Adsit v. Schaff Bros.

135 N.E. 185, 78 Ind. App. 511, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 135
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 25, 1922
DocketNo. 11,213
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 135 N.E. 185 (Adsit v. Schaff Bros.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adsit v. Schaff Bros., 135 N.E. 185, 78 Ind. App. 511, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 135 (Ind. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

McMahan, J.

— Complaint by appellee to recover certain money alleged to have been improperly taken from the funds of appellee by appellant and converted to his own use.

The court found the facts to be in substance as follows:

Appellee is a corporation engaged in the manufacture and sale of musical instruments; it maintains both a factory and a retail music store, and in 1910, employed appellant as general manager of its business at an annual salary of $2,500 and ten per cent, commission on the net profits of the business; appellant acted as manager from July, 1910, to August 20, 1919, his annual salary in the meantime being raised to $3,600; the books covering the business from 1913 to 1916 inclusive, were audited early in 1917; during the period covered by this audit, appellant paid himself for salary and commission $698.79 more than was actually due him; in August, 1917, appellant caused the net profits of the business for 1916 to be set out again on the books in the sum of $22,767, and at said time caused ten per cent, of said sum to be placed to his credit on the books; this commission was not due appellant and has not been repaid by him; in January, 1919, the total net profits of both factory and store for 1918 in the sum of $41,743.56 (which included $21,287.33 for the net profits from the store) was placed on the books and appellant given credit for his ten per cent, commission in the sum of $4,171.35, which was paid to appellant; in February, 1919, appellant [513]*513caused the net profits on the business at the store in 1918, to be placed on the books again, and caused himself to be credited with and paid $2,128.73, that being ten per cent, on the net profits of the business at the store in 1918; this sum was never repaid appellee; at the end of 1917 and 1918, bad accounts aggregating $14,345.29 were written off after appellant’s commission had been computed, the commission on the same being $1,434.52; there was a difference of $84.05 between the audit report and the books for the year 1917. In finding No. 12 the court finds that there was due and owing appellee from appellant “as shown by the above findings, the aggregate sum of $9,075.37, except as set forth in the next following finding.” By finding No. 13 it is found that appellant is entitled to have $4,-449.05, that being ten per cent, commission on the profits from January 1, 1919, to August 20, 1919, and $200 for balance of salary due August 20, 1919, “deducted from the amount heretofore found chargeable against said defendant.” By finding No. 14, it is found that on August 20, 1919, there was due and owing appellee from appellant $5,426.32, with interest from August 20, 1920.

The court stated its conclusions of law as follows: “The court, on the foregoing finding of facts, and for his conclusions of. law, finds that the law is with the plaintiff and against the defendant, and that the plaintiff is entitled to judgment against the defendant.”

Appellant, at the proper time, excepted to the conclutions of law, after which the court rendered judgment against him in the sum of $5,426.32. Appellant then filed a motion to modify the judgment, (1) By making the judgment state the correct amount as shown by and computed on the several items found due the parties in the finding of facts; (2) by reducing the amount of the [514]*514several items entering into the amount of the judgment to the sum asked in the several paragraphs of complaint; (3) by limiting the amount charged back to appellant on account of worthless accounts to the amount asked in the third paragraph of complaint; (4) by excluding interest prior to the filing of the special finding; and (5) by reducing the amount of the judgment to conform with the special finding and conclusions of law.

This motion being overruled, appellant appeals, and by his assignment of errors says the court erred in its conclusions of law and in overruling his motion to modify the judgment.

Appellant insists that the conclusions of law, having failed to state the amount due appellee, do not furnish a sufficient basis for a judgment, and that no judgment can be rendered thereon for' any' amount. Appellee, however, says that when sufficient facts are stated in the special finding from which the court can determine the amount due, the failure of the court to state in the conclusions of law the amount which the party is entitled to recover, does not constitute reversible error when a correct judgment has been rendered on the facts as found.

“If the ultimate judgment,” said the court in Slauter v. Favorite (1886), 107 Ind. 291, 4 N. E. 880, 57 Am. Rep. 106, “deals justly with the parties, gives to each his legal rights and is sustained by the facts appearing in the special finding an error in one of the conclusions will not justify a reversal. Our statute says that no judgment shall be reversed ‘where it shall appear to the court that the merits of the cause have been fairly tried and determined in the court below.’ ”

And in Nelson v. Cottingham (1899), 152 Ind. 135, 53 N. E. 702, it is said: “If a judgment is rendered in accordance with the special finding, but contrary to the [515]*515conclusions of law, they being erroneous, the action of the court would render harmless the error in the conclusions of law, and would furnish no grounds for reversal, since the ultimate judgment would be correct upon the facts found.”

A like rule was announced by this court in Biddle v. Pierce (1895), 13 Ind. App. 239, 247, 41 N. E. 475, where it is said: “The court was not bound to state the exact amount coming to each party. If it gave the basis of the same in such a manner that by a mere calculation the amount could be readily, found, we think it was sufficient. This is what was done by the court. The judgment following the conclusions specially sets forth the several amounts coming to the respective parties as ascertained from the findings and conclusions of law. Sanders v. Scott, 68 Ind. 130; Dawson v. Shirk, 102 Ind. 184; Chambers v. Butcher, 82 Ind. 508.”

. And in Hoppes v. Chapin (1895), 15 Ind. App. 258, 43 N. E. 1014, the court says: “If a money judgment only is sought by the action, the verdict, or findings, whether special or general, must determine the amount or find such facts as leave nothing for the court to do but to make a mere mathematical calculation.” To the same effect see Waters v. Lyon (1895), 141 Ind. 170, 40 N. E. 662; Walls v. State, ex rel. (1895), 140 Ind. 16, 38 N. E. 177; Sphung v. Moore (1889), 120 Ind. 352, 22 N. E. 319; Chicago, etc., R. Co. v. Barnes (1888), 116 Ind. 126, 17 N. E. 459; White v. Chicago, etc., R. Co. (1890), 122 Ind. 317, 330, 23 N. E. 782, 7 L. R. A. 257; Sanders v. Scott (1879), 68 Ind. 130; Cumberland Tel., etc., Co. v. Kranz (1911), 48 Ind. App. 67, 73, 95 N. E. 371; Cole v. Powell (1897), 17 Ind. App. 438, 46 N. E. 1006.

[516]*5161. [515]*515In harmony with the above authorities, we hold that where the facts found by the court are sufficient to [516]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Earl Park State Bank v. Lowmon
161 N.E. 675 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
135 N.E. 185, 78 Ind. App. 511, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adsit-v-schaff-bros-indctapp-1922.