151 P. 463 | Or. | 1915
delivered the opinion of the court.
Briefly stated, the facts present a situation where Proudfoot owned the Peer Hotel and Jones possessed two farms, one of which is called the Durbin farm and the other is known as the Fairfield farm; Proudfoot deeded the hotel to Jones, with an encumbrance of $35,000. Jones transferred the Fairfield farm to Proudfoot, and conveyed the Durbin farm to Shefler, who then gave to Jones a note for $35,000, secured by a mortgage on the land. As we read the complaint, the version as given by the plaintiff is that Eldriedge was acting as the agent of Jones, and Shefler was employed by Eldriedge. One farm was conveyed to Proudfoot, and one to Shefler, with the belief that the Fairfield farm paid Proudfoot for his remaining equity in the hotel, and the Durbin farm satisfied the large claims held by Shefler against Proudfoot and the hotel, when in truth Shefler did not hold any claims at all against Proudfoot, and the Durbin farm was therefore fraudulently acquired by Shefler for the benefit of Eldriedge, who was at all times the agent of Jones. This suit in no way affects the transfer of the Fairfield farm to Proudfoot, and the only land involved in the litigation is the Durbin farm.
Epitomizing the story told by Shefler in his answer: He claims to be owner of the land, denies that El
A recital of the conflicting claims of the litigants at once reveals that the plaintiff’s right to relief' depends upon whether Eldriedge was his agent; that Eldriedge
“Whereas, the said M. L. Jones, in addition to the sums of money loaned to me as aforesaid, has lately paid, satisfied and discharged an indebtedness owing by me to divers and sundry persons, and has assumed and become obligated to pay said indebtedness to the said John Hoefer and Casper Zorn, and made additional loans and advances to me, all as payments on an agreed purchase price of said lands, and all sufficient in amount to equal the value of my interests in the said- lands hereinbefore described, under an agreement that all my right, title, interest and estate, both legal and equitable, and particularly my equity of redemption in and to said above-described lands, and every part and parcel thereof, should absolutely pass to and vest in said M. L. Jones, by virtue of the conveyance to him of August 21, 1908, divested of all claims to ownership or equity of redemption therein by me, and under the further agreement that said deed of August 21, 1908, should be supplemented by my acknowledgment and confirmation of the same as such absolute deed of conveyance by deed of confirmation executed according to the nsual formalities of the law: Now, therefore, I, the said Freeman J. Eldriedge aforesaid, in fulfillment of the foregoing promises, considerations and agreements, do hereby grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, convey and confirm unto the said M. L. Jones by my said deed of quitclaim executed and delivered to him on the 21st day of August, 1908, as aforesaid, as well as by these presents, all my right, title, interests and estate, both legal and equitable, and .all my equity of redemption from any and all persons whomsoever, in and to the above-described lands, tenements and hereditaments, and every part and parcel thereof, to have and to hold the same unto the said M. L. Jones, his heirs and assigns,*297 forever, divested of all claim or claims of ownership, present or remote, absolute or contingent, by me, and I hereby direct the said John Hoefer and Casper Zorn to convey the legal title to said lands to the said M. L. Jones.”
Jones claims that it was agreed that the confirmatory deed was to pass the absolute title to all the Fairfield farm on the basis of $70 per acre, making $35,000 as the purchase price of the 500 acres. Eldriedge contends that the confirmatory deed was designed to convey to Jones an undivided one half of the Fairfield farm in payment of $17,500 of the indebtedness, and the other undivided one half was to be held as security for such indebtedness as remained over and above the $17,500. Both Jones and Eldriedge state that the land agreed to be conveyed to Jones was figured at $70 per acre, but they are not agreed upon how much interest in the land was transferred to Jones. On the day of the execution of the deed, but before it was signed, a memorandum was prepared showing the moneys previously paid by Jones, as well as debts due from Eldriedge to third parties, aggregating $33,313.33. The memorandum is in evidence, and it shows that Eldriedge over his signature authorized Jones to pay the outstanding indebtedness, which included $24,671.90 due Hoefer and Zorn, and to credit the payments “on the purchase price of the Eldriedge Fairfield farm. ’ ’ This identical memorandum shows that the parties figured $1,686.67 as the difference between $35,000 and $33,313.33. Eldriedge having stated that he wanted a chance to get half of the Fairfield farm back, Jones told him that he would give a writing by which Eldriedge could purchase half for $17,500; and such an instrument was accordingly prepared, but was not signed, because Eldriedge
“Portland, Oregon, June 8, 1909.
“Received from M. L. Jones $1,686.67, balance due on purchase price of Eldriedge Fairfield farm of 500 acres, and verbal option to purchase only part of said farm is hereby canceled.
“F. J. Eldriedge.”
Attached to this writing is a sheet of paper, upon which appears an itemized list of the sums paid by Jones, aggregating $33,313.33, and also showing that for the second time the parties figured $1,686.67 as the difference between $35,000, the purchase price of 500 acres at $70 per acre, and $33,313.33, the total amount already paid. It is true that Eldriedge testified that the amounts figured were too large, but this contention is not entitled to any consideration.
It is possible that different persons might disagree as to the legal effect of the quitclaim and confirmatory deeds, when considered in connection with the contemporaneous oral agreements; but, if the testimony of sworn witnesses and what appear to be irrefutable writings can be relied upon at all, it would seem that there could be no escape from the conclusion that both Jones and Eldriedge understood that, the confirmatory deed passed an absolute title to all the Fairfield
It is true that Eldriedge told J. W. Grussi and O. E. Bolds that he had an equity in the Fairfield farm. While Jones denies making the statements, the evidence shows that in June, 1912, at three different places, he either made evasive statements or admitted that Eldriedge had possessed an interest in the Fair-field farm. On these occasions, however, it was thought that Shefler could be persuaded to relinquish his claim to the land by convincing him that Eldriedge had had some interest in the 500 acres conveyed to Proudfoot. Both Eldriedge and Jones might have
Soon after the deeds were exchanged, Eldriedge took possession of a part of the Durbin farm, and explained to Jones, as well as to others, that Shefler had agreed to sell him 200 acres at $100 per acre. El
In July, 1912, Eldriedge gave his note for $1,000 to Jones, securing it with a chattel mortgage on some personal property used for operating the farm; and Eldriedge also delivered to A. M. Cannon 2,500 shares of the capital stock of the Swastika Farms Company to be held by him in trust and for the purpose of further securing the $1,000 note. The advisability of taking the stock was discussed by Jones and his ad
The attorneys who prepared the complaint for Eldriedge in the case of Swastika Farms Co. v. Shefler talked freely and without reservation to Jones; but, taking the complaint prepared by them in that case as an index of their understanding of the facts, they had been told that Shefler had only leased the property to Eldriedge with the option to purchase, which is a situation quite different from the position taken by Eldriedge at the trial. If the $1,000 loan, the statements made by Jones, and the information given him by the attorneys for Eldriedge stood alone and without further explanation, there might be more weight in the contention that Jones did not act with diligence and promptly disaffirm the conveyance of the Durbin farm. Cannon testified that, when Eldriedge told him that it would be necessary to prove that the latter had an equity in the Fairfield farm, his suspicions were aroused, and he informed Jones that it would be necessary to proceed with caution in order to ascertain whether the transaction was as represented when the exchange was made. It will be remembered, too, that Eldriedge had told Jones that the former had a contract from Shefler for 200 acres at $100 per acre, and when Eldriedge first complained to Cannon, or J ones, his grievance was because Shefler had refused to keep
The evidence in this case is voluminous. The controversy hinges upon questions of fact only. The rules applicable to the facts are fundamental, and are as old as eqMty jurisprudence. It is not necessary to consider or apply any new or debatable legal principles. The discussion of the evidence is of interest to no one except the parties to tMs litigation. Although the law requires a written opinion, and directs that it be printed, still no useful purpose is subserved by doing so. The writer attempts to express only his own views by pointing to this suit as a concrete illustration of the need for such a change in the law governing this court as will permit oral decisions, after giving notice to the parties, so as to enable them to be present, in all cases where the opinion will not be useful as a precedent.
The decree of the lower court is modified.
Modified.