George v. Wm. C. Johnson Candy Co.

19 Ohio App. 137, 2 Ohio Law. Abs. 410, 1924 Ohio App. LEXIS 105
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 14, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 19 Ohio App. 137 (George v. Wm. C. Johnson Candy Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
George v. Wm. C. Johnson Candy Co., 19 Ohio App. 137, 2 Ohio Law. Abs. 410, 1924 Ohio App. LEXIS 105 (Ohio Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

Washburn, J.

This is the third time that this case has been before this court. The evidence as to important facts being documentary, such evidence was, of course, the same upon all three trials, and the oral evidence given upon the three trials was the same as to material and controlling' facts. The action was to recover for what was denominated merchandise, which the Johnson Candy Company, defendant in error, had sold to Louis George, plaintiff in error, and the defense was that the merchandise sued for consisted of gaming and gambling devices, known as “punch board assortments,” which were sold for gaming and gambling purposes.

Upon the first trial, at the close of the evidence-, the company asked the court to direct the jury to return a verdict in its favor for the full amount claimed, which was done, and that judgment was reversed by this court because the evidence did not warrant any such judgment. (16 Ohio App., 487.) In that opinion we reviewed and set forth the documentary evidence which led us to the conclusion, which we plainly indicated, that the so-called merchandise was gaming or gambling devices, which were purchased for gambling purposes, the Johnson Company lino wing of such illegal design and aiding or participating therein, or, at least, that the sale was so connected with such illegal or immoral purpose as to be inseparable from it, and that therefore the claim made by George was a valid defense to the action.

[139]*139Upon the second trial, at the close of all of the evidence, each party moved for a directed verdict in his favor, but before the motions were passed upon the motion by George was withdrawn and the case was submitted to a jury, which found a verdict in favor of the Candy Company for a part .of the amount claimed.

That judgment was reversed by this court .as being manifestly against the weight of the evidence (18 Ohio App., 114), the record showing that the motion by George for a judgment in his favor was withdrawn and the same was not passed upon by the court. In that situation we were not asked by George to render final judgment in his favor, although with our view of the law and facts we should perhaps have rendered such judgment.

The case was again tried (being the proceedings now under review), and, at the close of all the evidence, George asked the court to arrest the testimony from the jury and direct a verdict in his favor, for the claimed reason that the evidence dis,r closed an illegal transaction for which the Johnson Company had no right to recover. Immediately thereafter the Johnson Company asked the court to direct a verdict for it, “on the ground that on the testimony there is no material dispute on the facts in the case and that the testimony shows no defense.” And what afterwards transpired is disclosed in the record as follows: “Thereupon, the court gave an oral opinion on the legal questions involved in said motions, and near the end of said oral opinion and when the court was about to pass wpon the motions, counsel for defendant (George) requested the court to pass upon his motion, that [140]*140he desired to make a further request of the court, and the court thereupon stated that counsel might have any exceptions which he desired,” and then proceeded to dispose of the motions "by overruling the motion of George and granting the motion of the Johnson Company. Immediately thereafter counsel for George “requested the court to charge the jury the twelve written requests, which the defendant has handed to the court,” which request was refused, and the court directed the jury to sign a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Proper exceptions were saved.

"We regard it as settled in Ohio that where each party asks for a directed verdict in his favor, and nothing further is said or done by them, a presumption arises that they intend to waive the right to a submission to a jury, and consent that the court shall decide the question of law and fact involved, but that such a presumption does not arise where the party whose request is denied thereupon asks to go to the jury upon the questions of fact. Bank v. Hayes & Sons, 64 Ohio St., 100; Perkins v. Board of County Commrs., 88 Ohio St., 495; Head v. Harshman, 103 Ohio St., 12.

Such being the settled law, if one of the parties indicates to the court his desire to avail himself of his right to have the questions of fact submitted to the jury, if his motion is denied, it is the duty of the trial court in passing upon motions so made to give to such party an opportunity to exercise the right which he has to make such request.

In this case it is apparent from the record, which we have quoted, that counsel for George desired to make such request, and that he indicated such de[141]*141sire to the court when he interrupted the court “when the court was about to pass upon the motions” and stated to the court that “he desired to make a further request of the court.” The court did not give counsel an opportunity to state such request, but said to counsel that he might have “any exceptions which he desired,” and immediately passed upon both motions.

Before the court directed the jury to sign the verdict, counsel asked the court to charge the jury as he had requested, and the court refused to do so.

We are clearly of the opinion that under the circumstances there was no presumption that counsel for George intended to waive his right to a submission to the jury, nor to consent that the court should decide the questions of law and fact involved, and that therefore it was error for the court to direct a verdict for the plaintiff on the theory that George had waived a jury trial, if the' record at that time presented a jury issue.

But counsel for George insist that before such error was made the court committed error in overruling their motion for a directed verdict in George’s favor; that the controlling questions of fact were not in dispute and that they not only justified but required the court to grant their motion, and that therefore the judgment is contrary to law; and we are urged to reverse the judgment on that ground and to render the judgment in favor of George which it is claimed the trial court should have rendered on the motion of George for a judgment in his favor.

What we have said in reference to the error of [142]*142the court in not giving George an opportunity to have his case submitted to the jury notwithstanding his request for a directed verdict in his favor is, of course, based upon the theory that the record presented a jury issue; such claim made after the court had overruled George’s motion for judgment was not inconsistent with his motion made for a judgment, for the reason that if the controlling facts were undisputed, and under such controlling facts he was entitled to a judgment, his motion should have been granted without the court having to pass upon the facts as a jury, and he ipay now urge upon this court that the controlling facts were undisputed, entitling him to the judgment in his favor which the court below should have entered.

The trial court should not have entered a judgment in favor of George unless the evidence as to the essential and' controlling facts which would give him a right to such judgment is undisputed in the record.

This is the first time we have been asked by George to render final judgment in his favor.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
19 Ohio App. 137, 2 Ohio Law. Abs. 410, 1924 Ohio App. LEXIS 105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/george-v-wm-c-johnson-candy-co-ohioctapp-1924.