Woollums v. Horsley

Horsley (plaintiff), an educated businessman, contracted to buy all oil, gas, and mineral rights on Woollums's (defendant) land for 40 cents per acre; Woollums was elderly, uneducated, and had little business sense, and had refused to have his land surveyed, so he didn't even know its size. At trial, the land's actual value was found to be $15 per acre. Horsley never paid Woollums and sued for specific performance; the trial court ruled in his favor.

Whether a court may refuse to specifically enforce a contract selling land worth far more than the contracted purchase price.