213 Mich. 559 | Mich. | 1921
This case is here upon the appeal of the plaintiff from a decree dismissing his bill of com
Defendants by answer make general denial of the allegations of fraud and mistake and, among other
The learned circuit judge who heard the case below made written findings of fact. After a careful reading of the record we are of the opinion that the facts found are fully supported by the evidence. The substance of such finding was as follows:
Plaintiff and his wife at the time of their marriage were upwards of 50 years of age and both had children by former marriages, who had attained their majority. At the time of the marriage plaintiff was a man of very limited means, and he had obtained from his future wife a loan of $375, which he secured by a mortgage on a parcel of land owned by him in the township of Highland. Stating the facts in chronological order, it appears that on April 2, 1910, Ambrose S. Hoyt and wife purchased by land contract the property here in question of William F. Crombie and wife for $1,850. On March 11, 1911, pursuant to a preliminary agreement, plaintiff and his wife, Mary A. Stevens, purchased the contract of the Hoyts, taking an assignment thereof, the consideration being $2,500, Hoyts’ equity being $1,100, leaving a balance on same of $1,400 due Crombie and wife, the original vendors. 'Mrs. Stevens deeded to Hoyt and wife a parcel of land owned by her in the township of Hart-land, valued at $800, to apply upon the purchase price of said land contract, Hoyts’ remaining equity being
On the 19th day of December, 1911, plaintiff and his wife went to the American Savings Bank at Pontiac and conferred with Arthur F. Newberry, the cashier, and discussed with him the making of a deed, and negotiated a loan incident to taking a deed from Crombie and wife. Mr. Newberry drew the deed to Mary A. Stevens, as he testified he was directed by both the plaintiff and his wife to do. The plaintiff, together with a notary by the name of Merz, went to the home of Mr. Crombie and wife and had the deed executed, the plaintiff returning the executed deed to Mr. New-berry at the bank. The securing of the loan was then perfected, and Mrs. Stevens executed a mortgage on the premises and a note to the bank for $1,650, in order to take up the contract with the Crombies. It was in evidence that the deed and mortgage were both placed on record, and on the 6th day of January following the plaintiff called at the register of deeds’ office and got the recorded deed and delivered the same to his wife. Subsequently the mortgage to the bank was paid by Mary A. Stevens and discharged. From the time of plaintiff’s marriage in 1911 until the death of his wife in November, 1918, they occupied, as husband and wife, a portion of the premises continually and kept boarders and roomers a great portion of the time. Mrs. Stevens leased a part of the premises, executing written leases therefor, which in one or two instances were witnessed by the plaintiff. It was in
The circuit judge concluded his findings of fact in the following language:
“During the entire time covering the period Of something over 7 years while Mrs. Stevens held the record title and assumed active control over the property, which fact was known to plaintiff, I do not find that he assumed to own or make any claim to any one, of any portion of the property from his wife, but on the contrary appears to have consented to his wife paying for the property and taking the same over in her own name.”
In the light of this entire record we have no doubt that the plaintiff knew and consented to the entire transactions with reference to taking title to the premises. It is incredible that he and his wife should have gone to the bank together and directed Mr. Newberry to draw the deed to Mary A. Stevens, that he would carry the deed to the home of the Crombie to be executed, see the same executed, would return it after execution in his presence to Mr. Newberry, and, knowing of the mortgage by his wife, that he should receive the deed after recording and carry the same to his wife, without knowing the contents of the deed. He appears to be a, man of fair intelligence and to have had more or less to do with the making of papers relating to real estate. It will be borne in mind that Mrs. Stevens had deeded property, valued at $800, to the
“The principle is well established, that if a man either by word or by conduct has intimated that he consents to an act which has been done, and that he will offer no opposition to it, although it could not lawfully have been done without his consent, and he thereby induces others to do that from which they otherwise might have abstained, he cannot question the legality of the act he had so sanctioned, to the prejudice of those who have so given faith to his words, or to the fair inference to be drawn from his conduct.”
“Plaintiff, who sold a tract of land to defendant, and to avoid the expense of putting his own deed on record, delivered it to Ms grantor, who at his request conveyed the land direct to the defendant, who was put in possession and paid the entire purchase price, was thereby estopped from an action to recover the land on the ground that the sale was by parol and void.”
The court below also cited 39 Cyc. p. 1350, as to the right to modify and change a land contract and the method of its fulfilment orally, and quoted:
“Contracts for the sale of land may be modified, or new contracts substituted therefor by subsequent agreement between the parties, and modification may be implied as well as by express agreement in respect of changes wMch may be made by parol. Thus contracts may be modified by extending or shortening the time of payments, by extending the time for closing the sale, by changing the place of payment, the amount of the purchase price, or the description of the land to be conveyed, or by substitution of a third person in the place of the purchaser.”
See cases cited! in notes. Also on page 1357 the following is cited:
“The implied agreement to rescind may consist in an abandonment of the contract by one of the parties assented to or acquiesced in by the other. * * * Conduct on the part of both the vendor and the purchaser wMch is inconsistent with the continuance of the contract of sale constitutes rescission by abandonment.”
The relevant section of the statute of frauds, being section 11975, 3 Comp. Laws 1915, reads as follows:
“No estate or interest in lands, other than leases for a term not exceeding one year, nor any trust or power over or concerning lands, or in any manner relating*567 thereto, shall hereafter be created, granted, assigned, surrendered or declared, unless by act or operation of law, or by a deed or conveyance in writing, subscribed by the party creating, granting, assigning, surrendering or declaring the same, or by some person there' unto by him lawfully authorized by writing.”
It cannot be said that the defendants are bona fide purchasers of the premises, but in view of the money and property paid by their mother we do not hesitate to say that their equities are superior to those of the plaintiff. It is, in our judgment, a question of superiority of equities. Slatkin v. Schumer, 210 Mich. 513, 523.
We are of the opinion that plaintiff is right in claiming that the interest of plaintiff and wife in the premises, under the assignment from Hoyt and wife of the Crombie contract, was that of tenants by the entireties. Auditor General v. Fisher, 84 Mich. 128, 132; Zeigen v. Roiser, 200 Mich. 328, 341.
We think that plaintiff has failed to sustain the burden of proof to show that there was either fraud or mistake in the transaction whereby the premises in question were deeded to his wife, and we think that the deed was so made, by and with his full knowledge and consent, and that he fully acquiesced in the arrangement and transaction until after her death, more than seven years thereafter. Should he now be heard to question it? It is urged by counsel for plaintiff that to hold that he should not will be to hold that real estate in Michigan can be conveyed by estoppel. We think not. It is not claimed by defendants that plaintiff conveyed the premises to his wife. It should be borne in mind that the legal title to these premises was in Crombie and wife.' It is the claim of defendants that plaintiff stood by, and with full knowledge of the facts not only permitted but consented to the transfer, by deed, of this legal title to his wife, and
Should plaintiff be permitted to claim now that the transfer of title was invalid? We think not. But it is urged by counsel for plaintiff that the interest of a vendee cannot be transferred, assigned, released or even surrendered by parol, and the following cases are cited: Grunow v. Salter, 118 Mich. 148; McEwan v. Ortman, 34 Mich. 325; Whiting v. Butler, 29 Mich. 122, 144; Stewart v. McLaughlin’s Estate, 126 Mich. 1. We think that these cases can be readily distinguished from the instant case by reason of the acts and conduct of plaintiff.
In Whiting v. Butler, Mr. Justice Cooley said:
“If Drury had a legal title, it would be perfectly correct to say that he could not have parted with it by mere waiver. But as we have already seen, he had no legal title. The very reason for requiring the sheriff’s deed is in order to pass a title which otherwise would remain in the execution debtor. Until the purchaser receives it, he holds a certificate of sale which entitles him to demand a conveyance unless the moneys specified therein are paid by a day named. But although, on the view already taken, it is of no importance in this case, it would be contrary to all analogies, if the right to his conveyance could not be waived at any time before the conveyance was actually made.”
In Stewart v. McLaughlin’s Estate the language of the second headnote is as follows:
“A parol surrender of a land contract, not followed by a conveyance by the vendor, or by any other act on his part inconsistent with the contract rights of the vendee, will not amount to a surrender by operation of law, so as to prevent the vendor from recovering on a guaranty of payment of the contract.”
We conclude therefore that whether decision be based upon an estoppel, a waiver, or an assignment or