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Whitehurst v. Del-Cook Timber Co.

Supreme Court of Georgia
Jun 5, 1959
109 S.E.2d 602 (Ga. 1959)

Opinion

20450.

SUBMITTED APRIL 14, 1959.

DECIDED JUNE 5, 1959.

Injunction. Cook Superior Court. Before Judge Huxford. January 22, 1959.

Hugh D. Wright, Edward Parrish, for plaintiff in error.

W. D. "Jack" Knight, M. Dale English, contra.


1. Any contention that count one asserts a cause of action has been abandoned by counsel for the petitioner.

2. The question of whether or not the amendment to the petition alleged a new cause of action is not before this court.

3. The allegations of the second count of the petition in regard to the mental capacity of the petitioner to contract are so contradictory and repugnant as to neutralize and destroy each other.

SUBMITTED APRIL 14, 1959 — DECIDED JUNE 5, 1959.


Eva Whitehurst brought a petition against Del-Cook Timber Company, Inc., seeking an injunction against the cutting of certain timber, and the reformation of a contract executed by the petitioner for the sale of timber to the defendant. A temporary restraining order was granted. The defendant filed a general demurrer, which was sustained by the trial judge, with leave to the petitioner to amend.

The petitioner amended by inserting after her name as it first appears in the petition the words, "acting by and through her next friend, Hazel Whitehurst," by adding a paragraph alleging that the petition was brought immediately upon the discovery of the facts alleged in certain paragraphs, and denominating the original petition, as amended, as "Count One."

The petition was further amended by adding "Count Two." This count adopts the allegations of paragraphs 1 through 8 of the original petition, which allege: ownership of the land on which the timber is located; the inability of the petitioner to read typewriter print because of poor eyesight; the decision of the petitioner to sell from her land described timber; her request to her son to contact buyers; the conduct of the sale by Hazel Whitehurst by reading from a memorandum stating the terms and conditions of the sale, which were the conditions upon which the petitioner offered the sale to the agent of the defendant; and that the agent of the defendant made the highest bid for the timber at a price of $9,000, and was advised that his bid would be submitted to the petitioner. It is then alleged: That the defendant, acting through its attorney, prepared a contract (denominated a lease), a copy of which is attached to the petition. "That at the time of the signing of the said lease your petitioner was eighty-five years of age, feeble both physically and mentally, suffering from poor eyesight and unable to read said contract, and because of her mental and physical condition, your petitioner did not have the mental capacity, nor sufficient understanding and mental ability, to understand the nature of the lease contract presented to her, it being represented to her to be in accord with the terms and conditions upon which said timber was offered for sale. That the said contract was null and void and of no force and effect, as your petitioner at the time of the alleged execution thereof did not have sufficient mental ability to understand the nature of the said contract and the consequences of her act in executing said contract. That your petitioner has tendered to the said defendant all funds paid to her as consideration for said lease and the defendant has refused to accept the same." The paragraph of the original petition is adopted which alleges the actual cutting of the timber, and that the petitioner has no adequate remedy at law. There were prayers for temporary and permanent injunctions against the cutting of any timber on the lands of the petitioner by the defendant; that the contract be canceled and declared to be void; and for further relief.

The amendment was allowed, subject to demurrer and objection. The defendant renewed its general demurrer to count 1 and demurred generally to count 2 of the petition. These demurrers were sustained by the trial judge and the exception is to that judgment.


1. The brief of counsel for the petitioner (plaintiff in error in this court) states that the issues of law to be determined are: "(1) Did the petition allege such lack of mental capacity upon the part of the plaintiff as would withstand a general demurrer? and (2) Did the plaintiff make such allegations with respect to tender as would withstand a general demurrer?"

These questions and the entire brief of counsel are pertinent to the allegations of count 2 of the petition, and have no relation to the allegations of count 1. While count 1 as amended is in the name of the petitioner suing by next friend, there are no allegations in the first count of incompetency, and there is no question of tender. It is apparent, therefore, that any contention that count 1 asserts a cause of action is abandoned by counsel for the petitioner, and we will not deal with this count, except as its allegations are adopted as a part of count 2.

2. Since the record in the present case does not show that the defendant objected to the allowance of the amendment to the petition, by special demurrer or otherwise, on the ground that it alleged a new cause of action, this question is not before this court. Aycock v. Williams, 185 Ga. 585 ( 196 S.E. 54); Greene v. Kelly, 193 Ga. 675, 679 ( 19 S.E.2d 718); Mauldin v. Lexington Roller Mills, 195 Ga. 122 ( 23 S.E.2d 429).

3. The second count of the petition asserts that the petitioner did not have sufficient mental ability to understand the nature of the contract presented to her, and has elected to declare it void. The contract of a person non compos mentis, who has never been adjudicated to be insane, is voidable. Code § 20-206.

While this count asserts in general terms the lack of mental ability of the grantor, and states that she was 85 years of age, feeble both physically and mentally, and suffering from poor eyesight, other allegations of the count are contradictory of the contention that she did not have mental capacity to understand the nature of the contract.

The contract was executed on March 18, 1958. It is alleged that early in March, 1958, the petitioner decided to sell from her lands described in the petition "all yellow pine having one or more cat faces and all black pine 12 inches in diameter 12 inches from the ground"; that at the request of the petitioner her son contacted buyers of timber to advise them of the desire of the petitioner to sell the timber described; that the sale of the timber was conducted by Hazel Whitehurst on March 12, 1958, on described conditions, which were the conditions upon which the petitioner offered the timber for sale; that the agent of the defendant became the highest bidder at a price of $9,000, and was advised that his bid would be submitted to the petitioner for acceptance or rejection in terms of the announcement at the time the timber was offered for sale; that the contract was represented to the petitioner to be "in accord with the terms and conditions upon which said timber was offered for sale."

When considered on demurrer, contradictory or ambiguous pleadings must be construed most strongly against the pleader. Butler v. City of Dublin, 191 Ga. 551, 554 ( 13 S.E.2d 362). The allegations of count 2 of the petition as to the decision of the petitioner to sell specified timber, and her negotiations leading up to the sale to the defendant, indicate that the petitioner had a rational mind and was fully capable of understanding the nature of the contract, and contradict the general allegations as to her lack of mental ability to execute a contract. As stated in Adams v. Johnson, 182 Ga. 478, 480 ( 185 S.E. 805), "The imperfection of the petition was not a mere duplicity or inconsistency in form, but its allegations were repugnant in matter of substance, and so repugnant as to neutralize and destroy each other. In such case the petition is fatally defective, and thus subject to general demurrer." See also Byrd v. Riggs, 213 Ga. 593 ( 100 S.E.2d 453); Zachos v. Citizens Southern Nat. Bank, 213 Ga. 619 (3) ( 100 S.E.2d 418).

Count 2 of the petition failed to state a cause of action for the rescission of the contract, and the trial judge did not err in sustaining the renewed general demurrers to the petition as amended.

Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.


Summaries of

Whitehurst v. Del-Cook Timber Co.

Supreme Court of Georgia
Jun 5, 1959
109 S.E.2d 602 (Ga. 1959)
Case details for

Whitehurst v. Del-Cook Timber Co.

Case Details

Full title:WHITEHURST, by Next Friend, v. DEL-COOK TIMBER COMPANY, INC

Court:Supreme Court of Georgia

Date published: Jun 5, 1959

Citations

109 S.E.2d 602 (Ga. 1959)
109 S.E.2d 602

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