Opinion ID: 1899795
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The first error assigned is:

Text: The Court erred in failing to direct a verdict for the defendant for the amounts paid by plaintiff on conditional sales contracts on refrigerators, for the reason that the contract between the parties contemplated that the defendant had no obligation to remove liens from the property until the contract balance had been paid down to amount of liens. Plaintiff testified he did not know of the conditional sales contracts on the refrigerators (Exhibits 4 to 9) until February 8; he then asked defendant to pay them; defendant stated he would not pay them; plaintiff paid the remaining installments, totaling $612.99, as the same fell due because I did not want them (the refrigerators) taken out of the apartment, by the dealer under the conditional sales contracts. Defendant's brief refers to paragraph 13 of Exhibit B which authorizes the mortgaging of the premises by buyer for the purpose of paying the balance of the purchase price and paragraph 14 which permits seller to mortgage the premises. Neither of these paragraphs is here applicable. They do not refer to incumbrances which were outstanding when Exhibit B was executed, as were these conditional sales contracts. Nor does paragraph 14 permit incumbrances not disclosed to buyer or require buyer to pay such incumbrances. The printed part of Exhibit B which concerns outstanding mortgage incumbrances is paragraph 6. The blanks in paragraph 6 were filled in to list only a certain contract on the premises from parties named Maclay, which, it states, seller agrees to discharge. Neither in paragraph 6 nor elsewhere in Exhibit B is reference made to the conditional sales contracts here in question. Nothing in Exhibit B gives defendant the right to shift this obligation to plaintiff. Defendant relies largely upon paragraph 12 of Exhibit B, which provides, upon payment in full by buyer, seller will convey the property to buyer by a good and sufficient bill of sale and warranty deed. It is argued the provisions of the contract do not require him to remove any liens until the contract balance of $45,000 with interest is paid down to the amount of the liens, which, if plaintiff pays only $300 per month, will not occur for more than eighteen years. This argument overlooks paragraph 17, which provides: If seller fails to pay any mortgage, referred to in Paragraphs 6 and 14, according to its terms, buyer may pay such mortgage according to its terms and receive credit therefor on payments due under this contract. Had defendant not failed to list in Exhibit B the conditional sales contracts on the refrigerators, their payment by him, as they fell due, would have been required by the language of Exhibit B. It is clear he may not properly contend his wrongful failure to list them would give him the right (as to plaintiff) to withhold payments thereon for many years after the same fell due. There is no language in Exhibit B which would entitle defendant to a directed verdict as to this item, on the ground presented by him. Section 554.14, Code of Iowa 1950, I.C.A., which is section 13 of the Uniform Sales Act, provides in part: Implied warranties of title. In a contract to sell or a sale, unless contrary intention appears, there is: