Fidelity Casualty Co. of New York v. Raborn

173 So. 402, 234 Ala. 31, 1937 Ala. LEXIS 151
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedMarch 25, 1937
Docket1 Div. 958.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 173 So. 402 (Fidelity Casualty Co. of New York v. Raborn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity Casualty Co. of New York v. Raborn, 173 So. 402, 234 Ala. 31, 1937 Ala. LEXIS 151 (Ala. 1937).

Opinion

THOMAS, Justice.

The questions presented are by way of certiorari to the Court of Appeals.

The petition contains, among other ground now to be decided, the following:

“1. The Court of Appeals erred in holding that parol evidence is admissible to show that the bond introduced in evidence in this case is the one covered by the agreement of indemnity, although there is a substantial inconsistency between the bond introduced in evidence and the bond described in the agreement of indemnity.”
“4. The Court of Appeals erred in failing to hold that the defendant, William Raborn, was entitled to the affirmative charge.
“5. The Court of Appeals erred in holding that the demurrers to the complaint were properly overruled.
“6. The Court of Appeals erred in holding that the demurrers to all the pleas were properly sustained.”

The opinion of the Court of Appeals recites the following facts: “ * * * the plaintiff introduced in evidence its bond to the State of Alabama, as authorized by the Agricultural Code of the State, Acts 1927, guaranteeing the good faith of the Consolidated Warehouse as principal in said bond, dated the 28th day of November, 1932. This bond was properly approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture and recorded as required by law. The plaintiff then introduced, over the objection and exception of the defendant, a contract of indemnity executed the 28th day of November, 1932, by and between William Raborn, this defendant, and the Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York, this plaintiff. In said contract of indemnity there is no sufficient description of the bond of the Consolidated Warehouse secured by the plaintiff, but, as a part of said contract of indemnity, there appears this clause: ‘Whereas at the special instance and request of the Indemnitor and on the security of this agreement, the Company is or is to become surety for J. C. Campbell & W. G. McCowan D/B The Consolidated Warehouse of Mobile, Ala., on a certain bond running in favor of Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries —State of Alabama, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof.’ But no copy of any bond was physically attached to the contract of indemnity.” Thus the question of identity of the bond agreed to have been attached was open for parol proof on another trial. In this holding by the Court of Appeals, petitioner insists there was error.

The Court of Appeals cited in support of its holding Kyle v. Jordan, 196 Ala. 509, 511, 71 So. 417, 418, where it was said:

“There are contradictions, in express terms, between the recitals in the deed and *34 those in the separate writing, as • to both the parties to, and the consideration for, the deed. In the deed proper the grantee is described as M. Clonninger, and the consideration is stated to be $15 per acre, cash in hand paid; while in the separate writing the recital is that L. Clonninger is to pay $15 per acre. These are certainly contradictions in express terms. We are now of the opinion that there is no internal evidence of the identity and unity of the two writings as constituting a single transaction, sufficient to dispense with a reference in the deed to the separate writing. * * *
“We still adhere to the former holding of this court that the rule is not absolute that the several papers shall, on their face, indicate a reference to each other, and thát parol evidence may be admissible, in some cases, of contemporaneous facts, to show connection between the several writings; but to allow such proof, there must be some internal evidence of the identity and unity of the several writings as constituting a single transaction. This question was discussed, and the authorities were reviewed at some length, in Bryan’s Appeal, 77 Conn. 240, 58 A. 748, 68 L.R.A. 353, 107 Am.St. Rep. 34, 1 Ann.Cas. 393.”

This is the rule adhered to in this jurisdiction. Jones et al. v. Jones et al., 219 Ala. 62, 121 So. 78; Formby v. Williams, 203 Ala. 14, 81 So. 682.

In Butler Cotton Oil Co. v. Millican, 216 Ala. 472, 474, 113 So. 529, 530, touching the question and the value of the authority of Johnson v. Buck, 35 N.J.Law, 338, 10 Am. Rep. 243, Mr. Justice Sayre said:

“In the cited case [Johnson v. Buck, supra] plaintiff endeavored to remedy the defects in the memorandum made by recourse to the ‘conditions of sale.’ The court noted that, indeed, plaintiff’s right to sue was derived exclusively from that source, and said:
“ ‘The difficulty in the way of resorting to the conditions in aid of the plaintiffs’ case, lies in the fact that they cannot be •connected with the signed memorandum without violating established principles of evidence with respect to transactions within the statute. The conditions were read at the sale, and contain internal evidence that they were intended for the sale in question, but were not signed by the defendant, and are in no wise referred to in the memorandum in the salesbook to which his signature was affixed.’

“The court continued:

“ ‘The connection between the signed and the unsigned papers cannot be made by parol evidence that they were actually intended by the parties to be read together, or of facts and circumstances from which such intention may be inferred. The connection between them must appear by internal evidence derived from the signed memorandum’ (citing authorities).
“We have quoted thus at length from the New Jersey case because it contains a clear statement of the meaning and effect of the statute of frauds in a case very like the present. There is nothing new about this; it is as old as the statute. Browne, Statute of Frauds (5th Ed.) § 348. And this court has stated the doctrine in terms not easily misunderstood. Thus Stone, J., in Knox v. King, 36 Ala. 367, said:
“ ‘But, when the memorandum in writing is itself incomplete, it cannot derive, aid from another writing, unless the memorandum refer to the other writing. Oral evidence cannot be received to connect the two, or to supply the wanting link; for this would let in all the mischiefs which the statute of frauds and perjuries was' intended to prevent.’
“To the same effect are Adams v. McMillan, 7 Port. 73, Jenkins v. Harrison, 66 Ala. [345] 360, Thrasher v. Royster, 187 Ala. 350, 65 So. 796, Kyle v. Jordan, 196 Ala. [509] 512, 71 So. 417, and State v. Meaher, 213 Ala. 466, 105 So. 562. Other cases to the same effect might be cited from the reported decisions of this court. This principle is said (Kyle v. Jordan, supra) to have been relaxed in some cases, but we have found no evidence of its relaxation to the extent necessary to an approval of the sufficiency of the memoranda shown by the record in this case.”

See, also, Karter v. East et al., 220 Ala. 511, 125 So. 655.

We are of the opinion, and hold, that the Court of Appeals was correct in its conclusion on the recited facts, and, for the stated reasons, that parol testimony may be adduced on another trial to identify and connect the two writings in question. We are further of the opinion that the trial court, in the absence of such evidence connecting the same, was in error in giving the general affirmative charge in favor of the plaintiff.

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Borden v. Case
118 So. 2d 751 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1960)
Waters v. W. O. Wood Realty Co.
71 So. 2d 1 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1954)
Great American Indemnity Co. v. Horkan
57 S.E.2d 487 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1950)
Employers Ins. Co. of Alabama v. Diggs
175 So. 344 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1937)
Fidelity Casualty Co. of New York v. Raborn
173 So. 895 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1937)

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173 So. 402, 234 Ala. 31, 1937 Ala. LEXIS 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-casualty-co-of-new-york-v-raborn-ala-1937.