Shuler v. Williams
Shuler v. Williams
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
The deed describes the lot conveyed thus:
“Bounded on the north by lot of S. J. Schuelhofer and measuring thereon one hundred (100) feet; bounded east on Laurens street and measuring thereon eighty (80) feet; bounded south on Richland avenue and measuring thereon one hundred (100) feet; bounded west on lot formerly of Joseph Russell, now of D. Rones, and measuring thereon eighty (80) feet.”
The expressed consideration named in the deed is $6,300. There was a formal general warranty. It turned out that *353 the depth of the lot, that is to say along Richland street and the Schuelhofer line, is not 100 feet, but 97 feet.
The description which was used contained features which are common to both of the cases supposed, but which are not completely exclusive or inclusive of either case.
And that fetches us to the cardinal issue up for decision, and that is: Did the plaintiff reasonably prove the case he alleges? In the very nature of it so much rests in opinion, but most issues of consequence do so rest.
We are mindful that the plaintiff testified: (l)-That the defendant made a representation to him; and (2) that the plaintiff relied upon it; and (3) that it turned out to be untrue. But so much by itself does not carry the issue to the jury; the circumstances must reasonably establish that each of these three postulates is reasonably true.
We consider all the testimony of the plaintiff and that only on this issue. He testified that he is a business man, merchant, farmer, cotton buyer, real estate dealer, and what not; that he had been in business 30 years; that he passed the lot every time he went home and at many other times; that he saw the lot and knew it; that he had bought lots by the foot; that he had before bought lots by the foot without measuring them; that he talked with the vendor (a negro) three times about buying and before he bought, and that perhaps three months elapsed before he bought; that he considered the trade before concluding it; that he had the time and facility to measure the lost; that he did not want the jury to believe the negro could fool me;” that he carried the vendor to the Hendersons, and had him sign the deed; that the vendor told the vendee that Rones’ fence (on the back side of the lot) was the back line of the corner lot, and the plaintiff saw the fence there before he bought; that the plaintiff bought by the side foot and not by the front foot “because it was more easily calculated by the 100 feet;” that the plaintiff went into possession and held two years before he discovered the deficiency and made the instant claim.
Judgment reversed, with direction to enter verdict for the defendant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Shuler v. Williams.
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- Syllabus
- 1. Vendor and Purchaser — Performance of Contract — Quantity of Land — Deficiency.—Where amount of land named in deed exceeds amount included in description, the deficiency, in itself, does not render vendor liable therefor, in absence of written warranty of area. 2. Vendor and Purchaser — Misrepresentation—Fraudulent Intent. —Generally, if there is a misrepresentation in fact by vendor, purchaser who relies thereon is entitled to relief, though vendor did not intentionally misrepresent such fact, since misrepresentation may exist without fraudulent intent. 3. Evidence — Parol Testimony — Deed.;—Words of deed showing with exactness and certainty what land was conveyed cannot be varied by parol. 4. Vendor and Purchaser — Quantity of Land — Liability of Vendor. —Vendor who sells parcel of land parallelogram in shape and exactly 100 feet deep and 80 feet wide at exact valuation per foot is liable to purchaser for any deficiency in the lot actually conveyed. 5. Vendor and Purchaser — Quantity of Land — Liability of Vendor —Misrepresentation—Vendor who represents lot to be certain number of feet deep and sells it for gross sum without regard to exact size is liable for deficiency, where lot is not the represented number of feet deep. 6. Evidence — Parol Agreement — Deed.—Where deed is ambiguous as to land conveyed, parol agreement is competent to show intention of parties. 7. Vendor and Purchaser — Misrepresentations—Reliance Upon — Jury Question. — In purchaser’s action for vendor’s failure to convey quantity of land represented to be in certain lot, where evidence showed circumstances to be such that purchaser had no reasonable cause to rely on the representation, vendor was entitled to directed verdict. 8. Vendor and Purchaser — Misrepresentation—Reliance Upon. — To recover difference in amount of land between that actually conveyed and that represented to be in lot, purchaser must show that he had reasonable cause to rely upon the misrepresentation, and how he came to be misled. 9. Vendor and Purchaser — Misrepresentation—Depth of Lot — Reliance by Purchaser. — Real estate dealer of 30 years’ experience, who had bought lots by the foot, who had carefully considered purchase of certain lot, and who had frequently passed the lot, and had had the time and the facility to measure it before buying, held hot misled by vendor’s representation as to depth of lot.