Doorley v. O'Gorman — 39 N.Y.S. 768

Majority

p. 768

DOORLEY v. O’GORMAN.

(Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.

June 12, 1896.)

Headnote

Deed—Delivery—Presumption prom Record. The recording of a deed is merely presumptive evidence of delivery.

Appeal from court of common pleas, trial term.

Action by Timothy Doorley against Mary O’G-orman to recover ■possession of certain real property in the city of New York, and for damages for its withholding. A judgment was entered on a verdict in favor of defendant, and plaintiff appeals.

Affirmed.

Argued before VAN BRUNT, P. J., and RUMSEY, WILLIAMS, PATTERSON, and INGRAHAM, JJ.

W. T. Matthies, for appellant.

W. F. Browne, for respondent.

This action was brought to eject the defendant and her tenants from certain premises in the city of New York. Prior to the 10th of October, 1885, the defendant had been the owner of the premises in question: Upon that day she caused a deed "Of -such premises to one John Doorley, her brother, to be drawn by her attorney; and she signed and acknowledged the same, and asked the attorney to have the same recorded, which was done, and the deed so recorded was returned to her. The consideration expressed in the deed was $1,000, which was not paid at the time it was signed, .and there is no evidence that it ever was paid. The defendant remained in possession of the premises, collecting the rents thereof. Some time in the year 1887 the defendant delivered this deed, together with other papers, to Mr. W. F. Browne, an attorney who was then doing business for her, for safe-keeping. In 1890 or 1891 the grantee named in the deed, John Doorley, who was known to Mr. Browne, called upon him, and said, “You have a deed belonging to me.” Mr. Browne" replied, “1 don’t know that I have;” and he -said, “The deed from Mrs. O’G-orman or Kelly” (the defendant, Mrs. .Kelly, having, subsequent to the signing of the deed, married a man

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named O’Gorman). Mr. Browne said: “I have some papers belonging to your sister, Mrs. O’Gorman. I will look and see. There may be something among Mrs. O’Gorman’s papers.” Mr. Browne further testified: “I found this deed, and said, Ts that it?’ And he said, ‘Tes.’ I said, ‘If it is yours, take it,’ and I handed it to him. I never heard anything about this deed again till just prior to the beginning of this suit.” Mr. Cooper testified that John Doorley, the grantee named in the deed, called at his office about the year 1889, having the deed in his possession, and stated to him that he desired to build a brick flat on the lot, and that his sister had leased the premises to a tenant who then occupied the same, and he wanted to lrnow how he could get rid of the tenant, so as to get possession of the land. Doorley having died, leaving a will devising all his property to his brother, Timothy Doorley, the latter commenced this action of ejectment. The claim upon the part of the defendant was that she had never completed the execution of the deed by a delivery thereof. The question in regard to the delivery was submitted to the jury by the court, both parties having moved for the direction of a verdict in their favor. The jury having rendered a verdict in favor of the defendant, from the judgment thereupon entered, and from an order denying a motion for a new trial, this appeal is taken.

It is claimed upon the part of the plaintiff that the record of the deed by Mrs. O’Gorman was conclusive evidence of its delivery to the plaintiff’s testator. While it is undoubtedly true that the record of a deed is presumptive evidence of delivery, there is no rule that such record is conclusive upon the question, and the party against whom delivery is claimed may show the circumstances under which the record was made, so as to rebut the presumption. It is a familiar principle that no written contract can be executed without a delivery of the contract. Delivery is as necessary a part of the execution as the signing and sealing of the instrument. Delivery to a third party in escrow is not a complete delivery, and delivery to the register for the purpose of recording is not a delivery, if it appears that it was not intended to operate as such. The testimony of Mr. Cooper shows that Mrs. O’Gorman had no intention to deliver such deed then. She was endeavoring, in case of her death, to provide for her favorite brother, and this was all. The circumstances under which the deceased procured possession of the deed, as developed by the testimony of Browne, show that it was without the defendant’s consent. She delivered this deed, with her other papers, to Browne, for safe-keeping; and he delivered it to the brother, upon his application, without any authority from the defendant. These facts show beyond question that she never intended that there should be a complete execution of the instrument, which would have been accomplished had she delivered the same to the grantee named therein.

Various criticisms are made upon the charge of the learned judge by the counsel for the appellant; it being claimed that some of the remarks contained therein were not sustained by the evidence, and were erroneous in law. Without considering those questions, it appears that no exception was taken to the charge, and it is not ap

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parent that any injustice has been done; and therefore, even if erroneous, the judgment appealed from should not be disturbed.

We think that the judgment and order appealed from should be affirmed, with costs. All concur.