Davis v. Howe

1934 OK 8, 29 P.2d 761, 167 Okla. 454, 1934 Okla. LEXIS 566
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 16, 1934
Docket21620
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1934 OK 8 (Davis v. Howe) 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
Davis v. Howe, 1934 OK 8, 29 P.2d 761, 167 Okla. 454, 1934 Okla. LEXIS 566 (Okla. 1934).

Opinion

WELCH, J.

This is an appeal from the district court of Oklahoma county, growing out of a controversy resulting from the efforts on the part of defendants in error, Chas. E. Howe and Nellie R. Howe, to enforce the collection of a judgment rendered in their favor and against the plaintiff in error, J. C. Davis.

The essential facts for an examination of the issues presented, and for a determination of thi-s cause, are here stated as briefly as appears possible.

On December 6, 1920, defendants herein filed their petition in the district court of Oklahoma county against plaintiff in error in this cause, and others, wherein they alleged that on September 22, 1920, and long prior thereto, they were the owners of a 320-acre farm in Washita county, Okla. That at about said time they listed the farm with plaintiff in error for sale at $14,000, agreeing to pay $500 to Davis as commission for the sale if made for cash, and $250' in case the farm was disposed of in a trade; that thereafter Davis represented to them that he had procured a buyer for the farm who would pay $14,000 for same, but would give in payment thereof, in lieu of cash, a flat building located in Oklahoma City valued by the owner at $14,000, explaining at the time that it would be necessary for them to pay to> the owner, of the flat the sum of $1,214.65 in cash, being the difference represented by mortgages on the farm and on the flat respectively.

That thereafter Davis obtained of them a deed to> the farm wherein the name of the grantee was left blank for the reason that, Davis explained to them, he did not at the time ¡know the initials of Aulbach, who was the owner of the flat. At the same time they gave Davis $1,000 purportedly to equalize the difference in the mortgages, and also at the time gave Davis their note for the sum of $400’ and $39'.65 in cash as his commission; they alleged, further, that Davis, as their agent, was guilty of wrongful and fraudulent conduct in such, transaction, in that he did not sell the farm to Aulbach, but inserted his own name therein as grantee and recorded the same and sold the land to other parties for $14,000, retaining for himself a one-half interest in the oil and gas rights, which they alleged to be of a reasonable value of $5,000. They alleged, further, that Davis then bought the flat building for $10,000 and induced Aulbach to convey the same direct to them; they alleged that Davis fraudulently represented. to them that Aulbach valued the flat building at $14,000 and that he would not take any less for the same; that Davis assured and represented to1 them that thec flat building was worth more than $14,000, and that the only reason he was able to obtain the same for them for that price was that Aulbach did not know the value thereof; that Davis represented to them that Aulbacli had examined the farm and that he would trade his flat building even for *455 the same, except that he demanded a payment of -certain money to equalize the difference in the amount of mortgages on the respective properties; they further alleged that Davi-s, still acting in such a fiduciary capacity, wrongfully retained what is described as “profits” out of the transaction, and alleged that they were entitled to have-the money and notes obtained by Davis for the sale of the farm decreed to be their property.

They alleged that Davis made such falso and fraudulent representations with the fraudulent intent of cheating and defrauding them while acting in a fiduciary capacity, and that such acts did cheat and defraud them, and that they would not have acted as they did in the premises but for the fact that they believed the false and fraudulent statements of Davis, and that they had thereby been damaged in the sum of $6,900, and prayed judgment for that amount.

The defendant, Davis, answered by admitting that the Howes had listed their farm with him for sale for $14,000; that he had inserted his own name in the deed to the farm instead of Aulbach, and recorded the same; that he had sold the same to parties other than Aulbach for $14,000, accepting therefor some cash and notes made payable to him; that he had purchased the fiat building from Aulbach for $10,000, and had procured Aulbach to make the deed direct to the Howes. He specifically denied, however, that he had at any time misrepresented any material facts to the Howes in any of the transactions, and, as we view it, based his defense upon the theory that the Howes at all times were fully advised of the manner and method and terms of the entire transaction. The answer contained a cross-petition demanding judgment against the Howes for the amount due on the note which the Howes had executed and delivered to him as his commission.

Upon trial of the issues thus made up, judgment was rendered in favor of the Howes and against the defendant, Davis, in the sum of $4,500 and costs, the court at the same time ordering Davis to convey to the Howes the one-half interest in the oil and gas rights retained by him, and to transfer and assign to them certain notes which he had taken upon sale of the farm, which if done would be taken in full settlement and satisfaction of the judgment. There was contained therein a finding that Davis had failed to establish his cause of action on the commission note, and judgment thereon was refused.

On June 28, 1929, the Howes caused to-be issued out of the district court of Oklahoma county an execution which was levied upon properties belonging to Davis in pursuance of the above-mentioned judgment. Davis filed his motion to recall and quash-this execution, alleging as grounds therefor that on March 19, 1926, he had filed his voluntary petition in -bankruptcy in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, listing as one of his provable debts- the said judgment, and that thereafter, on September 11, 1926, the said United States District Court rendered judgment fully 'discharging him from his debts, including this particular judgment.

Upon hearing this motion the trial -court permitted the introduction of considerable testimony, obviously upon the theory that the judgment under consideration was ambiguous in so far as it did or did not reveal whether or not it was such a debt as may be released under the Federal Bankruptcy Act. The Howes contending there, as here, the judgment was one of the debts excepted by the Bankruptcy Act from release. It was shown upon this hearing that there was testimony taken at the trial resulting in the judgment to the effect that so-metime after listing- the farm Davis told Howe that he had an offer of $10,000 for the farm, and Howe told Davis he would not take it; that Davis also told Howe that he could not sell the farm, but that he could trade it for a flat; that the owner of the flat wanted $14,000 for i-t; that Davis told Howe he co-uld not sell the farm for $14,000, but -could sell the flat for that amount, and that the flat could be sold 'to better advantage than the farm; that Davis had already sold the farm to other parties for $14,000 before he took the deed from the Howes, and that the Howes did not have any information concerning the sale of the farm to other parties for $14,000, or that the flat had been o-r could -be purchased fo-r $10,000, at any time prior to the completion of the transaction; that Howe would not have made the deal which was made had he known that the farm could have been sold for $14,-000. The- gist , of Davis’ testimony is in line with his answer, and to the general effect that he did not conceal facts or misrepresent the facts to the Howes.

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Bluebook (online)
1934 OK 8, 29 P.2d 761, 167 Okla. 454, 1934 Okla. LEXIS 566, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-howe-okla-1934.