Charles Baron, Inc. v. State

22 Ill. Ct. Cl. 136, 1955 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 7
Court of Claims of Illinois·Decided January 11, 1955·No. No. 4588·Published

Opinion

Wham, J.

In the complaint filed on behalf of claimant, Charles Baron, Inc., it is alleged that at various and sundry times, namely, on August 23, 1951, December 15, 1951, and May 19, 1952, claimant, at the special instance and request of respondent’s agent, the Department of Revenue, performed services and furnished materials to respondent; and that such materials and services so performed consisted of repairs and servicing of automobiles owned and operated by the State of Illinois, Department of Revenue. Attached to the complaint are the following exhibits:

Exhibit A — Copy of invoice No. 19715 from claimant directed to the State of Illinois, Department of Revenue, 160 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, dated August 23, 1951, apparently representing repair order for servicing an automobile bearing license No. 292-205. The invoice reflects a charge for such services in the amount of $12.58.

Exhibit B — Copy of Invoice No. 24679 from claimant directed to the State of Illinois, Department of Revenue, dated August 29, 1951, apparently representing a repair order for the purchase and installation of seat covers and small adjustments to a 1951 Ford automobile, license No. 292-208. The invoice reflects a charge for such services and materials in the amount of $31.20, and further reflects that they were received by one T. J. Brennon.

Exhibit C — A copy of invoice No. 28360 from, claimant directed to the State of Illinois, 160 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, said invoice reflecting the purchase and installation of a set of skid chains upon a 1951 automobile of an unnamed make, bearing license No. M 10484, said services and materials being apparently receipted for by one I. Weil. The invoice reflects a charge of $11.50.

Exhibit D — Copy of invoice No. 36223 from claimant directed to the State of Illinois, 160 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, dated May 19, 1952, which invoice was apparently an order for repairs to a 1951 Chevrolet automobile, bearing license No. M 12030. The invoice reflected a charge of $78.15 for such repairs. Exhibit D also includes a second invoice for additional repairs to the said 1951 Chevrolet automobile in the sum of $273.28.

Claimant also attaches to the complaint as exhibit E a photostatic copy of a letter, dated October 19, 1953, upon office stationery of the Department of Revenue, signed “Richard J. Lyons”, advising that the above referred to invoices were being returned due to the fact that the expenditures were incurred prior to June 30, 1953, and were submitted too late for payment from the appropriations for the 67th biennium. It further suggested that claimant file a claim in the Court of Claims, and stated that the writer of the letter felt that such claim would be given favorable consideration.

The complaint further alleged that on various occasions prior to June 30, 1953 invoices were submitted by claimant to the Department of Revenue promptly after the rendering of the services referred to in said invoices. The complaint prays judgment in the amount <of- $406:41, representing the total amount allegedly due claimant by respondent for the services rendered and materials furnished, as shown by the exhibits referred to above.

Upon motion of respondent, so much of claimant’s complaint as was based upon invoices Nos. 19715 and 24679, being exhibits A and B, respectively, referred to .above, was stricken by order of this Court, dated September 24, 1954, thus leaving a total amount involved herein of $362.93, as reflected by exhibits C and D referred to above.

Respondent failed to file an answer to the complaint, and, therefore, Rule 11 of this Court is applicable. It is, therefore, considered that a general denial of the facts set forth in the complaint is hereby filed.

Claimant and respondent on October 26, 1954 entered into and filed a stipulation in this cause, which stipulation provided that the Court may proceed to dispose of the case upon the record, which consists of pleadings, Departmental Report, and the Supplemental Departmental Report filed herein. The stipulation further agreed as follows:

“That claimant’s exhibit C, work order No. 28360, in the total amount of $11.50, was authorized by I. Weil, whose signature is approved as a Department employee in paragraph 2 of respondent’s Supplemental Departmental Report; and
That claimant’s exhibit D, work orders Nos. 36223 and 36222, in the total amount of $351.43, constitute charges for repair work on vehicle bearing license No. M 12030, which number was assigned to the Department of Revenue according to information set forth in paragraph 6 of respondent's Departmental Report.”

The stipulation further provided that the matters and things contained therein were intended solely as “a stipulation of the facts, or some of them” relating to the claim involved herein, and that said stipulation was executed “for the purpose of avoiding the necessity of taking evidence with reference to such facts”. The stipulation further provided that if through inadvertence, or otherwise, conclusions were included therein, they were not intended to be binding, either on the parties or on the Court.

As stated in the stipulation referred to above, the only other facts contained in the record before the Court-are those contained in the Departmental and Supplemental Departmental Reports filed on behalf of respondent.

The only relevant and material facts appearing from the Departmental and Supplemental Departmental Reports not contained in the stipulation are these:

1. License No. M 10484, appearing upon claimant’s exhibit 0, was assigned to the Department of Revenue.

2. Mr. C. V. Buckley, Executive Assistant in the Chicago office of the Department of Revenue, had authority to authorize repair work on automobiles assigned to the Department.

3. It was customary for the office of the Department of Revenue to issue a written authorization for such repairs. However, in many instances Mr. Buckley made these approvals verbally.

4. Mr. C. V. Buckley left state service on February 7, 1953, and did not prior thereto present the invoices to the general office of the Department of Revenue for payment.

5. The original invoices might have been submitted to the Chicago office or to the employee operating the automobile. However, they were not filed by the Chicago office with the general office at Springfield, and approved for payment.

6. The invoices, which were submitted by claimant showing an unpaid balance as of June 30, 1953, were returned to claimant on October 19, 1953, for the reason that said invoices were incomplete in certain particulars, including the fact that there was no signature on the work order indicating who had authorized the repairs, or information sufficient to identify the automobiles as belonging to the Department.

It is noted that the invoices marked exhibit D, which indicate a considerable amount of repair to one of the vehicles involved, do not bear the signature of anyone purporting to represent the State of Illinois or the Department of Revenue. The type of repairs shown thereon indicate that this particular vehicle had been involved in an accident.

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Charles Baron, Inc. v. State, 22 Ill. Ct. Cl. 136, 1955 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 7 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1955).

22 Ill. Ct. Cl. 136 (Charles Baron, Inc. v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.