LAURA HOPKINS
v.
MARGARET C. MILLS
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Laura Hopkins appealed four interlocutory orders in a mortgage foreclosure case, challenging the trial court's order striking her affirmative defense alleging the mortgage was obtained through fraud and misrepresentation. The Florida Supreme Court held that allegations of fraud affecting a mortgage's scope are relevant and cannot be struck from an answer, and reversed the order striking Hopkins's third paragraph while affirming the other orders.
The court held that the allegations were relevant and material to the foreclosure dispute and should not have been stricken. Where matters in an answer to an equity cause can have any influence on the decision of the subject matter, the answer should not be stricken as impertinent. Additionally, a party may defend against a mortgage foreclosure on grounds of fraud or misrepresentation that would justify reformation of the writing in equity.
“If the matters contained in an answer in an equity cause are relevant, or can have any influence in the decision of the subject matter of the controversy, the answer is not impertinent and should not be stricken out of motion.”
Establishes the controlling standard for whether allegations in an equity answer must be stricken
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceMargaret C. Mills sued to foreclose a mortgage against Laura Hopkins. Hopkins filed an amended answer including allegations that Mills fraudulently in…
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This is an appeal from four interlocutory orders entered in a foreclosure case wherein Margaret C. Mills was complainant and the appellant, Laura Hopkins, was defendant. By one of the orders appealed from, the Chancellor struck paragraph 3 of the defendant’s amended answer. This paragraph set up a specific series of allega-. *552tions constituting a charge that the mortgage sued on had been obtained by complainant under false representations, and by fraud and deceit, which in law destroyed the reality of the mortgagor’s consent to, some features of the mortgage in controversy. Complainant’s motion to strike admitted the allegation of the third paragraph of the answer to be true for the purpose of disposing of the motion.
If the matters contained in an answer in an equity cause are relevant, or can have any influence in the decision of the subject matter of the controversy, the answer is not impertinent and should not be stricken out of motion. Internal Imp. Fund v. Root, 63 Fla. 666, 58 Sou. Rep. 371; Jones v. Hiller, 65 Fla. 532, 62 Sou. Rep. 583; Cummer v. Yager, 75 Fla. 729, 79 Sou. Rep. 272. A motion to strike a part of an answer should be denied unless the part sought to be stricken is wholly insufficient. Campbell v. Wilson Co., 74 Fla. 608, 77 Sou. Rep. 540. A single order striking several portions of an answer, some of which should not have been stricken, may be reversible error. Miller v. Edwards, 74 Fla. 533, 77 Sou. Rep. 231.
The third paragraph of the amended answer which' is part of what the court ordered stricken out in this case, in effect set up in issuable form the allegation that the complainant at the time the defendant executed the mortgage fraudulently misled her, a woman then suffering from a nervous breakdown and under the influence of opiates, into believing the mortgage she was executing covered only certain lots previously mortgaged to Dade County Security Company, whereas in truth and in fact it was so drawn as to cover an additional lot not intended to be included. Such allegations if sustained by proof would warrant the Chancellor in denying a foreclosure on the additional property and therefore the allegations of the answer to this extent are within the rule that they should not be stricken where they can *553have any influence on the decision of the subject matter— in this case, on the foreclosure sought as to lot 38 of Block 10 of Highland Park, which is claimed to have been wrongfully included in the mortgage through fraud and misrepresentation.
Where a written contract, conveyance or discharge owing to the fraud or misrepresentation of one party and the mistake of the other, fails to express the agreement which they had manifested an intent that the writing should express, the latter can get a decree for reformation of the writing, unless precluded by the Statute of Frauds. American Law Institute Restatement of the Law of Contracts, Sec. 491, page 936. By the same token a party can defend in equity against a mortgage foreclosure on the identical ground that would afford cause for a reformation of the writing in equity were the defendant a complaining party seeking that form of relief as a remedy.
The Court finds error as to that provision of the order of January 13, 1932, strikingl the third paragraph of defendant’s amended answer filed January 2, 1932. In all other respects the Court finds the several orders appealed from free from error and affirms the same.
Reversed in part and affirmed in part in accordance with opinion.
Whitfield, Ellis, Terrell, Brown and Buford, J. J., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Providence Square Ass'n, Inc. v. Biancardi, 507 So. 2d 1366 (Fla. 1987)…here would still be grounds under the evidence for a decree of reformation. Reformation is proper when there is a mistake on the part of one side of the transaction, and inequitable conduct on the part of the other side. See, e.g., Hopkins v. Mills, 116 Fla. 550, 156 So. 532 (1934).…
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Smith v. Royal Auto. Grp., Inc., 675 So. 2d 144 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996)…the part of one party and inequitable conduct by the other, the writing should be reformed to accurately reflect the parties’ agreement. See e.g., Providence Square Ass’n, Inc. v. Biancardi, 507 So. 2d 1366, 1372 & n. 3 (Fla.1987); Hopkins v. Mills, 116 Fla. 550, 156 So. 532 (Fla.1934); Brown v. Brown, 501 So. 2d 24, 26-27 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986), review denied, 511 So. 2d 297 (Fla.1987); 9 Fla.Jur.2d, Cancellation, Refor [*151] mation, and Rescission of Instruments § 65 (1979). A. Existence of an Agreement E…
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Robinson v. Wright, 425 So. 2d 589 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982)…A written contract will not be reformed on the basis of a unilateral mistake absent clear and convincing proof of fraud or inequitable conduct by the other side. Camichos v. Diana Stores Corp., 157 Fla. 349, 25 So. 2d 864 (1946); Hopkins v. Mills, 116 Fla. 550, 156 So. 532 (1934). Where no evidence was presented in a non-jury trial to establish a prima facie case, it was proper to grant defendant’s motion, made at the conclusion of the plaintiff’s case, for involuntary dismissal pursuant to Florida Rules…
Previewing 3 of 7 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Trs. Internal Improvement Fund v. Root, 63 Fla. 666 (Fla. 1912)
- Jones v. Hiller, 65 Fla. 532 (Fla. 1913)
- Cummer Co. v. Estill L. Yager, 75 Fla. 729 (Fla. 1918)
- Cain A. Campbell v. The A. L. Wilson Co., 74 Fla. 608 (Fla. 1918)
- Miller v. Adolphus Edwards, 74 Fla. 533 (Fla. 1917)