Cook v. Sheffield

1938 OK 27, 75 P.2d 1101, 181 Okla. 635, 1938 Okla. LEXIS 32
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 18, 1938
DocketNo. 27606.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1938 OK 27 (Cook v. Sheffield) 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
Cook v. Sheffield, 1938 OK 27, 75 P.2d 1101, 181 Okla. 635, 1938 Okla. LEXIS 32 (Okla. 1938).

Opinion

GIBSON, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the court of common pleas of Tulsa county rendered upon a verdict in favor of idaintiff below in an action to recover a real estate broker’s commission. The parties are here designated as they appeared at the trial.

The first and second assignments of error challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict. Defendant says the court erred in overruling his demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence, and that the verdict and judgment were contrary to the law and the evidence.

The question of the sufficiency of the evidence is not here for review. Defendant by proceeding with his defense testimony and failing to stand on his demurrer waived any error in connection with the ruling thereon. Plains Petroleum Corporation v. Hatcher, 177 Okla. 22, 57 P. (2d) 599. Thereafter, in order to save the question, it was necessary that defendant either renew his demurrer at the conclusion of all the evidence or move for a directed verdict. Here neither action was taken. The applicable rule is stated in Carr v. Puckett, 176 Okla. 140, 54 P. (2d) 1063, as follows:

“Where the evidence is not challenged by a demurrer thereto, or by a request for a directed verdict, this court, in a law cause, will not consider the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict rendered.”

Defendant next charges error in the reception land rejection of certain evidence.

Plaintiff on direct examination was asked whether defendant knew that the plaintiff was showing the property, to which question the defendant objected as calling for a conclusion of the witness, and at the same time stated that the witness “may testify if he told him.” The witness then answered: “Yes, he knew it, because I introduced some of the customers to Mr. Cook while we were looking through the house.”

While the foregoing question may have been improper as calling for a conclusion or opinion of the witness as to the belief or knowledge of another concerning a given matter, the answer thereto was one of *636 fact and not conclusion or opinion, and was sufficiently responsive to the plain purpose of the question, namely, whether the defendant Cook actually knew that the plaintiff was attempting to sell the property. The error, if any, in overruling objection to the question was corrected by the answer and therefore rendered harmless. See 4 C. J. 966, n. 99; Sulzberger & Sons Co. v. Hoover, 46 Okla. 792, 149 P. 887.

Plaintiff was also asked: “Do you know whether or not Mr. Cook was aware of the advertising of the property?” and defendant objected thereto as calling for a conclusion, whereupon the question was modified as follows: “I am asking him if he knew whether Mr. Cook had that knowledge.” The court then overruled the objection and the answer was: “Yes; in fact, he asked me to ¡advertise it.”

The latter question may have called for a conclusion, but the answer, like the one above, was a. statement of fact, a fact showing knowledge on the part of defendant, and not a conclusion of the witness. Error, if any, in overruling the objection was thereby rendered harmless.

Defendant next complains of the action of the court in overruling his objection to plaintiff’s testimony concerning a telephone conversation between defendant 'and the purchaser of the property in question.

After testifying that he was present when defendant called the purchaser by telephone, plaintiff was examined as follows:

“And you heard Mr. Cook’s part of the conversation? A, Yes. Q. What did Cook say? A. Well, he talked just about everything to start with; finally he asked him — said he had not seen him that day and wanted to know if he was going to put up a check, and he said yes, that he would; that he had to go out to the lease the next day or two and that he would probably be in Tuesday and put up a check.”

Defendant’s objection to this evidence as hearsay was overruled.

The purchaser’s portion of the conversation as related by plaintiff may have been hearsay, but that part of his answer was in no way responsive to the question put by counsel. He was not asked to relate the purchaser’s portion of the conversation.

Error cannot be predicated upon the action of the court in overruling objection to evidence as hearsay where the. testimony is not responsive to the question. While the court may on motion of a party or of its own motion strike the objectionable evidence or withdraw it from the consideration of the jury by proper instruction (64 C. J. 231), mere objection as hearsay is insufficient to invoke the affirmative action of the court in the matter. The proper procedure in such ease is by way of motion to strike; or to request an instruction that the jury disregard the evidence. The proper rule is stated in 64 O. J. 204, as follows:

“A motion to strike out is also necessary where the witness makes a voluntary statement or testifies without a question being addressed to him: where an answer to a proper question is not responsive or is otherwise improper. * * *”

Had the objection here been to the question, it still would not have reached the improper answer. As stated in 64 C. J. 178, sec. 200:

“An objection to a proper question does not reach an answer which is not responsive, or is otherwise objectionable, the proper practice being to move to strike out the answer, or to ask the court to instruct that the objectionable matter be disregarded : and, where part of an answer is not responsive, it should be objected to on that ground, and a motion made to strike it out, instead of objection being made to the question. Where the answer is objected to, and the objection is sustained, such answer may still be considered by the jury unless it is expressly excluded from them, or they are instructed to disregard it.”

Had the court in the instant case sustained the objection, little or no benefit would have resulted to the defendant. The jury would yet be at liberty to consider the evidence in the absence of express instruction from the. court to the contrary. It was defendant’s duty to seek that instruction. If the jury has considered the improper evidence, no complaint can now be heard.

Defendant alleges error in the court’s action in overruling his objection to a certain question where counsel’s objection was in form as follows: “I object to that question.” No reason for the objection as required by statute was given. Therefore the matter will not be considered. Section 291, O. S. 1931 (sec. 609, C. O. S. 1921) ; Worrell v. Allen, 93 Okla. 3, 219 P. 367. There the court held:

“Simply objecting to the admissibility of evidence, without assigning the statutory grounds named in section 609, Compiled Oklahom'a Statutes 1921, or any other ground of objection, is not such an objection as will cause this court to review the action of the trial court in overruling the purported objections.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1938 OK 27, 75 P.2d 1101, 181 Okla. 635, 1938 Okla. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cook-v-sheffield-okla-1938.