Bass Furn. & Carpet Co. v. Finley

1927 OK 254, 263 P. 130, 129 Okla. 40, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 498
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 13, 1927
Docket17110
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 1927 OK 254 (Bass Furn. & Carpet Co. v. Finley) 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
Bass Furn. & Carpet Co. v. Finley, 1927 OK 254, 263 P. 130, 129 Okla. 40, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 498 (Okla. 1927).

Opinion

*41 HUNT, J.

Plaintiff in error was plaintiff below and prosecutes tbis appeal from a judgment rendered against it in the district court of Oklahoma county on the verdict of the jury in an action wherein plaintiff sought judgment against the defendant in the sum of $605.20, attorney’s fees and costs, on a note and mortgage executed by defendant to it, representing balance due on certain furniture purchased by defendant from plaintiff. The admitted facts are that in the summer of 1922, defendant purchased from plaintiff a bill of furniture for his home in Oklahoma City amounting in the aggregate to $6,173.20, and same was charged to defendant on open account. The first payment made by defendant was in the sum of $1,500 on August 8, 1922, and numerous payments were made during, the year 1923, so that on March 7, 1924, there remained a balance due on the books of the company of $1,005.20. The record discloses from the testimony of defendant that on or about this date he was behind with his payments, and the plaintiff company was demanding payment of the entire balance due; that he took the matter up with Mr. Handle of the plaintiff company, who told him that if he would sign the note and mortgage sued on herein, they would carry the account. It was agreed that the balance was to be paid at the rate of $200 per month. Two hundred dollars was paid in March and $200 in April, leaving a balance of $605.20, being the amount sued on herein. The record further discloses that plaintiff placed this account in the hands of its attorney for collection on or about February 28, 1924, and that he immediately notified defendant that he had said account in the sum of $1,005.20 for collection, and it was shortly thereafter that the defendant took the matter up with plaintiff and entered into the contract herein above referred to.

The record further discloses that on May 28, 1924, after defendant had defaulted in the May payment due under the contract, same was again placed in . the hands of plaintiff’s attorney, and defendant notified that suit would be filed on same if not paid by the 30th inst. No payment was made, and this action was instituted on June 5, 1924.

Defendant’s contention, as disclosed by his answer, was that the execution of the note and mortgage sued on was procured by fraud on the part of plaintiff, and that same should therefore be canceled. The fraud alleged and upon which defendant relied was that at the time of the purchase of the furniture it was agreed orally by and between the parties th,at the defendant should have a discount of 20 per cent, on the list price of certain of said goods, and that at the time of signing said contract sued on herein some two years later, defendant specifically inquired of plaintiff as to whether he had been allowed the 20 per cent, discount formerly agreed upon, and that plaintiff fraudulently and wrongfully represented to him that he had been allowed said 20 per cent, discount and that the said sum of $1,005.20 represented the correct ¡balance due and unpaid after allowing said discount. He further alleges that the representations -were false and were known by the plaintiff to be false and were made for the purpose of misleading and defrauding the defendant and that same were believed and relied upon, and that he was misled and deceived thereby.

Defendant further contends that the discount to which he was entitled amounted to $507.32, and he tenders into court the sum of $97.88, representing the balance due after allowing said credit.

Plaintiff moved to strike the answer of defendant for the reason that same was not verified. The same was overruled, and plaintiff filed a demurrer to the answer on the ground that same failed to set forth any defense to the cause of action sued on. The demurrer was likewise overruled, and proper exceptions saved. Upon the trial of the case plaintiff moved for judgment on the pleadings, again urging the insufficiency of the answer, and this motion being overruled, plaintiff objected to the introduction of any evidence on the part of defendant. This objection was also overruled, and to each of these rulings proper exceptions were saved. At the conclusion of defendant’s evidence plaintiff demurred to same and moved for an instructed verdict in favor of plaintiff, which said demurrer and motion were overruled, and plaintiff duly excepted. A trial was' had to a jury, and a verdict returned in favor of defendant, on which judgment was duly entered as hereinbefore set out.

Pláintíff’s petition in error contains some 18 assignments of error; the principal contention of plaintiff being that the answer of defendant was wholly insufficient to constitute a defense to plaintiff’s cause of action, and that same should have been verified, and further, that the evidence of defendant was wholly insufficient to sustain the verdict of the jury. No authorities are cited by defendant in error in support of his contention herein, but defendant seems content with a general statement that it is unneces *42 sary to cite authorities to the effect that a contract obtained through fraud should be set aside. This, of course, is true, but the fraud must be clearly and specifically pleaded and proved.

Let us see then, first, whether or not defendant’s answer, if taken as true, is sufficient to constitute a defense to plaintiff’s cause of action; and second, whether or not the evidence offered in support thereof is sufficient to sustain the verdict of the jury. It is well settled, of course, if there is any evidence reasonably tending to support the verdict of the jury, same will not be disturbed on appeal, and the converse of this proposition is likewise true. Since the sufficiency of the answer and of the evidence offered in support thereof is challenged, we think it well to set same out here in full:

“Comes now the defendant above named and for his answer to plaintiff’s amended petition denies generally and specifically each and every allegation therein contained, excepting those hereinafter specifically admitted.
"Eor further answer, defendant alj.eg.es that said contract of_note mortgage set up and relied upon in plaintiff’s petition was executed by this defendant with the understanding and upon the representation of the plaintiff herein that said amount for which said contract was executed of $1,005.20 represented the unpaid balance for goods sold and delivered to this defendant. That at the time of the execution of said contract this defendant was not furnished with a statement of his account with said plaintiff, but relied wholly upon the representations that said amount of $1,005.20 was the correct statement and amount of the unpaid balance due for goods sold and delivered as aforesaid. That said representations made by said plaintiff as aforesaid were false and untrue and were made for the purpose of misleading this defendant and fraudulently procuring the execution of said contract and said representations and fraudulent statements were wholly relied upon by said defendant in the execution of said contract.

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Bluebook (online)
1927 OK 254, 263 P. 130, 129 Okla. 40, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bass-furn-carpet-co-v-finley-okla-1927.