Durham Hall v. Pierson
Durham Hall v. Pierson
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
§ 1210. Warranty of land; eviction; damages; suit prematurely broihgM. Hall conveyed to Mrs. McGee by general warranty deed, reciting in ■ the deed a consideration of $600, the south one-half of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land. Mrs. McGee and her husband afterwards conveyed the same land, and another tract also, by general warranty deed, to appellee Pierson, reciting a consideration of $800. One Anderson brought suit against Hall and Pierson for the entire one hundred and sixty acres, and on the 6th day of November, 1879, judgment was rendered against Pierson, in favor of Anderson, for the eighty acres of land he had purchased from McGee and wife, and in that suit, on his suggestion of good faith, the improvements on the land were valued at $-100, and the land at $80. The judgment recited that no writ of restitution should issue, unless the plaintiff Anderson should, within twelve months, deposit with the clerk the $400 for Pierson; and in the event this was not done within the twelve months, then at any time within six months, if Pierson would deposit with the clerk the $80, the title to the land should vest in him. [R. S. 4817, 4818.] On the 1st day of May, 1880, appellee instituted this suit against Hall, on his warranty to Mrs. McGee for $600 and interest, and for attorneys’ fees and costs expended by him in defending the suit of Anderson. Appellees recovered judgment for $300, with eight per cent, interest from November 6, 1879. Held: The general rule in this state, in suits for the breach of warranty in the sale of lands, is that a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, not appealed from, establishing a superior outstanding title, is of itself sufficient evidence of eviction. And generally the measure of damages is the purchase money and interest. But where the suit is
§ 1211. Payment of purchase money; proof of ; recitals in deed. In a suit for damages for breach of warranty of title to land, where the measure of damage relied upon by the plaintiff is the purchase money paid by him, and interest, the burden is upon him to prove the amount of purchase money paid by him for the identical land in regard to which the breach is alleged. A recital in the deed of the amount of the purchase money is prima facie evidence that the amount so stated was the true consideration. But where the deed conveyed two tracts of land, reciting the consideration for both tracts in the aggregate, without showing how much was paid for one tract or the other, but only the amount paid for both together, and the suit was for damages for breach of warranty of title as to one only of the tracts, it was held that such recital was not evidence to prove the amount of purchase money paid for that tract, and a judgment upon such testimony would be based upon conjecture, and could not stand.
Reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.