Bissinger & Co. v. Weiss

195 P. 527, 27 Wyo. 262, 1921 Wyo. LEXIS 13
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 14, 1921
DocketNo. 986
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 195 P. 527 (Bissinger & Co. v. Weiss) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bissinger & Co. v. Weiss, 195 P. 527, 27 Wyo. 262, 1921 Wyo. LEXIS 13 (Wyo. 1921).

Opinion

ICimball, Justice.

Plaintiff) Bissinger & Co., a corporation, was engaged in -the hide, pelt and wool business in Salt Lake City, Utah, and defendants, Max Weiss and Morris Weiss, co-partners, were .engaged in a smaller way in a similar business at Rock ¡Springs, Wyoming. Between November 1,1917 and August 1, 1918, the plaintiff advanced to defendants various sums .of money and the defendants delivered to plaintiff many ishipments of merchandise, consisting of hides, pelts, etc. [265]*265Charges against defendants for the moneys advanced to them, and credits for the merchandise delivered by them to the plaintiff, made tip the account upon which the plaintiff sued, claiming a balance due of $4,796.77. There was no dispute between the parties, either as to the amount of money advanced by plaintiff to the defendants, or as to the weight and number of articles of merchandise delivered to the plaintiff by the defendants, so that the sole point in issue was the value or prices of said articles of merchandise for which the defendants were entitled to credit. Trial was to the court without a jury, and upon general findings in favor of the plaintiff, judgment was in its favor for $2,704.31 and interest, which was about $650 more than the defendants admitted to be due. The plaintiff brings error.

The answer, as it stood when the trial began, alleged that the deliveries of merchandise by defendants to plaintiff “were made under express contracts and agreements between plaintiff and defendants, as to the prices of the goods so sold and shipped by defendants to plaintiff;” that certain “specific items in said account are erroneous and not correct, and are not priced according to the agreement made between plaintiff and defendants in regard thereto.” The items thus referred to as erroneous are then set forth with a statement of the amounts which the defendants claim they should have been credited therefor upon the account.

At the trial, the first witness for the plaintiff was John McCarty,' its manager. After his direct examination had been concluded, and during his cross examination, the defendants’ attorney ashed leave of the court to amend the answer to conform to plaintiffs-’ proof by alleging that the defendants were entitled to receive credit for the market value of the goods shipped to plaintiff by defendants. Over objection, leave to amend was granted, and later, after trial but before judgment, the amended answer was filed, changing the allegations hereinbefore quoted of the original answer. In lieu of those allegations, the amended answer stated that the deliveries of merchandise “were made under an [266]*266express understanding and agreement that plaintiff should pay defendants for all such goods * * * the fair market value * * * at the time of such sale and delivery;” and that in the account “the defendants are not credited with the fair market value of many of the items.” Then, as in the original answer, the items claimed to be erroneous are set forth with a statement of the amount claimed by defendants to be the market value of the goods described in each item.

It is contended by plaintiff in error that the amendment should not have been permitted for the reason that 'the allegations thereof in regard to the agreement for payment of the market value for the goods delivered to plaintiff were not supported by the evidence. As the plaintiff’s witness, ■McCai’ty, was the only witness who testified upon this subject, it is necessary to determine whether or not the trial court erred in finding that his testimony supported those allegations of the amended answer. This witness repeatedly stated that the prices entered upon the plaintiff’s books for the articles received from the defendants were the market prices, and that such market prices were in every instance fixed when the goods were received by plaintiff by agreement between him, acting for the plaintiff, and one or the other of the defendants. This testimony standing alone would have shown an express contract as to each credit op the account, and perhaps have rendered immaterial any inquiry as to the true market value of the goods. But other testimony of the same witness tended to eontradiet him in that regard and to prove that the prices entered upon the books were fixed by him, acting for the plaintiff, without the approval of either of the defendants. He insisted that, at the beginning, of the dealings, there was no arrangement at all in regard to prices to be allowed for the goods in question, but later said that the defendants were “supposed to get the'market price, ” and that “it was the policy of Bissin-ber & Co.' always to pay the market prices.” On cross-examination, after many questions in regard to how and for [267]*267whom he had fixed the prices of the goods, he was asked if he did not price them without the consent of either Max or Morris Weiss, and answered, “Yes, jnst for Bissinger, see?” On re-direct examination, with the obvious purpose of clearing up the testimony of the witness upon this subject, he was asked how the plaintiff and defendants arrived at the market prices as allowed in the account, and in his answer he described the method by which he obtained knowledge of the market prices, without making any reference whatever to any express agreement in regard thereto. In referring to statements of the account which had been sent to the defendants, he stated that they claimed “something different, ’ ’ and that on July 2, 1918, after the account had run some eight months, a written memorandum was signed by both defendants and by the witness, evidently acting for the plaintiff. This memorandum recited that Morris Weiss agreed to accept, from the plaintiff for all merchandise sold to it, prices to be figured on the basis of prices paid to Max Weiss for goods sold by him to the plaintiff, “according to the prevailing market prices at the time of sale and delivery * * * the difference in prices to be paid by either Bissinger & Co. or Morris Weiss, whichever way the balance goes, after the account is figured. ’ ’ The witness distinctly stated that this was an agreement by which they were to arrive at the prices of the goods making up the credit items of the account upon which this suit is based. Enough has been said to show some of the inconsistencies in this testimony. We have examined it with care, and are of the opinion that it furnished substantial evidence to justify the finding of the trial court (1) that the defendants were entitled to credit for the goods in question at their fair market value, and (2) that the market value had never been fixed by agreement. Where the testimony of a witness is contradictory, and it becomes necéssáry, as in this case', for the trial court to determine its meaning, a finding in that regard should have the same standing when being’ renewed on error, as any finding of fact on conflicting evidence, and [268]*268should not be disturbed unless it be without substantial support.

It is contended that there was error in permitting the amendment of the answer, for the further reason that it worked a change in the defense, and a surprise to the plaintiff. The amendment was allowed under the statute which is now Section 5707, Wyo. Comp. Stat. 1920, and as we have said in the foregoing discussion, to conform to the plaintiff’s proof. Such amendments should be liberally allowed, when justice will be promoted thereby. (Lellman v. Mills, 15 Wyo. 149, 87 Pac. 985.) The matter of their allowance rests within the sound discretion of the trial court, and the discretion is not interfered with, unless some prejudice appears. (Clark v. Clark, 20 O. St. 128; Root v. Railroad Co., 45 O. St.

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Bluebook (online)
195 P. 527, 27 Wyo. 262, 1921 Wyo. LEXIS 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bissinger-co-v-weiss-wyo-1921.