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44 Iowa 32

Gokey v. Knapp

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided September 19, 1876

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1876-09-19

This suit was brought to cancel of record two mortgages executed by plaintiff to defendant upon a certain piece of land in Floyd county. The defendant denied the allegations of the petition, and by cross-petition prayed for a foreclosure of the mortgages. The plaintiff for a reply to the cross-petition averred that the mortgages were usurious.

Cited by 2 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently December 1885

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1876-09-19

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Adams, J.

¶1Although Danforth may have been the agent of Knapp for the purpose of loaning the money, and may have contracted for more than ten per cent interest, yet the loan was no.t necessarily usurious. An authority, to loan money at a legal rate of interest does not include by implication the authority to loan it at an illegal rate. An authority to violate the law will never be presumed.

¶2When Danforth exacted, in addition to the ten per cent interest, which was embraced in the note, something for the benefit of himself, he went outside of the legitimate purposes of his agency; and as Knapp did not authorize it, either expressly or by implication, he should not be affected thereby. Story on Agency, section 170; Tyler on Usury, 156; Condit v. Baldwin, 21 N. Y., 219; Bell v. Day, 32 Id., 165; Rogers v. Buckingham, 33 Conn., 81.

¶3Reversed.

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