Clark v. Cohen

205 S.W.2d 797, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1224
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 16, 1947
DocketNo. 11899
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 205 S.W.2d 797 (Clark v. Cohen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Cohen, 205 S.W.2d 797, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1224 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

GRAVES, Justice.

It is thought that no clearer nor simpler statement of the nature and result in the Court below of this cause could be made than thus appears in the judgment of the Trial Court, to-wit:

“the controversy between the plaintiff and the defendant giving rise to this litigation originates from an oral contract between said parties,, providing;

“(a) That plaintiff was to pay all bills in connection with the purchase and sale of merchandise by the defendant, for a joint business to be conducted in Houston, Texas. Plaintiff was to keep charge of all books, records and bank account of said business in Dallas, Texas.

“(b) That defendant was to devote time, energy, labor, experience, service, and skill in the purchase and sale of merchandise, and forward to the plaintiff, for payment, all bills incurred in the operation of said business.

“(c) That after all expenses of the business had been paid, including purchases, employees’ salary, rents, lights, and other overhead expenses, the plaintiff was to receive two-thirds and the defendant one-third of the net profit, if any, of said business;

' “(d) That the operation of said business was a joint adventure for the sale of specialties only, and did not cover fireworks; that the defendant was not guilty of any negligence or breach of duty in his operation of said joint-adventure, and has turned over to the plaintiff all amounts and proceeds due him from' the operation of said business that came into defendant’s hands.

The Court is of the further opinion and so finds, that the defendant’s business, Aleo Fireworks and Specialty Company, was not a part of any joint-adventure of the plaintiff and defendant, but was a separate and distinct business belonging solely to the defendant, and that no profits were made in such business prior to the termination of the joint-adventure on November 12, 1945, except from the sale of fireworks;

“The court- is of the further opinion that the plaintiff, I. B. Clark, should not recover a’nything by his suit against the defendant, A. M. Cohen, and that the defendant, A. [798]*798M. Cohen, on his cross-action filed herein for the recovery of profits resulting' from a separate enterprise with plaintiff dealing with the retail sale of fireworks, should have and recover of and from the plaintiff, I. B. Clark, the sum of. .Eight Hundred ($800.00) Dollars.

“It is therefore decreed by the court that the plaintiff, I. B. Clark, take nothing by his suit against the defendant, A. M. Cohen, and that the defendant and cross-plaintiff, A. M. Cohen, on his cross-action filed herein, do have and recover of and from the said cross-defendant, I. B. Clark, the sum of Eight Hundred ($800.00) Dollars, with interest at the rate of six (6%) per annum from this date.”

Appellant inveighs here against the judgment so adverse to him, through IS stated points of error, under which, in the aggregate, he contends, in substance, that, while he owed the appellee nothing, the latter came out at the close of their transactions indebted to him, in a final net-balance of Five Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Eight and 2%oo ($5,298.23) ' Dollars, which he asked the trial court, on a reversal of its quoted judgment, to decree in his favor.

He arrived at the deduction of such final resulting-balance from his general contention tha;' the preponderance of the evidence, as reflected by the statement-of-facts, established tie following facts in his favor:

“(a) That appellee was an agent and employee of the appellant to manage and operate appellant’s branch house known as the Southern Fireworks and Specialty Company in Houston, Texas, and to purchase for appellant merchandise and to make sale thereof and to do any and all things necessary as such manager and employee 'to properly perform the duties of his employment.

“(b) That appellee Cohen was to receiye for his services one-third of the net profits, such net profits to be determined by audit and final adjustment on the expiration date of the contract of employment, which was the 15th day of January, 1946.

“(c) The appellant was to pay all 'expenses of the operation of said Houston business known as the Southern Fireworks and Specialty Company.

“(d) Appellee Cohen, under his employment, was to have a drawing account from the appellant in the sum of $50.00 per week, and the total amount so drawn in advances was to be deducted from the one-third net profits at the end of their fiscal year, which was January 15, 1946, and the differences to be paid to Cohen, appellee.

“(e) That appellee had drawn in advances from appellant up to November 13, 1945, $1225.00.

“(f) That up to the 13th day of November, 1945, there had accrued as one-third of net profits to appellee Cohen the item of $800.00, being one-third of the net profits on fireworks sold at stands in the city of Houston during the month of July, 1945, and one-third of the net profits of $1583.24, which was in the sum of $427.75, making a total of one-third profits in the sum of $1327.75, which had accrued in favor of the appellee Cohen up to the 13th of November, 1945.

“(g) That the appellee Cohen was indebted to appellant Clark, his employer, on November 13, 1945, $1225.00, and the further sum of $518.48, being two-thirds of the net profits from the Aleo Fireworks and Specialty Company from July 1, 1945, to November 13, 1945, the total of which was $871.72, as is reflected by the auditor’s report in the Statement of Facts at page 522. This $518.48 added to $1225.00, makes a total sum of $1743.48 which the appellee Cohen was indebted to the appellant on November 13, 1945, without considering the other it.ems sued for in this cause. Deducting the amount due appellee Cohen in the sum of $1327.75, leaves a balance due appellant Clark by appellee Cohen in the sum of $415.73 as of the 13th of November, 1945.

“(h) That the auditor appointed by the Court established a shortage in the merchandise of appellant representing the purchase price thereof, which was paid by appellant, in the sum of $3031.59, a loss occasioned by the fraud and negligence on the part of the appellee Cohen in the management and handling of appellant’s business, by virtue of being in the same character and kind of business for himself and co-mingling his own merchandise with that of the appellant.

[799]*799“(i) That two-thirds of the net profits upon the said $3031.59, if the same had been sold by appellee Cohen in the proper performance of his employment, is in the sum of $632.93. That the appellee Cohen from and after November 13, 1945, up to January 15, 1946, made a net profit in the operation of the Aleo Fireworks and Specialty Company, being during the time of his contract with appellant, which totals a net profit made by the said appellee Cohen in the operation of the Aleo -Fireworks and Specialty Company from July 1, 1945, up to November 13, 1945, and from November 13, 1945, up to January 15, 1946, in the total sum of $2604.68 (See auditor’s report, page 532, S. F.). Two-thirds of the total of said net profits is in the sum of $1736.46. That the cause of action here cast as reflected by the pleadings and as supported by the preponderance of the evidence establishes that a judgment should have been entered in this cause by the Court for the three items, to-wit:

$3031.59,

632.93

1736.46, making a total in judgment in favor of the appellant and against the appel-lee for $5400.98.

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Bluebook (online)
205 S.W.2d 797, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-cohen-texapp-1947.