George Enger & Co. v. Lofland

100 Iowa 303
Supreme Court of Iowa·Decided December 11, 1896·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

Kinne, J.

1 I. As to the appeal of Joseph A. Jones: The court below found that Joseph Jones was not indebted to his son, Joseph A. Jones, at the time the note was executed by the father to the son, and that said note was fraudulent and void as against creditors heretofore mentioned. The appellants insist that this finding is not in accordance with the evidence. The senior Jones had for a great many years, and up to the time of his failure in 189B, been engaged in the business of manufacturing carriages in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Joseph A. Jones entered his father’s service in said business when about sixteen years of age, and continued to work in the business until shortly before his father’s failure. During all of these years, until 1891, Joseph A. Jones was a member of the family of his father, lodging and boarding with the family, and being clothed by his father.' It appears that the father, from time to time, gave the son money, and paid his bills, of which no account was kept. When the son was sixteen years of age, he began working in the father’s factory at the agreed price of seventy-five cents per day. That agreement, however, is not relied upon by the parties in this controversy. The son claims that, when he was twenty years of age, the father agreed to pay him thereafter one dollar per day and board. This arrangement, it is claimed, was made [308] January 1, 1878. The son also claims that on October 11, 1888, he had a settlement with his father, at which time there was found due the son, after allowing all proper credits, the sum of nine hundred dollars. He also claims that this balance due him was to be paid by transferring to him a one-third interest in the business after his father got out of debt. Another settlement is claimed to have been had on January 1, 1886, when the father executed a note to the son for one thousand one hundred and fifty-nine dollars and eighty-five cents, the balance then claimed by the son. A new agreement is claimed to have been entered into at that time as to the wages to be paid the son, and a further arrangement on January 1, 1887, which continued until August, 1892, when a settlement was had, and a note for two thousand five hundred dollars executed by the father to the son, which is the note in controversy in this action. The father denies all of these agreements and settlements testified to by the son, except he admits the execution of the two notes mentioned. Up to January 1, 1891, Joseph A. Jones kept his father’s books, which showed the details of the business, including the employes’ accounts and the amounts paid each of them as wages. During all of these years, from January, 1878, up to January, 1891, no account appears in the father’s books with the son, excepting a few items in the year 1880, aggregating about five dollars. After January 1, 1891, the father kept the books, and opened an account with the son, to whom he was then paying wages; and, as appears, from that time, until he ceased working for his father, he received in money more than his wages amounted to. The only account kept of the work claimed to have been done by Joseph A. Jones for his father prior to 1891, or of the money paid him, was entered in a small pass book by Joseph A. Jones himself; and we think it appears that it was never examined by the [309] father, and for a long time he had no knowledge that such a book was being kept by the son.

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George Enger & Co. v. Lofland, 100 Iowa 303 (iowa 1896).

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