Farmers State Bank of Newkirk v. Hess

1929 OK 158, 280 P. 305, 138 Okla. 190, 66 A.L.R. 894, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 521
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 9, 1929
Docket18950
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1929 OK 158 (Farmers State Bank of Newkirk v. Hess) 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
Farmers State Bank of Newkirk v. Hess, 1929 OK 158, 280 P. 305, 138 Okla. 190, 66 A.L.R. 894, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 521 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

ANDREWS, J.

The i>laintiff in error, as plaintiff below, filed two certain suits to recover judgments on a number of promissory notes. In each case there was an attachment of Certain property consisting of crops in field. In each case the defendants in error filed interpleas claiming ownership of the property attached and praying that the attachment be dissolved as -to the property claimed by them and that said property be discharged from said attachment and for their costs. While the interpleas were undis-posed of plaintiff filed an application for the sale of the property as perishable property, and on an ex parte hearing without notice to interpleaders a sale was ordered.

The two cases were consolidated, tried together to a jury, and' the jury returned a verdict in favor of each of the interpleaders, fixing the amount of recovery of each. Judgment was rendered in favor of the inter-pleaders on the verdict, and after motion for new trial was overruled the cause was brought here for review on three propositions :

First. That the court erred in overruling .motion of plaintiff for new trial.

Second. That the court erred in admitting incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial evidence on the part of the defendants in error over the objection of the plaintiff in 'error.

Third. That the court .erred in giving instruction No. 4, relative to the measure of damage and the amount thereof.

In support of the first proposition plaintiff in error contends that th'ere was error in refusing to grant a new trial by reason of the error in the assessment of the amount of recovery, and that the verdict of the jury is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law.

The interpleaders offered evidence as to the value of the property. The plaintiff in error offered none, but contented itself with its theory 'that the interpleaders were not the owners of the property. The court is without authority to review that evidence further than to determine whether or not there is any competent evidence reasonably tending to support the verdicts of the jury. City of Pawhuska v. Button, 123 Okla. 61, 251 Pac. 1001.

The plaintiff in error neither demurred to the evidence of the. interpleaders nor asked for an instructed verdict.

*192 “Where plaintiff submits his case to the jury without demurring- to the evidence or asking an instructed Verdict, or otherwise legally attacking its sufficiency, the question whether there is any evidence reasonably tending to support the defense, is not presented for review by plaintiff’s motion for a new trial.” Myers v. Hubbard et al., 80 Okla. 97, 194 Pac. 433.

There is competent evidence tending to support the verdict of the jury, and its sufficiency not having been attacked, the verdicts must stand.

The plaintiff in error discusses its second and third propositions together, and claims error of law and that the verdicts of the jury are’contrary to law.

An examination of the evidence discloses that there was no evidence admitted over the objection of the plaintiff in error sufficient to warrant this court in reversing this cause. The only evidence over which there is any question is that with reference to the value of the property. The court permitted a witness to- testify as to the market price of this kind of grain on the date the property was taken under attachment on October 13, 1924, and the highest market price thereof from the date of the attachment to the 25th day of February, 1925.

The trial was had on the 7th day of May, 1927. That evidence could not have been with reference to the rule of damage fox-conversion of personal property. It was undoubtedly offered and admitted' under section 6009, C. O. S. 1921, which is as follows:

“In estimating damages, except as provided by the two following sections, the value of property to a buyer or owner thereof, deprived of its possession, is deemed to be the price at which he might have bought an equivalent thing, in the market nearest to the place where the property ought to have been put into his possession, and at such time after the breach of duty upon which his right to damages is founded as would suffice, with reasonable diligence, for him to make such a purchase”

—as construed in Barse Live Stock Co. v. McKinster et al., 10 Okla. 708, 64 Pac. 14.

‘‘In our Civil Code, under the article entitled ‘Replevin,’ it is provided, see. 4063, Stat. 1893:
“ ‘In an action to recover the possession of personal pi-operty, judgment for the plaintiff may be for the possession or for the recovery of possession, or for the value thereof, in case a delivery cannot be had, and of damages for the detention. If the property has been delivered to the plaintiff and the defendant claim the return thereof, judgment for the defendant may b'e for the return of the property or for the value thereof, in ease, a return cannot be had, and damages for the taking and withholding of same.’
“This section, of th'e statute .would in the case at bar entitle the defendants to a return of the property, or the value thereof in case a return cannot be had, and damages for the taking and withholding of same. In any case of replevin, where the. property cannot be returned, there are two distinct elements of damages recoverable: First, the value of the property, and, second, the damages for the taking and detention thereof. It is only the. first element of damages, viz., the value of the cattle, that is in controversy in this case. But it will be observed that the provision of the Civil Code quoted, supra, does not fix the time at which such value must be determined. Hence the inquiry is. to what time must the proof of value be directed and confined? This question is answered by section 2650, Stat. 1893, found under the title, ‘Measure of Damages,’ and which is as follows: “ ‘In estimating damag'es * * * the. value of pi-op-erty to a buyer or owner thereof, deprived of its possession, is deemed to be the price at which he might have bought an equivalent thing in the. market nearest to the place where the property ought to have been put into his possession, and at such time after the breach of duty upon which his right to damages is founded, as would suffice, with reasonable diligence, for him to make such purchase.’
“The application of this rule to the case under consideration is not difficult. The defendants were the owners of the calves; they were deprived of possession by the plaintiff, and wei-e so deprived at the time the cattle were taken under the writ cf replevin. The i-ight of the defendants to damages is founded upon this taking. The value of the animals to them and the value they are entitled to recover in this cause, is the price at which they might have bought other calves of the same age, kind and character, in the open market nearest to the place where the. calves were taken from them and at such time after th'e taking as would with reasonable diligence have enab’ed them to make such purchases.

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Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 158, 280 P. 305, 138 Okla. 190, 66 A.L.R. 894, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-state-bank-of-newkirk-v-hess-okla-1929.