Chris. Schroeder & Son Co. v. Oeflein

245 N.W. 109, 209 Wis. 386, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 252
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 9, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 245 N.W. 109 (Chris. Schroeder & Son Co. v. Oeflein) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chris. Schroeder & Son Co. v. Oeflein, 245 N.W. 109, 209 Wis. 386, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 252 (Wis. 1932).

Opinion

Fowler, J.

The recital clause of the contract of guaranty referred to in the statement of facts, and the only clause in the contract containing any words of guaranty, is as follows :

“Whereas second party (the company) is unwilling to take on said bond issues and handle the same unless third parties (Walter W. Oeflein, Robert A. Messmer, and Walter Schroeder) will personally, to the extent of one-third each, guarantee second party the performance by first party (Mastopietro) or his assigns, of all the terms of said bonds and trust mortgages so to be executed by him to second party, which said performance third parties are willing to guarantee upon the terms hereinafter mentioned and set forth;” . . .

It is the contention of the claimant, and the trial court found, that the clause in the guaranty contract above quoted made the guarantors absolutely responsible for the payments made by the claimant to cover the defaults of Mastopietro during the first two years after the date of the bonds. The appellant claims that the guaranty was subject to a condition precedent and that absolute liability of the guarantors did not attach until or unless Mastopietro formed the corporation and put up his stock in accordance with the “terms” set forth in the contract of guaranty to secure them against loss through his defaults.

The natural import of the language “which said performance the third parties (guarantors) are willing to guarantee upon the terms hereinafter set forth” would seem to be that the guarantors were willing to and would guarantee the payments if or on condition that the provision contemplated for securing them against loss was carried out, which was the putting up of Mastopietro’s stock as collateral security for delivery to them upon his default which would have made them the absolute owners of the stock in case he should re[392]*392main in default for four months, and would have given them absolute control of the property and afforded them means to so handle or dispose of it, if able, as to protect them from loss. The meaning is that the company was willing to make the loan upon a guaranty by the guarantors that Mastopietro would make the payments specified in the contract, and. the guarantors were willing to give the guaranty if the things were done that were specified in the contract for their protection. The clause quoted implies that the company offered to make the loan if the three persons would guarantee Mas-topietro’s payments for two years, and that the three persons made a counter-offer to give the guaranty providing certain things were done for their protection. The company by signing the contract accepted the counter-offer. The three persons made a qualified acceptance of the company’s offer, and the company accepted the qualified acceptance. From this it follows that liability of the guarantors would not attach until or unless the things were done which were to be done for their protection. The meaning of the phrase “upon terms” as commonly used in judicial proceedings lends support to this construction. If a party in default is permitted to file a pleading “upon terms,” the meaning is that he may not file it until the “terms” are complied with, or he may do it upon condition that the terms are complied with. The case of Chandler L. Co. v. Radke, 136 Wis. 495, 118 N. W. 185, also lends support to this construction. In that case there was involved a guaranty as follows :

“I guarantee the payment of the above amount to you for lumber and building material purchased of you by S. to be delivered free on board cars at Madison.”

This is manifestly equivalent to guaranteeing payment “upon the following terms, viz.: Delivery to be f. o. b. Madison.” It was held that “delivery f. o. b. Madison” was a condition precedent, and that as the carrier required payment of freight by the purchaser before permitting him to take the [393]*393goods carried, liability of the guarantor did not attach. It appears to us that precisely the same reason exists here for holding the performance of the terms.of the contract a condition precedent that existed' in the case cited. It is stated in the opinion in that case, p. 498:

. . . “The surety has a right to define exactly the conditions upon which he shall be responsible for the debt of another, and only upon compliance with those conditions can he be held to such liability.”

The construction contended for by respondent would give to the clause quoted precisely the same meaning of absolute liability that it would have if it ended with the clause “which said performance third parties are willing to guarantee.” This disregards entirely, as of no meaning or import whatsoever, the phrase “upon the terms hereinafter set forth.” It is fundamental that in construing a contract the whole of it must be considered and all parts of it must be given effect if it is possible to do so. Just as the whole contract had to be considered to determine what payments were the subject of the guaranty, just so all of it must be considered to determine upon what “terms” the guaranty depended. The words of the guaranty itself are broad enough to cover the entire bond issue. The respondent concedes that other clauses of the contract limit the guaranty as to payment. Just so other clauses limit the obligation of the guarantors by showing the terms on which — the conditions upon which — the guaranty was given.

The respondent contends that the provision of the contract in respect to Mastopietro’s forming a corporation and putting up his stock therein as collateral security to protect the guarantors against loss under their guaranty is not a condition at all but only a stipulation or agreement, basing its contention for the most part upon the fact that it is not expressly denominated a condition. But it is not necessary to constitute a condition that it be expressed as such. It was not [394]*394so expressed in Chandler L. Co. v. Radke, supra. The doing of a thing

“may operate as a condition because the parties intended that it should, such intention being reasonably inferable from conduct other than words. It is then a condition implied in fact. ... In its proper sense the word ‘condition’ (in the law of contracts) means some operative fact subsequent to acceptance and prior to discharge, a fact upon which the rights and duties of the parties depend. Such a fact may be an act of one of the two contracting parties or the act of a third party, or any other fact.” ... 28 Yale Law Journal, pp. 743, 744.
“Whether a given stipulation is to be deemed a ‘condition precedent,’ a ‘condition subsequent,’ oran ‘independent agreement’ is purely a question'of intent; and the.intention must be determined by considering, not only the words of the particular clause, but also the language of the whole contract, as well as the nature of the act required and the subject matter to which it relates.” Skowhegan Water Co. v. Skowhegan Village Corp. 102 Me. 323, 66 Atl. 714.

We are of opinion that so viewing the contract of guaranty, the guaranty involved must be construed as conditional on the things being done by Mastopietro that were required to be done by him for the protection of the guarantors.

It is urged that the guarantors knew that Mastopietro did not perform his part of the contract, and that by going on with the project they waived the conditions on which their guaranty was to become operative.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
245 N.W. 109, 209 Wis. 386, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chris-schroeder-son-co-v-oeflein-wis-1932.