Miller v. Flattery
Miller v. Flattery
Opinion of the Court
T. F. Flattery and wife, Hattie B. Flattery, executed a deed to J. W. Miller for a recited consideration of $2,200 cash, covering a parcel of land with improvements, dated and delivered March 4, 1911. By deed dated in August, 1911, Miller conveyed same to his daughter, Maggie E. Moore, for a recited consideration of $2,500 cash, but the true consideration was the release of an indebtedness of $2,985, due by Miller to his daughter and of a mortgage securing such indebtedness upon a plantation in Louisiana.
This suit was filed by Flattery and wife, several months subsequent to the last-mentioned conveyance, against Miller and wife and Mrs. Moore and her husband, seeking a recovery of the premises based upon fraud alleged to have been perpetrated by Miller in securing delivery of the deed first mentioned. The material facts upon which the claim of fraud is predicated, in brief, are that Flattery and wife placed the property . for sale in the hands of an agent Hurlock. Miller agreed to purchase for $2,200, paying $1,200 in cash, and transferring to Flattery, without recourse, notes to the amount of $1,000. Mrs. Flattery signed the deed with the understanding that the consideration was to be paid in cash as the deed recited, and her husband was without authority from her to deliver the deed, except upon payment in cash of the consideration stipulated therein. The husband, without her knowledge or consent, delivered the deed upon payment by Miller of $1,200 cash and transfer to him of the notes mentioned. The agent Hurlock represented to Flattery that he had a purchaser for the notes who would cash same, and upon the faith of this representation the notes were accepted by Flattery. The prospective purchaser, however, failed to consummate the purchase thereof.
It is urged that the facts do not show the premises to have been impressed with the homestead character. It had never been actually occupied as such, but the lot had been purchased for homestead purposes, and, in pursuance of this purpose, the house thereon had been erected and just completed a short time prior to the conveyance. The failure of the parties to move into it was explained by the fact that they had paid rent on the house they were occupying, and their month was not up. When a homestead dedication has not been' effected by actual occupancy, such effect must nevertheless be accorded to ownership, intention, and visible acts of preparation to use it for a home. Archibald v. Jacobs, 69 Tex. 251, 6 S. W. 177; Cameron v. Gebhard, 85 Tex. 610, 22 S. W. 1033, 34 Am. St. Rep. 832; Foley v. Holtkamp, 28 Tex. Civ. App. 123, 66 S. W. 891.
Applying this rule, the court or jury might find, from the testimony, that the premises were impressed with the homestead status at the time of the conveyance, and, if it be so found, it follows that title could not pass without the joinder of Mrs. Flattery in the conveyance, untainted by fraud of any kind upon her rights.
*255 In Cole v. Bammel, 62 Tex. 108, the husband had accepted a less amount than that stipulated in a deed conveying separate property of the wife. Discussing the effect of such act, it is said:
“The acceptance by her husband of a different sum, under such a state of facts and without her special authority, would not be binding upon her, nor amount to a ratification of the fraud in which he participated. The purchaser need not be an active, participant in such a transaction in order to vitiate it, but it is sufficient if he had notice of its character before he parted with the purchase money. In principle, the false reading of a wife’s deed, so that it shall appear to be upon a different consideration for what it actually recites, or the changing of the deed in this respect, does not differ from the fraudulent act of receiving from the purchaser a less amount of money than the wife had agreed to take for the land when examined by the officer. Such a proceeding imposes upon the wife a different contract from that which she had explained to her, and, in effect, forces upon her a conveyance she may have been unwilling to execute. A wife, unwilling to sell her separate estate for the price offered her, might be induced to part with it for a much larger sum. The larger sum is inserted in the deed, and she executes it willingly, and so acknowledges to the notary. This deed is placed in the hands of her husband to deliver to the purchaser on receipt of the consideration. Contrary to her wishes, it is delivered upon payment of the very price she had refused for the land; she is, in effect, defrauded into the execution of an instrument she was unwilling to sign, and the beneficial design of the statute is frustrated. * * * By piacing in Stockton’s hands a deed with an expressed consideration of $1,500, she notified all persons proposing to purchase that this was the price she was willing to take for the property. The instrument itself was the only evidence of the agency of the party having it in possession. It was the charter of his authority, and gave him no greater rights than would a power of attorney restricting the agent’s power of sale to the event of his being able to do so for a specified sum. No one, upon reading it, had a right to conclude that the agent had a right to make any other terms than were made by the deed itself. It was a case of special agency to do a particular thing in a particular way. Persons dealing with such an agent must know that if a different act is done, or the one authorized is done otherwise than the power describes, he, and not the principal, must suffer if damage ensues to the latter in consequence of disobedience to his directions. Story on Agency, §§ 126, 224. * * * The statement of the consideration in the deed put him upon inquiry as to the power of Stockton to take a different sum. Had he pursued such inquiry to the proper source of information, he would have learned that Mrs. Cole had given Stockton no such authority, but was unwilling to take $1,000 for the land; and he must be held to have had full knowledge of that fact before he bought it. Wade on Notice, § 17.”
To the same effect is Stallings v. Hullum, 79 Tex. 421, 15 S. W. 677, and Scoggin v. Mason, 46 Tex. Civ. App. 480, 103 S. W. 833.
In the light of the authorities noted, it must be held that the deed was delivered in fraud of the wife’s rights.
'In Hussey v. Moser, 70 Tex. 42, 7 S. W. 606, in discussing the question of estoppel upon a similar state of facts, Judge Gaines said:
“Knowing that, as a result of her own negligence, the deed had gone forth with all the appearances of a valid conveyance, it was her duty to denounce the fraud for the protection of third parties. Not having done this, and innocent third parties having purchased upon the faith of the deed, it would seem that the transaction combines all the elements essential to the estoppel, even of a married woman.”
And in Link v. Page, 72 Tex. 592, 10 S. W. 699, it was said:
“We think, also, where the owner of real property negligently clothes another with the appar- *256 snt title to itj although the execution of the instrument which purports to convey the title may be obtained by fraud, and third parties being- misled thereby innocently purchase and pay value for the property, he should be held estopped to deny the validity of the conveyance. This principle was announced by this court in the case of Steffian v. Bank, 69 Tex. 513 (6 S. W. 823], in which it is held that one who signs and acknowledges a conveyance 'to be delivered only upon' condition may be estopped to set up the nondelivery by negligently permitting it to pass into the hands of the grantee.”
To the same general effect is Spotts v. Whitaker, 157 S. W. 422, and Houston v. Hubbard, 37 Tex. Civ. App. 546, 85 S. W. 474, where it is held that innocent purchasers will be protected in ease of unauthorized delivery of escrow deeds, where .the negligence of the grantor brought about the unauthorized delivery. Applying the principles of es-toppel recognized in the cases noted, we think the evidence shown by this record indicates that Mrs. Moore was entitled to protection as an innocent purchaser, and, under the facts, the trial court should have found that she had no constructive notice of the fraud practiced upon Mrs. Elattery, and, upon retrial, judgment should be rendered in her favor, unless some new facts be adduced to affect her with notice.
Under our view, a reversal and rendition of the judgment might properly be made, but, upon consideration of the record as a whole, it occurs to us that the end of justice will be better served by remanding for retrial; and it will be so ordered.
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MILLER Et Al. v. FLATTERY Et Ux.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published