Jackson v. Seymour
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia
71 S.E.2d 181 (Va. 1952)
Relevant factsFree
Jackson (plaintiff) sold land to her brother Seymour (defendant) for $275 after he told her it was worthless; the siblings were very close, and Jackson trusted him completely. Neither knew the land held valuable timber. Once Seymour, a successful businessman, discovered the timber, he sold it for over $2,300. Jackson sued for fraud; Seymour admitted at trial he would not have bought the land at that price had he known its value. The trial court found no actual fraud and did not reach constructive fraud.
IssueFree
Whether a person unintentionally deceived by someone with whom she shares a close relationship, resulting in an unfair advantage to the deceiver, is entitled to equitable relief.