Allen v. Kirk
Allen v. Kirk
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
By no one of the assignments of error in this case are we asked to disturb any finding of fact of the court below, and under its findings a decree of specific performance could not have been equitably made. The contract which the appellant would have thus enforced was for the exchange of real estate. The lot which he agreed to convey to Kirk, the appellee, is situated in the city of Pittsburg, at the northeast corner of Penn and Brushton avenues, and in the agreement is described as “ having a frontage of 191.52 feet on Penn Ave., and a depth of 156.41 feet on Brushton Avenue.” The decree asked for was refused, because the dimensions of the lot as given in the deed tendered to the appellee varied materially from those which the court found he had understood them to be.
The contention of the appellant is that the appellees ought not to be permitted to resist specific performance of their contract on the ground that the actual dimensions of the lot varied materially from what they believed them to be at the time the agreement for the exchange was made, because prior thereto David Kirk had personally viewed the land and had full opportunity to inform himself as to the angle made by the streets, it appearing clearly defined on the ground ; and it is urged that a misconception as to the angle resulting from the sketch made by the appellant, without any attempt to deceive, though susceptible of the construction put upon it by the appellees, is no excuse for their non-performance of their agreement. It is true Kirk did go and view the lot before entering
It does not appear that when the agreement was entered into any deed was on record from which the length of the northerly line could have been ascertained. The lot was part of a larger tract originally owned by the appellant and Walker as cotenants. Their deed ivas on record, but from it the dimensions of the part subsequently sold by Walker to the appellant could not have been ascertained. In the deed from Walker to Allen the dimensions of the lot are given, but that deed was not placed on record until March 30, 1905 —more than a month after the date of the agreement. It was only after the title company discovered that a survey was necessary and the same was made that the discrepancy was discovered. That this is a material one is not disputed. Instead of getting a lot of equal width throughout, it is between twenty and twenty-one feet shorter in the rear than on the front. The lot is a corner city.one, and, as to such, a variation much less would be most material. Some stress is laid upon the fact that the tender of the deed was first refused on account of an alleged shortage of only five feet. Such a shortage in such a lot might be material, but whether it was or not, the appellees had a right, on coming into court, to defend on the real measurement in the case, giving them twenty-
The learned judge below cited authorities to support his correct conclusion that the bill ought to be dismissed, but he needed none. The equities were all with the appellees. The appellant, who sought relief, came into court with none. He had innocently and unintentionally, as found by the court, misled the parties with whom he contracted, but out of their mistake, so induced, no contract arose which equity would enforce. “ Wherever the defendant’s mistake was, either intentionally or not, induced or made probable or even possible, by the acts or omissions of the plaintiff, then, on the plainest principles of justice, such error prevents a specific enforcement of the agreement: ” 2 Pomeroy’s Equity, sec. 860.
Decree affirmed at appellant’s costs.
Reference
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- Equity — Specific performance — Misrepresentations—Innocent statements tending to mislead — Discrepancy in size of lot. Where one of two parties to an agreement for an exchange of lands innocently and unintentionally-misleads the other as to the size of the lot which he is to receive, equity will not specifically enforce the contract. On a bill- in equity for specific performance it appeared that plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement to exchange real estate. Plaintiff’s land was a city lot. Plaintiff drew a rough sketch of it which was practically a rectangle. The southerly line was indicated to be 191- feet, the westerly line, 156 feet, and the easterly fine, 155 feet. The length of the northerly fine was not indicated. This sketch was delivered by the plaintiff to the real estate agent who was effecting the deal. The agent gave it to defendant. The sketch was made without fraud by plaintiff, and without knowledge of the length of the northerly line. There was no deed on record at the time the agreement was made which indicated the length of this line, nor were there any monuments, marks or corners upon the ground, and no buildings adjoining it, which in any manner indicated the northern or easterly lines. The defendant visited the lot on a cold and stormy day, when there was snow on the ground, and made only a casual examination of it. After the agreement was signed, and when the title was being examined, the deed to plaintiff was placed on record, and a survey was subsequently made, and there was found to be a discrepancy of about twenty-one feet between the real length of the northerly line and the length which the defendant supposed it to be. When plaintiff at first tendered a deed it was refused on the ground that the alleged shortage of the northerly line was five feet. Upon the filing of the bill the reason for refusing was that the northerly line of the property was twenty-one feet shorter than defendant expected it to be. Held, that the plaintiff was not entitled to specific performance.