Brumbaugh v. Mellinger

120 N.E. 676, 68 Ind. App. 410, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 84
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 7, 1918
DocketNo. 9,604
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 120 N.E. 676 (Brumbaugh v. Mellinger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brumbaugh v. Mellinger, 120 N.E. 676, 68 Ind. App. 410, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 84 (Ind. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Batman, J.

This is an action by appellee against ' appellant Brumbaugh on a promissory note, payable to Goshen Concrete Tile Manufacturing Company, and assigned to appellee. Appellant filed an answer in four paragraphs. The first was a general denial. The second alleged that the note was given without consideration, and that appellee accepted the same after maturity, with full knowledge of such fact. The third is a plea of payment. The fourth alleges in substance, among other things, that the note was [412]*412given in payment of the purchase price of ten shares of stock in the above-named company, which was a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Indiana, and doing business in the city of Goshen in said state; that he purchased said stock of said company through one Miller, who accepted said note in payment of the purchase price thereof; that said Miller was in charge of the business of said company, and that, at the time of the execution of. said note, both he and appellee were familiar with the financial standing of said company; that, in order to induce him to purchase said stock and execute said note, the said Miller represented to him that the stock of said company was worth par, and that dividends were being paid thereon at the r.ate of six per cent, per annum; that he had no knowledge of the value of said stock, and no means of ascertaining such knowledge except through said Miller; that he executed said note, relying solely upon the representations of said Miller; that he has since learned that said representations were fraudulent and untrue; that said stock was not paying a dividend of’ six per cent, per annum, or in fact any dividend; that at the time of the execution of said note said company was insolvent, and its stock was worthless ; that appellee accepted said note from said company, knowing all the representations made to him by said Miller, and that said note was not indorsed and delivered to appellee by said company until after its maturity; that said company is now in the hands of a receiver, and its liabilities are far in excess of its assets. To each of said affirmative paragraphs of answer appellee filed a reply in general' denial. Appellant Aaron S. Zook, assignee of the Goshen [413]*413Concrete Tile Manufacturing Company, was made a party on his own motion, and tendered an issue as to its ownership of the note, which was met by a general denial on the part of appellee. The cause was submitted to a jury for trial, resulting in a verdict for appellee, on which judgment was rendered. Appellant Brumbaugh filed a motion for a new trial, alleging that the verdict is not -sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law; and that the court erred in giving to the jury, on its own motion, instructions Nos. 1 to 8 inclusive, and each of them. This motion was overruled, and appellant Brumbaugh has assigned this action of the court as the sole error on which he relies. The remaining appellant has not assigned errors.

1. The only question presented by appellant Brumbaugh in his propositions and points relates to the action of the court in giving instruction No. 4 on its own motion. All other questions are therefore waived, and will not be considered. Chesapeake, etc., R. Co. v. Jordan (1916), 63 Ind. App. 365, 114 N. E. 461; Continental Ins. Co. v. Bair (1917), 65 Ind. App. 502, 114 N. E. 763, 116 N. E. 752.

2. Said instruction No. 4, given by the court on its own' motion, is in part as follows: “It is also claimed in this fourth answer that the stock was entirely worthless, and that Mr. Mellinger bought the note knowing that Miller had made a false representation in regard to the payment of dividends at the time he bought the note. So that the burden is on the defendant to prove by the preponderance o'f the evidence not only that Miller made false representation, but that Mr. Mellinger when he [414]*414bought the note knew of the false representation, or that he bought .the note after maturity, because it is alleged that it was bought after' maturity.”

3. Appellant contends that, where fraud in the' procurement of a note is set up as a defense to the. same in a suit by an indorsee, the burden is on the plaintiff to show his protection from such defense as a good-faith purchaser for value, before the maturity of the note; that this instruction violates this rule, and its giving was therefore error. In this contention appellant is fully sustained by the authorities. Bright Nat. Bank v. Hartman (1916), 61 Ind. App. 440, 109 N. E. 846, and cases there cited. But appellee contends that the giving of said instruction, if error, was harmless. It is well settled that, as a general rule, the giving of an instruction which places the burden of an issue on the wrong party is reversible error. Johnson v. Samuels (1917), 186 Ind. 56, 114 N. E. 977; Indianapolis, etc., Traction Co. v. Sherry (1917), 65 Ind. App. 1, 116 N. E. 594. This general rule, however, yields to the exception tha/t, where the record affirmatively shows that such error was harmless, the judgment will not be reversed. Abelman v. Haehnel (1914), 57 Ind. App. 15, 103 N. E. 869; Evansville, etc., R. Co. v. Scott (1916), 67 Ind. App. 121, 114 N. E. 649; City of Decatur v. Eady (1917), 186 Ind. 205, 115 N. E. 577, L. R. A. 1917E 242.

4. [415]*4155. [414]*414In this case we may accept as established facts that the note in suit was executed by appellant, as part payment for certain corporation stock; that it has never been paid; and that $75 is a reasonable attorney’s fee for collecting the same. With these facts settled, only the questions [415]*415relating to the alleged fraud in the procurement of the note, and a want of consideration therefor, remain. As affecting the former question, it should be borne in mind that a sale of property induced by fraud is not void, but only voidable at the election of the party defrauded. In such a sale the title to the property passes to the purchaser and so remains, unless he rescinds the contract by which the sale is made. If he elects to rescind, he must make a compíete restoration of everything of value he has received under the contract, as the law will not permit him to undo the same, while retain-

ing anything of value which he has received thereunder. Citizens’ St. R. Co. v. Horton (1897), 18 Ind. App. 335, 48 N. E. 22; Jarrett v. Cauldwell (1911), 47 Ind. App. 478, 94 N. E. 790; Barnard v. First Nat. Bank (1916), 61 Ind. App. 634, 111 N. E. 451; Home Ins. Co. v. Howard (1887), 111 Ind. 544, 13 N. E. 103; Thompson v. Peck (1888), 115 Ind. 512, 18 N. E. 16, 1 L. R. A. 201; Adam, etc., Co. v. Stewart (1902), 157 Ind. 678, 61 N. E. 1002, 87 Am. St. 240.

6. 7. In this case the evidence shows that the note in suit represents the purchase price of certain corporation stock, but there is no evidence that appellant has made, or offered to make, restoration] thereof. Under these circumstances, appellant could not prevail in this action on the ground of fraud, however gross it may have been, unless there was evidence that the stock was worthless at the time he purchased the same, as he has alleged.

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Bluebook (online)
120 N.E. 676, 68 Ind. App. 410, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brumbaugh-v-mellinger-indctapp-1918.