Badger v. Dukes

1928 OK 446, 272 P. 414, 134 Okla. 25, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 784
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 3, 1928
Docket17464
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1928 OK 446 (Badger v. Dukes) 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
Badger v. Dukes, 1928 OK 446, 272 P. 414, 134 Okla. 25, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 784 (Okla. 1928).

Opinion

DIFFENDAFFER, C.

This is an action, commenced in the court of common pleas of Tulsa county, by defendant in error, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, against plaintiffs in error, hereinafter referred to as defendants, to recover the sum of $600. The plaintiff in his petition alleged, in substance, that in September, 1923, he sold about 4 miles of 2 inch pipe to Hamilton and Church, a copartnership composed of H. B» Hamilton and Virgil Church, and took from them, representing the balance of the purchase price thereof, a note in the sum of $1,612.50, the note being secured by a chattel mortgage covering the pipe. That about January 12, 1924, said note and mortgage was reduced to $600. That Hamilton and Church were unable to pay the balance, and plaintiff was about to bring suit to foreclose the chattel mortgage. That, for the purpose of effecting a settlement, Hamilton and Churcn procured defendant Harry Badger to purchase from them an undivided 1/8 interest in the pipe, together with a like interest in a certain oil *26 and. .gas lease and appurtenances thereunto belonging; that defendant Badger agreed with Hamilton and Church, and in the presence of plaintiff, that if they 'would execute an assignment to him of the 1/8 interest in said lease and pipe line, that he, Badger, would pay to plaintiff the $600 balance due him as soon as the pipe line was connected with the well, the meter set, and gas was run through the line; that at the same time, in pursuance of said agreement, defendant Badger drew his check in the sum of $600, payable to H. B. Hamilton, which was thereupon, in the presence of all the parties, indorsed by Hamilton and delivered to defendant Reedy, to be delivered to plaintiff when the assignment of the 1/8 interest in the lease and line was delivered to defendant Badger, and the pipe line was connected as agreed upon; that shortly thereafter the assignment of the 1/8 interest in the line and lease to Badger was executed and placed of record in Tulsa county, and the pipe line was connected and gas was run through the line; that thereupon he made demand upon both defendants for the $600, but both failed and refused to pay same.

Defendants filed separate motions to require plaintiff to make his petition more definite and certain in certain particulars. The only important ground of this motion, as we view it, was the sixth, which was:

“That plaintiff be required to set out whether or not the said plaintiff was a party, in any way, to the contract partially alleged in plaintiff’s petition, between the plaintiff and defendant herein and if the release of note and mortgage was a part of the agreement between the said plaintiff and this defendant, Harry Badger.”

This motion was sustained as to the first ground, and overruled as to all others, including the sixth. Separate demurrers were filed and overruled. The grounds of the demurrers were, that the petition failed to state a cause of action and that the court was without jurisdiction of the subject matter of the action. The rulings of the court on the motions and demurrers are indicated in the record only by copies of recitals from the minutes of the clerk.

Defendants answered separately by general denial, and defendant Badger further alleged that he did agree to purchase an interest in the lease and line for the sum of $600, but that such agreement was upon the express condition that Hamilton and Church were to complete the pipe line, bury the same, and place drip cups thereon, so that the pipe line would be complete in every respect, so as to comply with the provisions of the lease and the requirements of the Oklahoma Natural Gas. Company, which company was the purchaser of the gas, and that this was all to be done within two weeks; that the cheek was placed with defendant Reedy to be held in escrow to be delivered to Hamilton and Church when the pipe line was completed, and that he had nothing whatever to do with any agreement between plaintiff and Hamilton and Church; that the agreement was never complied with and the pipe line was not completed within the two weeks period, and that thereafter he drew down his check.

The separate answer of defendant Reedy was substantially the same as that of Badger, except that he alleged that he had no interest in the matter, except that of escrow holder.

Plaintiff replied by general denial of all the allegations in the answers that traverse the allegations of his petition.

The issues as thus joined were tried to a jury, resulting in a verdict for plaintiff, upon which, after motion for new trial was filed and overruled, judgment was entered. Prom this order and judgment, defendants brings this appeal.

The objection, that the trial court was without jurisdiction of the subject-matter of the action, we think, is without merit. The contention is that the act creating the court of common pleas (section 3, ch. 51, Session Laws 1923), in defining the jurisdiction thereof excepted therefrom “* * * eases involving title to real estate and causes in action for divorce and actions where the relief asked for in the petition is purely equitable in its nature, and actions for libel and slander.”

The action is one not coming within the exceptions, and one of which the court of common pleas clearly had jurisdiction. The errors complained of in overruling the motion to make more definite and certain and overruling the demurrer to the petition may by considered together.

The petition does not allege a consideration for the promise of defendant Badger to pay to plaintiff the $600 sued for. The motion to make more definite and certain as well as'the demurrer called attention to this defect. Both the motion and demurrer were well taken and we think the action of the trial court in overruling them was error which might call for a reversal unless same was cured at the trial by permitting plaintiff *27 to testify concerning the consideration without objection by defendant.

The plaintiff testified, without objection, that defendant Badger came to him and told him that he (Badger) was buying a 1/8 interest in the oil and gas well and gas line-pipe liqe, and was paying $600 therefor, and that he signed the cheek and put it up in escrow with Reedy, to be delivered to plaintiff when the line was connected, the meter set, and gas run through the line and with reference to the mortgage he testified without objection and in response to questions propounded by counsel for defendant, as follows :

“Q. Did you hear the conversation that went to make up this agreement you have testified about? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did ¡Badger say at that time? A. Mr. Badger said to me he would give a six hundred dollar cheek payable to Hamilton if I would turn the mortgage over and it would be good money and I would not lose it. Q. Why was this check then put in escrow? A. Until the Oklahoma Natural was connected up. He wanted the Oklahoma Natural to set their meters and connect up the line. Q. Now, as a matter of fact, were the meters set at that time? A. No, sir; they were not set at that time. They claimed they were not. I was not out there.”

He also testified fully, without objections, as to the check being made payable to Hamilton, and indorsed by Hamilton to plaintiff and placed in escrow to be delivered to him upon the pipe line' being connected and the meter set and gas run through the line.

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Bluebook (online)
1928 OK 446, 272 P. 414, 134 Okla. 25, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 784, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/badger-v-dukes-okla-1928.