Gorman v. Madden

131 N.W. 290, 27 S.D. 319, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 39
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 28, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 131 N.W. 290 (Gorman v. Madden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gorman v. Madden, 131 N.W. 290, 27 S.D. 319, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 39 (S.D. 1911).

Opinions

WHITING, J.

This action was brought by the plaintiff to procure an accounting of partnership affairs in a partnership alleged to have been existing between plaintiff and the defendants. In his complaint ithe plaintiff alleged the creation of the partnership under the name of Madden & Gorman; that it had done business for some time; that it had certain assets, part of which were in the possession of the defendants; that there were further assets, the nature of which were to plaintiff unknown; and the wrongful overdrawing of moneys by the defendants from the bank through which the partnership did its business. An accounting was sought, and decree asked adjudging that the plaintiff have a lien against the partnership assets for the amount found due him on such accounting, and a personal judgment for any deficiency remaining. Prior to the trial, that part of the complaint setting forth the overdrawing of moneys from ‘ the bank was stricken out on the motion of the defendants, thus leaving the questions relating -to such wrongful withdrawals of funds, if .any there were upon the part of the defendants, to be determined under the general prayer for the accounting. The defendants, answering, admitted the partnership; and, by way of counterclaim, alleged, among other things, the following: “That during the course of said partnership (and prior to on or about November 5, 1906), * * * the said plaintiff engaged in a business contrary to the provisions of this said partnership, and bought and sold live stock as such partner, from which business the said plaintiff received a large profit, the exact amount of which is unknown to the defendants ; * * * that the plaintiff has made no accounting of the same to the defendants, although due demand has been made .itherefor.” And the defendants asked for an accounting which should include this matter above referred to. The cause was tried before a referee, who reported findings of fact and conclusions of law in favor of the plaintiff, which findings and conclusions were adopted by the trial court, and, motion for new trial having been [322]*322denied, the defendants have appealed to this court from the judgment which had been entered upon such findings and conclusions, and from the motion denying a new trial.

It appears that, in the year 1902, the parties to this action entered into a partnership agreement, 'Under and by virtue of which the plaintiff was to furnish for the use of the partnership $1,090, or such further sum as he might add thereto' from time to time, and that, against the use of this money, the defendants were to put in their time and labor, and the profits and losses were to be shared equally. This partnership was created for the purpose of engaging in the business of buying and selling live stock; the chief place of business being at Castlewood, in this state. This business was carried on until the summer of 1906, during which time the partnership had cleared profits each year prior to said year 1906, and had, prior to such year, invested some of its assets in real estate. The year ending in June, 1906, had been unprofitable, and it appears that in June, when the partnership made its yearly settlement, in order to properly segregate the business of the preceding year from that to follow, the firm opened up a second and separate account at the bank. It clearly appears from -the evidence that the business of this firm, so far as the shipping and selling of live stock was concerned, was carried on in the following manner: Upon a sale of live stock to a purchaser in the Eastern market, the money therefrom would be deposited in the bank that was the Eastern correspondent for the Castlewood bank with which defendants did business. This Eastern bank would credit the Castlewood bank, and, upon receiving the report thereof, the Castlewood bank would credit the partnership. It appears that, at the time this second account was started, it was the understanding that the old account at the bank was to be balanced up from returns received .from the business of the preceding year, which had not yet been entirely closed. It was the evident purpose to keep the prior year’s business separate from the business to follow. It appears that, from the business of the preceding year, there was eventually left in the bank a surplus of $202.92, which surplus was then carried into the new account and credited to said firm.

[323]*323It is undisputed that the plaintiff advanced for the use of the firm, from time to time, large sums of money, and that the sum of $T,o0o has never been repaid to him; and there can be no question but that, under the partnership agreement, the plaintiff, upon dissolution of the partnership, was entitled to be reimbursed for the same out of the partnership assets. Commencing in August, 1906, the plaintiff was away from his home and engaged 5n the stock business with headquarters at Ft. Pierre, S. D., and, during his absence, the defendants drew a large amount of money from -the Castlewood bank upon partnership checks resulting in'a very large overdraft of the partnership account. No satisfactory explanation of the reasons for drawing such money appears. It is evident that few purchases were made by the defendants on behalf of such partnership after about the 1st of August, although it is shown that the money drawn from the bank by said defendants was used largely in the purchase of live stock, which defendants converted to their individual uses. The only attempt at justification of their conduct by the defendants was their claim that they believed plaintiff to be making large profits in his business at Ft. Pierre, and that they were entitled to share in the same; they evidently taking this method of playing even with the plaintiff. There is no pretense upon -the part of the defendants that after the rst of August, 1906, and until the time of bringing this action, they lost any money in partnership ventures, and, upon the other hand, there is nothing to show any profits made by them from the stock purchased with money drawn from the partnership account in which profits plaintiff would be entitled to share; but it does appear that, as a result of their wrongful drawing of money from said bank, there was created an overdraft at said bank in the 'sum of $2,382.72, which said overdraft was paid by the plaintiff on November 23, 1906.

It will thus be seen, from what has been «stated above, that, disregarding any claims the defendants might have against the plaintiff growing out of the business at Ft. Pierre, the plaintiff would be legally entitled to recover from the defendants upon an accounting as follows:

[324]*324[1] First. He would be entitled to withdraw from the assets of the partnership, if such assets had consisted of cash, the sum of $1,000 to reimburse himself for the cash advanced for the business, and, there being no cash assets, he would be entitled, as' against the defendants, upon sale of the partnership assets, to be paid therefrom the sum of $1,000.

[2] Second. So far as the sum of $202.92 was concerned, which sum went into the so-called “new account,” it was partnership funds in which the defendants had a two-thirds interest. This $202.92 having been afterwards misappropriated by the defendants, the plaintiff was entitled to recover, either from the defendants' share of the partnership assets remaining after the payment of the $1,000, or else from the defendants personally the one-third of said $202.92 or $67.64.

[3] Third.

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Bluebook (online)
131 N.W. 290, 27 S.D. 319, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gorman-v-madden-sd-1911.