Associates Discount Corp. v. Isgriggs

431 S.W.2d 694, 1968 Mo. App. LEXIS 663
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 14, 1968
DocketNo. 33071
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 431 S.W.2d 694 (Associates Discount Corp. v. Isgriggs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Associates Discount Corp. v. Isgriggs, 431 S.W.2d 694, 1968 Mo. App. LEXIS 663 (Mo. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

BRADY, Commissioner.

Plaintiff brought an action upon a promissory note secured by a chattel mortgage in which it sought $926.25 plus an attorney fee, interest, and cost resulting from, a deficiency due upon the note after repossession and sale of the automobile which was security therefor. Plaintiff received judgment for $1,136.53 in magistrate com,.. Upon appeal to the circuit court a jury trial resulted in a verdict in defendants’ favor.

In its brief plaintiff attempts to urge several allegations of prejudicial error which we hold not properly before us. One of these is as to the submission of Instruction No. 6. However, a reference to the motion for new trial discloses that such an allegation is not contained therein nor were plaintiff’s objections thereto specifically stated when the instruction was offered and it is not preserved for our re[695]*695view. Another is the attempt by plaintiff to present an allegation of error going to the trial court’s action in, to quote from the brief, “ * * * Excluding Evidence of Business Records Under Testimony of Roy Blake as to Office Routine in Behalf of Corporate Plaintiff, * * There is no allegation in the motion for new trial specifically raising this contention. The only allegation in the motion for new trial that could possibly bear on that matter is that found in Paragraph 2 of the motion which reads: “Because the Court erred in excluding competent, relevant and material evidence offered by the plaintiff.” This allegation of error is insufficient to preserve anything for our review. Bartner v. Darst, Mo., 285 S.W. 449; Mo.Digest, New Trial, It is true this court has held such a specification in a motion for new trial a sufficient allegation of error as to the admission of evidence when during the trial the party so contending has made his objection to the admission of such evidence in compliance with the rule as to definiteness. See Taylor v. Schneider, Mo.App., 370 S.W.2d 725. However, the allegation of error found in the motion for new trial in the instant case cannot go to the exclusion of these business records for the transcript discloses that while the trial court first denied admission of Exhibits 1 through 5, stating that further proof need be made, it did in fact later admit such evidence. Yet that is the only reference to the exclusion of evidence found in the “Statement of Facts” portion of plaintiff’s brief. There is no page citation or other statement in plaintiff’s brief to notify the trial court or this court with the required degree of definiteness of any other evidence it contends was improperly excluded. This allegation of error presents nothing for our ruling.

The only allegation of error which we hold properly presented for our ruling deals with the trial court’s action in permitting defendant to offer evidence to substantiate the defense of non est factum. In connection therewith we note that even this ‘issue can be said to be properly before this court only if we give plaintiff’s motion for new trial a most liberal reading.

Those facts that bear upon the determination of the issue properly submitted in this appeal show that in the magistrate court action plaintiff alleged defendants “duly executed” the promissory note involved; that this note was for valuable consideration assigned to plaintiff; and that there was due and owing on said note the sum of $926.25. In that portion of their answer pertinent to the issues for determination defendants specifically denied executing the note or the chattel mortgage. However, defendants’ answer was not verified, neither is there any indication in the record defendants denied the execution of this note on oath before the magistrate prior to trial nor supported the denial by an affidavit filed with the magistrate.

During the testimony offered by defendants, their son, Lester Isgriggs, was called to the stand. Inquiry was made of Lester as to whether his mother and father went to the motor company from which the automobile was purchased or to the office of plaintiff, and he testified they did not. He further testified that he did not recognize either of the signatures on the chattel mortgage and note as being that of his mother and father and that his mother could not read or write and never signed her name except by an X. He also testified that no one was with him when he signed the papers and he was the only one that signed. Plaintiff made no objection to any of such inquiries. In addition, when Lester was being cross-examined by plaintiff’s counsel, he was asked whether he could recognize his father’s signature and stated he could not. The defendant Susie Isgriggs was placed on the stand as part of defendants’ evidence and when asked if it was her signature that appeared on the note and chattel mortgage stated she couldn’t write; never tried to write out her name in longhand; and that she had never been to plaintiff’s office nor to [696]*696the automobile company from which Lester purchased the automobile. Again there was no objection to such inquiries. The defendant Fred Isgriggs testified he never owned the automobile involved; that he had never purchased such automobile; and that he never signed the note and chattel mortgage. All of the above inquiries were made without objection from the plaintiff. When Fred Isgriggs was cross-examined, plaintiff’s counsel asked him if he signed the note and chattel mortgage. The answer was he did not.

As will later appear plaintiff contends it preserved its point as to- defendants’ inability to raise the defense of non est factum in the circuit court by objecting to the introduction of such evidence during a conference counsel had with the court out of the hearing of the jury. Reference to the transcript discloses this concerned certain interrogatories and whether or not plaintiff could call to the stand one Ruth Burgdorf who was stated to have been an employee of the O’Shea Motors when this transaction allegedly took place. The issue counsel were discussing with the court was whether or not this witness should be allowed to testify in view of certain interrogatories proposed and answers made. It should be kept in mind that plaintiff was offering a witness and defendants’ counsel was objecting to her testifying. In the course of that discussion between counsel the following occurred. Defendants’ counsel stated: “Your Honor, further in this contention, I would like to point out that interrogatory was directed on the 20th. It was answered sometime last week or the first part of this week, whatever date it was. That in magistrate court when this was being tried one of the few questions at all that was asked in any type of defense was what become of Tom O’Shea Motors. And at that time whoever was here testifying in magistrate court stated that they had quit doing business with them because of the fraudulent practices and they testified that the Attorney General had forfeited their charter to do business in the State of Missouri —MR. STIERBERGER: I’m going to object to this line of arguing — THE COURT: Wait, let him finish. MR. BRIEGEL: Now they are going to come up and try to show they are a holder in due course.

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

Related

Powell v. Hickman
793 S.W.2d 885 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1990)
Rhoades v. Chambers
759 S.W.2d 398 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Morgan v. Wartenbee
569 S.W.2d 391 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
431 S.W.2d 694, 1968 Mo. App. LEXIS 663, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/associates-discount-corp-v-isgriggs-moctapp-1968.