Champlin Refining Co. v. Allen

1936 OK 683, 62 P.2d 623, 178 Okla. 101, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 505
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 4, 1936
DocketNo. 26557.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1936 OK 683 (Champlin Refining Co. v. Allen) 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
Champlin Refining Co. v. Allen, 1936 OK 683, 62 P.2d 623, 178 Okla. 101, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 505 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the district court of Caddo county in favor of defendants and against the plaintiff. The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

The Champlin Refining Company, a corporation, as plaintiff, filed'its petition in the district court of Caddo county against the defendants, Oliver C. Allen and United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, a corporation, alleging that plaintiff had appointed Oliver' C. Allen as its agent at Ana-darko, Okla., for the purpose of selling and distributing its refined oil, gasoline, and petroleum products for a commission as set out in a contract sued upon; that defendant Allen was to be allowed a commission on the cash sales only, and any sale of merchandise on a credit would be at the risk of the agent; that on May 24, 1930, plaintiff and said Allen made a new contract effective as of July 2, 1929; that on May 31, 1929, the plaintiff and said agent had come to a complete agreement and understanding through an audit, which covered the period from April 22, 1929, to May 31, 1929, and at that time the said agent paid the plaintiff the sum of $12.19 in complete settlement of the mutual accounts at that time between the said agent and the plaintiff; that on or about September 1, 1930, the defendant United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company made a fidelity bond to the plaintiff covering the said agent in his conduct of said agency; that on May 1, 1931, the agency between plaintiff and the said Allen was terminated and at that time the said Allen was due and owing the plaintiff the sum of $872.07 with 6 per cent, interest per annum from May 1, 1931; that plaintiff on May 12, 1931, duly notified the said surety company of said shortage and on September 1, 1931, submitted proof of loss to said surety company in the sum of $468.95, said amount being made up of a shortage on cash sales reported by said Allen; that plaintiff claimed from said surety company the sum of $415.22, together with 6 per cent, interest per annum from May 1, 1931, and set out in the proof of loss; that the surety company was an insurer of said Allen as plaintiff’s agent and was bound to pay to plaintiff any pecuniary loss sustained in money or merchandise occasioned by the said agent’s acts of fraud, dishonesty, forgery, larceny, theft, embezzlement, or wrongful misapplication of funds in performance of his duties as said agent; that said surety company was justly bound to pay to plaintiff because of the wrongful and willful acts of said Allen, employee and agent of plaintiff, which occurred while said bond was in force, the sum of $415.22; and plaintiff prayed for judgment against Allen and the surety company for $872.07.

Defendants filed answer admitting surety company made said bond; that Allen was an employee and agent of plaintiff as claimed by plaintiff; but denied that defendants owed plaintiff the sum of $872.07, or any other sum, or that shortly before May 31, *102 1929, plaintiff and defendant Allen had an agreement concerning all accounts, shortages, sums of money, and all matters pertaining to said agency under the contract of March 2, 1929, but stated said audit showed the stock on hand from April 22, 1929, to May 31, 1929, was not intended by the said parties to be a settlement, but only as an invoice of stock on hand during said time. For cross-petition Allen charged that he became an agent for plaintiff in August, 1925, and served until May 1, 1931; that he made weekly reports to plaintiff from August 25, 1925, to May 1, 1931; that in order to measure the gasoline in - the tanks and make weekly reports the plaintiff fraudulently and with intent to defraud the said Allen furnished the said Allen a gauge or measure; that said gauge or measure was defective, imperfect, or inaccurate, causing Allen to report a shortage in gasoline for all of said period and causing the defendant Allen to pay plaintiff for a shortage which did not exist over said period, the sum of $97.35; that plaintiff was due and owing to said Allen further the sum of $1,099.79 because of a statement of items which the plaintiff had refused to pay; said statement covered several items set out in the account attached to said cross-petition.

The plaintiff’s evidence showed generally that Allen owed the plaintiff $872.07, and of that amount $415.22 was the shortage in cash report, that Allen’s cash shortage for goods sold was $415'.22; that $276.65 was Claude ATen Champlin station account; that there was a balance due on Charley Hertzlin account of $200 32, and $2 for two 50-gallon iron drums, that certain credits had been given Allen, such as $56 for underground fittings left installed at the service station, and $159 for telephone bill. That $60 52 had been charged to Allen because of Henry Ruziska account. That plaintiff filed proof of loss with surety company for $468.95, but the p’aintiff claimed only $415.22 because of some deduction after proof of loss was made out.

The auditors who testified for plaintiff were somewhat mixed in the figures and dates, the confusion arising probably because the audits were made at different times. However, the above generally represents the claims of the plaintiff.

The defendant Allen testified that when the agency terminated the last statement from plaintiff showed him owing lffaintiff a personal account of $497.71, $276.65 and this report $415.22, without explaining the Items further; that he had two accounts in the office, one known as Claude Allen account and one known as Champlin station account; ' that when he went out of office the plaintiff agreed to take over his underground fittings at the Champlin station, and it did take them, which were of the reasonable value of $159; that plaintiff gave him credit for only $56.12 for said fittings; that plaintiff agreed to give him credit for rent for the gasoline station for one month of $21; that plaintiff owed him a cash commission of $276.78 ; that plaintiff authorized him to sell for account of plaintiff the Northcross account of merchandise, and the account being partly unpaid, plaintiff was now trying to charge that account back to him; that he had collected $332 of that account; that there was some shortage in gasoline for which he should have credit; that Hertzlin only owed a balance of $10.43.

Charles Hertzlin testified for defendant that after Allen went out of business he went to Enid to straighten his account and plaintiff refunded him $58.05, as he had overpaid his account through Claude Allen.

Allen further testified that his total claims against plaintiff reached $804.53, covering the various items detailed in the record.

Through Allen’s cross-petition and the evidence, the case took on the nature of an accounting suit. The evidence of both sides was mixed, conflicting, and not very clear. The court gave a general instruction and then submitted several special interrogatories to the jury.

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Bluebook (online)
1936 OK 683, 62 P.2d 623, 178 Okla. 101, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 505, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/champlin-refining-co-v-allen-okla-1936.