Anderson v. Scanlon

1935 OK 1033, 50 P.2d 615, 174 Okla. 419, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1258
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 29, 1935
DocketNo. 22501.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1935 OK 1033 (Anderson v. Scanlon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. Scanlon, 1935 OK 1033, 50 P.2d 615, 174 Okla. 419, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1258 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This action was commenced in the common pleas court of Tulsa •county by J. F. Scanlon, plaintiff, against the defendants, H. O. Anderson and H. P. :Santee, for $284.85, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from February 25, 1928, until paid, together with the further sum of $50 as attorney’s fees, evidenced by promissory note in the original sum of $400, upon which there had been -paid the sum of $115.15.

Defendants filed their answer admitting the execution of said note sued upon, but alleging that said note was made without ■consideration to said defendants; that they received nothing for the signing of said note, and alleged further that said note was executed by the defendants to the said J. F. Scanlon for accommodation purposes only, and in order that he might use the note to borrow money thereon from some bank, and that having borrowed the same, and the makers thereof having failed and refused to pay said note, the said J. F. Scanlon himself paid said note and received the note back from the bank, and that said parties were restored to their original position. For that reason no liability existed as between the defendants and the plaintiff, J. F. Scanlon.

To this answer plaintiff, J. F. Scanlon, filed reply, which is in the form of a general denial.

On the issues joined, said cause proceeded to trial before a jury, and pursuant to verdict of the jury the court did, on the 16th day of December, 1930, enter its judgment in favor of the plaintiff, J. F. Scanlon, and against the defendants, H. O. Anderson and H. P. Santee, for the sum of $284.85, with interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from February 25, 1928, until paid; the further sum of $50 as attorney’s fees, and all costs of the action. Motion for new trial was duly filed by the defendants, which motion was, on the 3rd day of January, 1931, overruled by the trial court, and in open court defendants gave notice of appeal, filed supersedeas bond, and in due course perfected their appeal herein.

It appears from the record that the defendants having admitted the execution of the said note assumed the burden of proving the allegations contained in their answer and the evidence of the defendants as disclosed by the record followed the plea set forth in their answer.

By way of rebuttal, plaintiff joined issues and testified that said note was given by the defendants to the plaintiff, Scanlon, as full, final and complete settlement of certain partnership affairs which had existed between the plaintiff and the defendants, said note being evidence of the amount due plaintiff by the defendants as voluntary liquidation and settlement of the affairs of the partnership. From the evidence it appears that this was the only controverted question. Said cause was tried to a jury and the jury had an opportunity to hear and observe the witnesses who testified in the case.

Plaintiffs in error contend that this case should be reversed or modified under the following assignments of error:

*421 “(1) Said court erred in overruling the motion of plaintiffs in error for a new trial.
“(2) Said court erred in giving tlie following instruction to the jury, to wit: ‘You are instructed that plaintiff has introduced in evidence the note sued upon, which is prima facie evidence of the indebtedness represented by said note, but in this connection you are further instructed that if you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendants executed the note without any consideration, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the defendants.’
“(3) Said court erred in giving the following instruction to the jury, to wit: ‘You are further instructed that consideration is the inducement to a contract, or cause, motive, price or impelling influence which induces a contracting party to enter into a contract. In other words, any act of the plaintiff from which the defendants derived a benefit or advantage, or any money or labor or credit, however small, if such act is performed or inconvenience suffered by the plaintiff by the consent, express or implied, of the defendants. In this connection you are further instructed that if you find from the evidence in this ease that the plaintiff and defendants herein entered into a partnership and that said partnership was later terminated and at the termination of said partnership there was a settlement of the affairs of the respective partners, and that the note in question was executed and delivered by the defendants to the plaintiff as a reimbursement for part or all of the losses that plaintiff had sustained, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the plaintiff, regardless of whether or not the amount of the note was equal to or greater than' the losses suffered by the plaintiff in said business.’
“(4) Said court erred in giving'the following instruction to the jury, to wit: ‘You are instructed that the plaintiff brings this action upon a promissory note, and the defendants admit that they executed the note, but allege that they did so without consideration and that therefore plaintiff cannot recover. In this connection you are instructed that if you find from a fair preponderance of the evidence in this case that the defendants, H. O. Anderson and H. P. Santee, made and executed the note here sued upon for the sole purpose of permitting the plaintiff to borrow money from some third party on said note, and that no consideration passed between the plaintiff and the defendants for the giving of said note, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the defendants; on the other hand, you are instructed that if you find from the evidence in this ease that plaintiff and the defendants entered into a partnership whereby they were to furnish equal amounts of money or its equivalent for the conducting of an automobile business and whereby they were to share the losses of said business equally, and if you further find that at the termination of said business that there was a settlement between the parties whereby the defendants made and executed the promissory note here sued upon to the plaintiff to cover either all or part of the losses of said business, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the plaintiff for the sum of $284.85, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from February 25, 1928, until paid, together with the sum of $50 as attorney’s fees and costs.’
“(5) Said court erred in failing, refusing, and neglecting to state the issues to the jury.
“(6) Said court erred in failing, refusing, and neglecting to instruct the jury upon the issues in the case.
“(7) Said court erred in overruling defendants’ motion to make plaintiff’s petition more definite and certain.
“(8) Said court erred in overruling defendants’ demurrer to plaintiff’s petition.
"(9) Said court erred in refusing to permit the defendant H. O. Anderson to answer the question, ‘Did you receive anything for the signing of that note?’ to which defendants excepted.
“(10) Said court erred in refusing to permit defendants to ask the plaintiff (R. 64) why it was that plaintiff took note to the bank at Sperry, to which defendants excepted, under issues formed in said case.

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Bluebook (online)
1935 OK 1033, 50 P.2d 615, 174 Okla. 419, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 1258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-scanlon-okla-1935.