Opinion

Kinney v. Schlussel

  • 116 Or. 376
  • 239 P. 818
  • 1925 Ore. LEXIS 148
Court
Oregon Supreme Court
Filed
Sep 8, 1925
Status
Published
Author
Belt
On the bench
Band, Coshow, Burnett, Belt, McBride, Brown, Bean
Cited by
14 cases

The opinion

BELT, J.,

Concurring.—In my opinion the contract in question is mutually binding in that plaintiff was bound to buy and defendant was obliged to sell. If defendant had tendered a deed and abstract disclosing a marketable title, plaintiff would have been compelled to pay the balance of the purchase price. Under such circumstances he could not have arbitrarily nor capriciously refused to approve the title.

*391

Neither should plaintiff be put in default for refusal to approve a title which, when submitted to him, was defective. When plaintiff, however, entered upon the land of defendant for the purpose of constructing and laying out his logging road, the entire balance on said purchase price, under the terms of the contract, became immediately due and payable. Plaintiff by so doing in effect said, “I am willing to approve the title as it stands.” Plaintiff is not entitled to invoke the equitable remedy of specific performance for the reason he has not tendered the amount due on the purchase price. He has not shown performance of the contract on his part. To demand specific performance as stated in Pomeroy’s Equity Jurisprudence, fourth edition, Section 1408, the party seeking such relief must show himself to have been “ready, desirous, prompt, and eager” to perform. When plaintiff entered upon the land to construct his logging road, he knew the balance of the purchase price was immediately due and payable, yet at this late date he has failed to make such tender. He cannot thus trifle with his contract and invoke the aid of equity to compel specific performance. If this cause were dismissed without prejudice and plaintiff should commence another suit to obtain the same relief, it ought, for the reason above stated, to be dismissed. I therefore concur in the result as announced by Mr. Justice Rand.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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