Fineberg v. Clark

209 N.E.2d 528, 137 Ind. App. 528, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 617
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 11, 1965
Docket20,072
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 209 N.E.2d 528 (Fineberg v. Clark) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fineberg v. Clark, 209 N.E.2d 528, 137 Ind. App. 528, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 617 (Ind. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinions

Hunter, J.

This is an appeal from an action in replevin wherein appellant Fineberg sought to recover possession and immediate delivery of some Two Hundred Thousand (200,000) used brick from appellees Clark and Tiller; appellant also sought damages for the alleged wrongful detention thereof. Appellee Clark filed an answer and Tiller failed to appear and was defaulted. The cause was tried before the trial court. At the conclusion of appellant’s evidence, appellee moved the court for a finding with the appellant joining in such motion on his behalf. The court found on appellee’s motion and against appellant entering judgment in favor of appellee deci’éeing that the latter was entitled to the sum of Two Thousand ($2,000) Dollars as damages for Fineberg’s wrongful taking and withholding of Clark’s property.

We will consider the separate issues that have been raised by appellant’s assignment of error, which is that the trial court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial.

Fineberg, a builder, desired to purchase some used brick for his construction work. Clark, a wrecker, wished to sell the walls of brick from a certain complex of buildings which he was tearing down. As a result of their mutual desires, these parties entered into a contract of purchase. This contract, which is at [532]*532the root of this litigation was prepared by Fineberg; it is as follows:

“August 8,1962
“This contract is entered into August 8, 1962, between William Clark and Milton J. Fineberg.
“It is now agreed between , the parties hereto, that William Clark is now in the process of wrecking certain buildings located at 1801 English Ave. and securing therefrom, a quantity of used brick. It is now agreed as follows:
“1.) William Clark will load delivery trucks provided by Milton J. Fineberg, (with) One Million seventy thousand (1,000,070,000) (sic) used brick, more or less, from the buildings to be wrecked.
“2.) William Clark will cause no delay in loading of the trucks, and the scheduling of the trucks will be made between William Clark and Marshall Dishon, (or) a representative of Milton J. Fineberg.
“3.) That the total cost to be paid for this used brick shall be $8,000.00. This amount shall be payable in four installments. “The first installment shall be $2,000.00, upon execution of this contract, and the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged; “The second installment shall be an additional $2,000.00, provided one-half of the total number of brick shall have been delivered within 10 days of the date of this contract.
“The third instalímént shall be payable 10 days after the second installment. “The fourth installment shall be payable upon completion of the total brick being delivered.
“It is understood the brick to be delivered will come from (a) the interior walls of the main building and the inside foundation of the main building; (b) and the complete building, both interior and exterior of the power plant; (e) and the -4' foundation wall of an additional steel building.
“It is agreed that William Clark is fully covered against any loss, or injury or damage to property incurred while in the process of loading the trucks [533]*533and will save Milton J. Fineberg, harmless to any claim.
"Witness: /s/ (L. Marshall Dishon
/s/ (William Clark)
William Clark
.R.R. #1, Box No. 660
Mann Road,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tele UL 6-4777
"Witness: /s/ (George Tilly)
/s/ (Milton J. Fineberg)
Milton J. Fineberg
6465 East 56th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
“Dated: August 8,1962”

Fineberg, in his suit in replevin and affidavit for immediate possession, alleged that he was entitled to “200,000 (more or less) used, red, clay, rectangular brick”. He based this right of ownership and possession on the alleged fact that he had received only approximately 193,000 “good, whole brick”, and he had paid for approximately 535,000 of such brick in that he had tendered one-half of the total purchase price ($4,000) as enumerated in the contract. By various witnesses and documentary proof, appellant offered evidence on the allegations in his complaint which evidence attempted to sustain his theory of ownership of the property and Clark’s wrongful detention thereof. Appellant thus urges that he presented a prima facie case unrebutted by appellee and that the trial court was bound to find for him when both parties moved for a finding at the close of appellant’s evidence. In partial support of his argument, he cites Young, et al. v. Miller et al. (1896), 145 Ind. 652, 656, 44 N. E. 757, wherein the Supreme Court states that:

“A prima facie case, made by the plaintiff, must [534]*534always stand unless its force is broken by the defendant’s evidence; (.)”

Appellant, in his brief, then concludes that:

“If the plaintiff presents a prima facie case and it stands unrebutted, or “unbroken,” as the cases say, by any evidence in rebuttal or contradiction from the defendant, the court, as a matter of law, is bound to find for the plaintiff.” (Appellant’s brief, p. 61)

We must state that appellant’s conclusion is erroneous. A “prima facie case” has been defined as

“A case which, has proceeded upon sufficient proof to that stage where it will support (a) finding if evidence to (the) contrary is disregarded Black’s Law Dictionary (our emphasis)

There is no rule of law to the effect that the “evidence to the contrary” to the prima facie case, must proceed from the ¡defendant’s evidence, forcing a trial court to find only for a plaintiff once such plaintiff has presented proof on each material allegation. Appellant, in setting out the above statement from Young et al. v. Miller et al., supra, An his brief, failed to quote the complete statement as found on pp. 656-657. In further explaining the effect of a prima facie case made by the plaintiff, the Supreme Court said:

“ . . . but the defendant is never required, under the general denial, to negative the truth of the plaintiff’s prima facie case by a preponderance of the evidence. If, upon the whole evidence, the plaintiff does not have a preponderance, the defendant must recover. If the scales are equally balanced the plaintiff must fail. It is perfectly clear, therefore, that to break the force of a prima facie case it is not necessary that the contrary shall be established by a preponderance of the evidence, but that it is sufficient if, from the evidence [535]*535pro and con, the plaintiff cannot be said to have. a preponderance upon his side of the issue.”

In the instant case, both defendant-appellee and plaintiff-appellant moved for a finding at the close of plaintiff’s evidence.

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Fineberg v. Clark
209 N.E.2d 528 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
209 N.E.2d 528, 137 Ind. App. 528, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 617, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fineberg-v-clark-indctapp-1965.