Lord v. Horr
Lord v. Horr
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This action was instituted to reform a deed. Tbe undisputed facts shown by the record are substantially these: The land involved is situated in the north half of block 82 in the city of Olympia. This block is in form a parallelogram, but is not a rectangle, the streets bounding it upon its north and west sides — Union and Main- — forming an angle at their junction of 95° 56'. Prior to the occurrences out of which this controversy arises, the defendant owned all of that part of the north half of the block which lies west of a line run parallel with Main street and 120 feet distant therefrom; the tract being 127 feet in length by 120 feet in width. The plaintiff owned a tract lying immediately east of the defendant’s land, and abutting thereon; his lot being of the same length as the defendant’s north and south, and 60 feet in width.
“Commencing at the north west comer of the land owned by C. J. Lord, in block eighty-two (82), original plat of the town now city of Olympia; thence along the line of Union street thirty (30) feet, to a point; thence at right angles south one hundred twenty-seven (121) feet more or less to the line of A. A. Phillips’ property, being equi-distant from Union street and Eleventh street; thence at right angles east along the line of said A. A. Phillips’ property, thirty (30) feet more or less, to the south-west comer of the land owned by C. J. Lord in said block eighty-two (82) ; thence at right angles north along the line of the property owned by said C. J. Lord, one hundred twenty-seven (121) feet, more or less, to the place of beginning.”
Owing to the fact that the lines dividing the block were not run at right angles to Union street, but parallel to Main street, this description did not include a strip thirty feet wide off the east side of the defendant’s lot, but described a tract thirty feet wide on Union street and 16.8 feet wide on the opposite end. When attempt was made to mark the line on the ground, the discrepancy was discovered. It was also discovered that to ran the line parallel with Main street would include in the land conveyed a part of the defendant’s improvements, namely, some portion of the woodshed erected on the premises and some fruit and ornamental trees. Attempt was made by the parties to adjust the matter between themselves, but, failing to reach an agreement, this action was begun.
On the disputed questions the court found there was a mutual mistake of the parties. It found that the defendant intended to sell, and the plaintiff intended to purchase, a tract of land thirty feet in width off the east side of the defendant’s lot, bounded on the west side by a line run par
An examination of the evidence convinces us that the court’s findings are, in the main, correct. The court seems, however, to have overlooked the fact that there were two separate contracts, — one made between the defendant and Mr. Reed, in which the plaintiff acquired his interests by assignment from Mr. Reed, and the other made directly between the plaintiff and the defendant. As to the first of these there is no dispute. The defendant herself testifies that she agreed thereby to convey to Mr. Reed twenty feet off the east side of her land. This can have but one meaning. It means a tract cut off by a line run parallel with the east end of the land, and twenty feet distant therefrom. As the plaintiff succeeded to the rights of Mr. Reed in the contract, he was entitled, on the payment of the balance of the purchase price, to a conveyance of the whole thereof.
As to the second contract, we agree with the trial court that there was a mutual mistake. While the parties unquestionably understood that the tract agreed to be conveyed was to be ten feet in width its entire length, yet neither of them knew that it would trench upon or include
From these considerations, it is evident that the decree of the trial court is erroneous. It not only does not give to the plaintiff all of the land to which he is entitled, but it makes a new contract for the parties. The plaintiff was entitled to a decree directing a conveyance of the land described in the first contract, as interpreted by the parties making it, and the defendant was entitled to a rescission of the second. She cannot, however, keep both the land and the purchase money. The order of this court, therefore, is that the decree appealed from be reversed; that the cause be remanded, with instructions to direct a conveyance of the first tract mentioned; that the defendant be allowed to rescind as to the second tract, provided she will pay into the lower court, within sixty days from the time the remittitur reaches that court, the purchase price paid her for the same, namely, one hundred and fifty dollars, together with legal interest thereon from the date of the deed in dispute to the time payment is made; and failing so to do, a decree will go against her, directing a conveyance of that tract, also, to the plaintiff. Neither party will recover costs.
Reavis, C. J., and Dunbar, Mount and Anders, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- C. J. Lord v. Elizabeth T. Horr
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- REFORMATION OF DEED-LAND INCLUDED UNDER TWO CONTRACTS-MUTUAL MISTAKE-RESCISSION. Plaintiffs assignor had purchased a strip of land twenty feet wide off the east side of the land of defendant under a contract of sale, which was assigned to plaintiff, who contracted with defendant for ten feet additional, and a deed was executed conveying a tract described by metes and bounds, which was 30 feet wide on the street and 16.8 feet wide at the rear end of the lot, instead of being a thirty foot strip of land, as the parties had contemplated. The mistake arose from the fact that the lot lines were supposed to run at right angles, while in fact the side lines paralleled one of the streets which was at an angle of 95° 56' with the other. There was no misunderstanding between the parties as to the twenty-foot strip, but the conveyance of an additional ten-foot strip off the east side would have included a portion of defendant’s buildings and fruit and ornamental trees, which was not within the contemplation of either of the parties. Plaintiff brought an action to enforce the deed, so as to make it include a thirty-foot strip, and defendant asked for rescission of the whole contract. Held, that plaintiff was entitled to reformation of the deed so as to properly describe and include the twenty-foot strip covered by the first contract, and defendant was entitled to a rescission of the second contract on the ground of mutual mistake. SAME-RIGHT TO RELIEF. The fact that a party asks for rescission as to two tracts of land sold under separate contracts, but included in the deed as an entirety, would not deprive her of the right to rescind as to that portion of the contract for which she was entitled to relief. SAME —■ TENDER-OBJECTIONS NOT URGED BELOW. Failure to tender purchase money when asking for rescission of a deed upon which it was paid would not preclude the defendant from relief, when issue was taken upon her answer without objection because of such failure, and she had not been placed in default during trial for failure to bring the money into court. SAME-PLEADING-INCONSISTENT DEFENSES. In an action for a reformation of a deed, an answer setting up that the deed expressed the contract of the parties, but that, if it did not, there was such a mutual mistake as would authorize a rescission, does not fall within the rule forbidding inconsistent defenses.