Graham v. Crisman

146 N.W. 756, 169 Iowa 91
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 11, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 146 N.W. 756 (Graham v. Crisman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graham v. Crisman, 146 N.W. 756, 169 Iowa 91 (iowa 1914).

Opinion

Evans, J.-

The defendants are G. W. Crisman and Roy Crisman, father and son. The plaintiff leased to them his farm of 320 acres by written lease for the year 1911 for an agreed rental expressed therein of $1,600. The defendants paid about $460 of such rent. Their plea of accord and satisfaction is based upon the claim that in August or September, 1911, because of the partial failure of crops, the plaintiff [93]*93proposed to reduce Ms claim for rent and to accept, in lieu of the stipulated rental, the proceeds of one-half of the crop and that they accepted such proposal and paid to the plaintiff such proceeds as agreed. This contention is denied in material respects by the plaintiff. He admits, however, that he did offer to accept $1,300 in full of the rent and that such amount was then estimated by him and the defendants as one-half of the proceeds of the crop. It is undisputed that such alleged offer was not accepted by the defendants. At the time of this alleged agreement the threshing of the small grain had occurred,' resulting in about 455 bushels of wheat, barley and oats. There was a large amount of valuable hay, which was later sold at some $12 to $15 per ton, and 120 acres of corn. The witnesses differ as to the yielding quality of the corn crop. Defendants admit, however, that they cut 40 acres of corn fodder, for which they were offered $10 per acre,, and that there were 900 bushels of husked corn worth sixty cents a bushel. The new oral contract relied on by the defendants is stated by each of them. Defendant Roy Crisman testified as follows:

“Graham said it was a bad year and he would have to do the best he could; to give him — to sell the small grain and give him half (%) the money and then he went on further to talk about the crops. Ho said he thought the best way to divide it was to sell it. He said he didn’t care to fool with it. Just to sell it and give him one-half (%) the money. He said he would cut the pasture half in two. The pasture land was $5 an acre. Pie said to go ahead and put the hay up and do with that like we did with the small grain. He did not say anything about the com, but he said later on, to feed it to the cattle.

CROSS-EXAMINATION.

“Mr. Graham and my father and I were all that were present at the granary when we had our talk about the rent. [94]*94I asked him if he would take half (%) the crop instead of cash. He said he thought that would be a fair way to settle it. I then said all right.”

G. W. Crisman testified as follows:

“Down by the granary he told us he would take one-half (%), that we should market it and divide the money. I said it is the only way to divide it — is to haul it to town and sell it and divide the money and each one take one-half of the share.. He said all right. We talked the matter all over. He told us he would take one-half the hay, also one-half the crops generally. This was the second time he was there.”

It appeared from the evidence of defendants that most of this corn and much of the hay was fed by the- defendants to mortgaged stock. They also testified that this course was consented to by the plaintiff, especially as to a certain bunch of 38 steers and that he was to receive one-half the margin to be realized from such stock over and above the mortgage. Such full margin later proved to be $171.00. This arrangement was said to have been made subsequently to the first oral contract of accord. It appeared also that there were about 300 bushels of corn left over and above the amount thus fed, from which the plaintiff realized nothing. The defendants divided this among themselves. This is explained by Roy Crisman in his evidence as follows:

“There was about 300 bushels of corn left and Graham told me to give Pa some of it to make a crop on — divide it with him and I did so.”

This arrangement was a still later modification of the alleged oral agreement.

The foregoing is perhaps a sufficient statement of the salient facts to enable our consideration of the errors assigned by appellant.

[95]*951. Appeal and error : Questions reviewable: failure to object. 1. The first error assigned by appellant relates to the admission of certain testimony of one of the defendants in rebuttal m explanation of a . certain conversation with him which had been testified to by a witness on behalf of plaintiff. We fail to find any record of any objection made by the plaintiff at any stage of the evidence. As to the evidence complained of in argument, the following is the record:

Mr. Cochran: “Hold on a minute! If you are going to try and make this rebuttal I am going to insist on having you confine it to — ”

The Court: “Oh, I suppose he has the right to give his version of the conversation.”

Mr. Cochran: “He hasn’t the right on examination in chief.”

The Court: “Oh, I think so.”

Mr. Cochran: “Give us an exception.”

It is needless to say that no question is raised or preserved uy such a record.

2. Accord and satisfaction: burden of Forma'nce61" 2. Upon the submission of the case, the plaintiff submitted to the court certain requested instructions which were refused. One of these purported to instruct the jury that the burden was on the defendant not only to prove the alleged oral contract to settle but that the defendants must prove also that they performed such contract of settlement by the delivery of the proceeds agreed on. The trial court gave no instruction to this effect. On the contrary, the necessity of proving “satisfaction” by the defendants was entirely ignored in the instructions and the case was submitted on the theory that if the contract was proved, it was a good defense regardless of performance. It is quite clear to us that the trial court erred at this point and that the case presented by defendants both by pleadings and evidence is one wherein the [96]*96general rule obtains and wherein both accord and satisfaction must be shown. The following excerpts from a few of our cases will indicate the general rule and the qualifications and exceptions thereto.

In Hall v. Smith, 10 Iowa 45, 48, it was said: “An accord and satisfaction arises, where there is another agreement between the parties, which is itself the satisfaction for the debt or former contract, or when such second agreement has been executed and performed. This is the statement of the general rule. The exceptions and modifications to it we need not at present notice. Where the new or second undertaking has been performed and this performance accepted, there will usually be but little if any difficulty in determining that the satisfaction is complete. In this case it is not claimed that there was any such performance, and the question is whether the new promise itself is to have the effect of satisfying the original claim or of taking away the remedy on the bond.

“Mr. Parsons says, that a promise without execution is no satisfaction unless by express agreement it had this effect. And again, it is said that the promisee may sue on the original cause of action, unless by the tenor or the legal effect of the new contract, the new promise is itself a satisfaction and an extinction of the old one. 2 Parsons on Cont. 194, 196, 199, note 5 Term R. 513; 13 M. & W. 63. ‘It’ says Redfield, J., in Babcock v. Hawkins, 23 Verm.

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146 N.W. 756, 169 Iowa 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-v-crisman-iowa-1914.