler v. Peterson
Struempler v. Peterson
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiffs, Fritz and Bonnie Struempler, bring this action against the defendants, Joseph and Beulah Peterson, for damages for nonperformance of a real estate contract. The contract provides for an option to purchase 320 acres of defendants’ land, 160 acres of which was the homestead of the defendants, and 160 acres which was not homestead property. The contract was not acknowledged by either of the defendants. The trial court sustained a demurrer to plaintiffs’ amended petition and the plaintiffs have appealed. We affirm.
This case was previously before the court; Struempler v. Peterson, 190 Neb. 133, 206 N. W. 2d 629, dated April 20, 1973. In that case, plaintiffs sought specific performance of the contract involved in this action. In denying specific performance, this court held that a contract to sell land constituting a homestead is void when not executed and acknowledged by both
The opinion further holds that where a contract for the purchase and sale of real estate includes both homestead and nonhomestead property, but is not executed and acknowledged as required by the section of the statute above, specific performance may be obtained of the nonhomestead land with an abatement of the total purchase price where the contract, under its provision, is clearly severable as to the homestead and the nonhomestead property. This is not the case in the contract involved in this litigation. This contract describes the land only as a full half section; it does not indicate any basis for allocation of the consideration to anything except the entire tract. Under these circumstances, therefore, the court will not make a new contract for the parties nor impose new conditions not contemplated by the parties.
The plaintiffs now bring an action for damages based on the defendants’ refusal to convey the land, which is the subject of the contract. The defendants demurred first to the petition and then to an amended petition, and the trial court sustained the demurrer. Plaintiffs refused to plead further and this appeal followed. The sole issue in this appeal is: Did the trial court err in sustaining the demurrer to plaintiffs’ amended petition? An examination of the plaintiffs’ petition discloses the plaintiffs’ claim for damages is based on two causes of action. The first involved the nonhomestead land. Although specific items in the claim for damages could possibly be included as a basis for an unjust enrichment claim, the petition does not make any such allegation or claim. Under these circumstances, therefore, we hold that the decision of the trial court in sustaining the demurrer was proper and correct.
Counsel for plaintiffs has submitted the case of Solt v. Anderson, 63 Neb. 734, 89 N. W. 306, as
The contract in the case before the court is not severable as to the homestead and nonhomestead property and is therefore unenforceable. As such it can not be the basis for an action in damages and the trial court was correct in sustaining the defendants’ demurrer. See, also, Horseth v. Fuglesteen, 165 Minn. 38, 205 N. W. 607; Lamb v. Cooper, 150 Iowa 18, 129 N. W. 323; 40 C. J. S., Homesteads, § 151, p. 616.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Fritz E. Struempler, Jr. and Bonnie J. Struempler v. Joseph E. Peterson and Beulah E. Peterson
- Status
- Published