Root v. Martin
Root v. Martin
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff executed a deed to a tract of land. This deed did not have the name of any grantee inserted therein. An agent of plaintiff afterwards wrote in the name of defendant as grantee and placed the deed of record. This action was brought to have such deed and the record thereof held for naught and canceled upon the ground that such agent had no authority to write, the name 'of defendant into such -deed as grantee and no authority to deliver such deed. Findings, conclusions, an-d judgment were for plaintiff. From the judgment and an order denying a new trial this appeal was taken.
The appellant is correct in saying that "there is no room for dispute about the facts.” The material facts are all disclosed by
Disregarding his instructions, M. then wrote in defendant’s name in the deed in question and placed same of record without advising plaintiff of such action. Both defendant and M. at all times refused to pay plaintiff the full amimnt coming to plaintiff tinder his instructions. Plaintiff, learning that the deed had been filled up and' put of record, brought this action.
“It is needless to deal in refinements about whether the deed was an escrow, or whether the bank was merely the agent of the grantor named therein. In the first place the delivery of the deed in violation of the terms of the escrow passed 'no title, and in the other case, if the agent delivered the deed contrary to his instruction, it would still pass no title.”
*20 “In essaying this dual role, he did just what he ought not to have done, he betrayed the plaintiff, who had trusted him, and his bank as depositary, for the sake of reaching for a financial advantage for his father”
—though the bank was more than a mere depositary, the bank acting through M., or else M. was plaintiff’s agent, a fact admitted by defendant in his answer.
In view of the above, it becomes unnecessary for us to consider whether M. had any authority to insert defendant’s, name as grantee in the deed.
The judgment and order appealed from are affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ROOT v. MARTIN
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