Court Opinion

ID: 9548967
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:11:15.016643+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:19:40.844136
License: Public Domain

McFADDEN, Justice
(dissenting).
I disagree with the majority opinion which reverses the judgment of the trial court and remands the case for a new trial as to the issue of mutual mistake on the part of Mrs. Exie Soelberg. In my opinion if this case is properly here on appeal1 *298the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed.
The case of Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McClelland, 57 Idaho 139, 63 P.2d 657 (1936), is cited by the majority as the authority for reversing the judgment of the trial court. In that case this court, reasoning from the statute that a husband cannot sell, convey or encumber community real estate without the wife also executing and acknowledging the instrument, held that a mortgage executed by the husband and wife as mortgagors could not be reformed on the basis of mutual mistake unless the mistake complained of must have existed as to both husband and wife. In the Mc-Clelland case, it is to be kept in mind that the requested reformation of the mortgage was to change the description of the real estate mortgaged from the property described therein, to other real property. In the McClelland case, the mortgage described certain real property as being covered by the mortgage. This property the court designated as Tract A. However, it was the intent that Tract B be described in the mortgage. Thus, although the wife had executed the mortgage covering property in Tract A the wife had never executed any instrument involving Tract B, which tract the mortgage company sought to have covered by reformation of the mortgage. Thus, in the McClelland case this court held that there could be no reformation of the mortgage to cover premises not described in the instrument unless the evidence also established a mutual mistake on the part of the wife.
In the McClelland case, a granting of the reformation would have imposed an encumbrance on land which the wife had not agreed to. In Itkin v. Jeffery, 126 Wash. 47, 216 P. 861 (1923), cited by this court in the McClelland case, granting of the requested reformation would have imposed an additional burden on any interest of the wife. In Adams v. Baker, 24 Nev. 162, 51 P. 252 (1897), a mortgagee sought reformation of a mortgage which contained an erroneous description. Subsequent to execution of the mortgage by the husband alone, the wife filed a homestead on the property. The wife defended the mortgage foreclosure and reformation action on the basis of her claim of homestead. The Nevada court upheld her claim. In Nevada at that time, the husband could execute a valid mortgage by himself on community property. Thus, in Adams v. Baker, the court was also dealing with a case where granting of the request for reformation would have imposed an additional burden on the wife.
In Christensen v. Hollingsworth, 6 Idaho 87, 53 P. 211 (1898),2 this court has a contention that no reformation of an instrument can be had against a married woman, especially when such reformation is for the purpose of compelling her to convey more property than the instrument already conveys. The court in the Christensen case held against that contention. The court stated:
“Under all of the evidence found in the record, it is clearly shown that it was the intention of the defendants to include said eighty-acre tract in said mortgage, and through the mistake of the draftsman the number of the section was omitted. By the reformation of said mortgage no new right is conferred. It is merely carrying into effect the intention of the parties. If such mistake could not be corrected, gross injustice would result. Equity looks on that as done which ought to be done. The object and policy *299of our statutes in regard to the transfer or conveyance of the separate property of the wife, or of the property on which the husband and wife may reside, are not controverted or thwarted by permitting such reformation, (citations omitted) A mistake in the description of land intended to be conveyed or mortgaged by a married woman may be corrected upon a proper showing.” 6 Idaho at 91, 53 P. at 212.
However, in the instant case, where the respondents’ defenses to the appellants’ quiet title action are based in the theory of mutual mistake, unlike the McClelland case and the cases therein cited, no greater burden is imposed upon the community real estate; in fact, it is beneficial to the wife in this situation.
In this action the trial court found “that the transaction between the Collins and the Soelbergs did not in any respect involve or contemplate a transfer to the Collins of any interest that the Soelbergs had in the property, contracted to be sold to the Parkinsons and that it was in error, not intended and a mistake of the parties to have included any thereof in said Quit Claim Deed.” This finding is supported by the evidence, and in my opinion the trial court’s conclusion of law “[t]hat the Quit Claim Deed, executed by the Soelbergs, purporting to transfer all of the lands in question to the Collins, had no legal effect upon the lands contracted to be sold to Parkinsons by Soelbergs,” is fully justified by reason of the trial court’s findings of fact.
In this case, unlike Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McClelland and Christensen v. Hollingsworth (both supra), recognition by the court of the mutual mistake does not compel the married woman (Mrs. Soelberg) to convey more property than the instrument she had executed already covered.
Under the facts and circumstances of this case, the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed.

. I question whether this case is proj>erly here on appeal. The trial court and coun*298sel all consider that the judgment from which this appeal was taken was not the final judgment inasmuch as the judgment specifically contemplated further proceedings would be held as to the claims of Parkinson and wife against Soelberg and wife and Collins and wife concerning damages. This not being a final judgment it was not appealable. I.C. § 13-201; Gerry v. Johnston, 85 Idaho 226, 378 P.2d 198 (1963); Viani v. Aetna Ins. Co., 95 Idaho 22, 501 P.2d 706 (1972); Clear v. Marvin, 83 Idaho 399, 363 P.2d 355 (1961).

. It is worthy of note that in Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McClelland, supra, this court neither discussed nor cited Christensen v. Hollingsworth, supra.