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Landry v. Landry
Citations: 641 A.2d 182; 1994 Me. LEXIS 76
Court: Supreme Judicial Court of Maine; April 26, 1994; Maine; State Supreme Court
Emile Landry, Jr. and Linda L. Landry sued Dennis Landry and Emile Landry, Sr. for breach of an oral contract involving the exchange of real estate. The trial court found in favor of the plaintiffs, determining that the Statute of Frauds did not bar enforcement of the contract due to the "part performance" exception. The agreement involved Dennis's payment of a $15,000 debt to Emile, Jr. in exchange for a Belgrade lot, contingent on Dennis conveying a Readfield property to the plaintiffs. During the planned closing in July 1989, while Dennis provided necessary documents for the Belgrade property transfer, he failed to deliver documents for the Readfield property, claiming minor issues would soon be resolved. Relying on Dennis's assurances, the plaintiffs completed their part of the transaction and accepted the $15,000 check. Subsequently, Dennis refused to transfer the Readfield property and disputed the contract's existence. The plaintiffs sought specific performance or restitution of the Belgrade property. The trial court ruled that Dennis's conduct constituted an inducement for the plaintiffs to perform their part of the agreement, thereby allowing the enforcement of the oral contract despite the Statute of Frauds. The judgment required Dennis to convey the Readfield property and upheld the plaintiffs' claims against the counterclaim filed by the defendants, which was not contested on appeal. The judgment was affirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine.