Court Opinion

ID: 9668593
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:18:58.453488+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:46.275879
License: Public Domain

COLEMAN, Justice
(concurring).
Except as herein pointed out, I concur in the opinion written by Associate Justice WERLEIN and in his decision that the case should be reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Appellants seek specific performance of the contract under the provision giving them the right to demand a deed subject to defects in title. Assuming that by making this election appellants waived the provisions of the contract the violation of which had placed appellees in default, still *880appellants had not refused to perform their obligations under the contract. While the tender which they made at the time of election was insufficient, it merely represented their construction of the contract and constituted a demand for performance rather than a refusal to perform. While by the general rule a sufficient tender is necessary before bringing suit for specific performance, such a tender is excused where the other party to the contract without default on the part of the plaintiff has refused to perform. 81 C.J.S. Specific Performance § 97, p. 617. Here appellees have refused to ■ perform by attempting to rescind the contract. The real question to be determined is whether or not appellees had a right to rescind. If they had no such right, the tender which appellants made in their pleadings is sufficient. Without undertaking to determine whether or not a right to rescind exists in this case, it is sufficient to state that the contract does not specify any ground for rescission on the part of sellers, other than failure on the part of the purchasers to consummate the contract. The record does not show as a matter of law such a failure.
“Under the common law and statutes which prescribe the right, one party to a contract may, subject to certain limitations hereinafter stated, terminate or rescind it, because of the substantial nonperformance or breach of the other. The right to rescind, is an extreme one and does not arise from every breach, and the general rule is that rescission will not be permitted for a slight or casual breach of the contract, but only for such breaches as are so substantial and fundamental as to defeat the object of the parties in making the agreement. So a mere dispute as to the manner of performance resulting from a misunderstanding which is not persisted in, or the assertion of an unfounded or illegal claim pending performance is not sufficient to justify a rescission, * * (17 C.J.S. Contracts § 422, pp. 906, 907.)
Whether or not the right to rescind exists in this case is a question of fact to be determined by the trial court.
I do not agree with that portion of the opinion of Justice WERLEIN with which Chief Justice BELL agrees, reading: “The contract of sale which was drawn up by appellants does not provide that any part of the consideration can be deducted for acreage which is included in the deed.” Since this is a substantial question which will arise on a new trial, I consider it necessary to discuss the matter at length. This is purely a matter of the construction to be given those provisions of the contract reading as follows:
“1. Subject to the following terms, conditions and stipulations, Sellers have agreed to sell and Purchasers have agreed to buy all of the follow-xng ¡ ⅜ ⅜ ⅝
“Notwithstanding the enumeration by section and abstract numbers set out above, it is the intention of the Sellers to sell to the Purchasers all of the tracts of land owned or claimed by them in the overall parcel of land * * * (emphasis supplied)
“2. The Sellers will convey the surface to all of such lands by general warranty deed * * * (emphasis supplied).
“3. In consideration for such sale and conveyance, Purchasers have agreed to pay to the Sellers the sum of $525,000.00, subject to the terms and stipulations contained in this agreement, * * *
“4. The overall consideration of $525,000.00 is subject to the agreement and understanding of the parties that 1,184 surface acres are contained within the overall parcel of lands to be conveyed under this agreement. Should it he determined upon exam*881ination of abstracts of title that the Sellers do not own 1,184 surface acres, or should it be determined that the overall parcel of lands actually contains less than 1,184 acres or more than 1,184 acres by survey upon the ground * * * the final cash consideration to be paid shall be adjusted at the rate of $443.42 per acre * *” (emphasis supplied).
The contract plainly provides that all of the land owned or claimed by sellers in the area described in the contract should be conveyed by them to the purchasers by general warranty deed for a consideration of $525,000.00. Obviously the words “owned” and “claimed” are not synonymous. In this context the word “claimed” was used in contrast to the word “owned” and refers to lands within the description, title to which was not demonstrated by the abstract of title and curative material. The land which purchasers contend to be a vacancy lies within the general description and is claimed by sellers. Purchasers have a right to demand that it be conveyed to them.
The purchase price is a lump sum, but sellers have agreed that should it be determined upon examination of the abstracts of title that sellers do not own 1,184 acres, a deduction from the gross price may be made. Some effect must be given to this clause different from that given to the following clause relating to acreage shown by survey on the ground. It seems clear that this provision means that a reduction of the purchase price should be made if the record title to a portion of the land is not good in the opinion of the examining attorney.
The sale was in gross and not per acre or by tracts. The contract recites that the price was arrived at by valuing the land and the improvements separately. The amount to be deducted is the pro rata price per acre figured on the total purchase price without regard to the amount agreed as the value of the improvements. There is no prayer for reformation of the contract or plea of fraud, illegality or overreaching. The parties reached an agreement and do not now contend that it is ambiguous. The purchasers should be permitted to deduct from the purchase price the agreed amount per acre for the acreage in the claimed vacancy in the absence of proof of bad faith on the part of the examining attorney.
In the absence of proper pleadings and evidence warranting a reformation of the contract, this Court should not grant such relief by a strained construction of the provisions of the contract.