Haight v. Haight

90 P. 197, 151 Cal. 90, 1907 Cal. LEXIS 396
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedApril 11, 1907
DocketSac. No. 1467.
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 90 P. 197 (Haight v. Haight) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haight v. Haight, 90 P. 197, 151 Cal. 90, 1907 Cal. LEXIS 396 (Cal. 1907).

Opinion

ANGELLOTTI, J.

This is an action for an accounting of the affairs of an alleged partnership existing between plaintiff’s intestate and defendant.

The allegations of the complaint were substantially as follows: The deceased and defendant were at the time of the death of the deceased, January 2, 1902, partners in the business of farming and stockraising, and had been such for thirty years next preceding such death. Defendant kept the partnership accounts and handled the partnership funds. They acquired as such partners both real and personal property, the legal title thereto standing, however, in the name of either one or the other of the partners for long periods of time, until, finally, by deeds dated February 15, 1901, and March 23, 1901, deceased, for the better management and control of the partnership affairs, conveyed to defendant the legal title of all his undivided one half of certain of the real property. On October 14, 1901, he conveyed to defendant his undivided one half of some.eight hundred and forty-eight acres of land, upon the representation of defendant that it was necessary for him to have such title in order to make suitable arrangements to pay the indebtedness of the firm. No settlement of the partnership affairs was ever had, and at the time of the death of deceased all the land described in the complaint was in the name of defendant on the records, and this, with certain personal property, also described in the complaint; constituted the property of such partnership. The claim of defendant, as asserted by his answer, was, substantially, that while there had been a partnership, it had *92 been finally dissolved by mutual agreement on October 14, 1901, at which time there had been a full settlement between the partners, and a delivery to each of the property belonging to him; that the property conveyed to defendant by the deeds of February 15, 1901,, and March 23, 1901, was conveyed in exchange for certain real' estate conveyed to deceased by defendant, and that the deed of October 14, 1901, was made in the settlement of the partnership affairs and upon a consideration; that all of the real and personal property described in the complaint was at the time of the death of deceased his own property. The findings and decree were in favor of plaintiff upon these matters. The decree adjudges the partnership to be the owner of all said property and the plaintiff as the representative of the deceased to be entitled to a full accounting from defendant, and requires defendant to so account, and further directs that he render and file within thirty days an itemized statement of the partnership transactions, and that upon the final settlement thereof the balance remaining on hand shall be divided equally between plaintiff and defendant.

Defendant has appealed from the judgment upon the judgment-roll alone.

The trial court called in an advisory jury and submitted to it certain issues of fact for determination, the questions submitted to the jury numbering twenty-five. The court adopted as its own the findings of the jury upon the questions submitted, making also certain additional findings of its own.

It is contended that the findings are inconsistent in several particulars. In considering this claim, we must continually bear in mind the well-settled rule that the findings are to be liberally construed in support of a judgment; that all of the findings are to be read and considered together, and, if possible, are to be reconciled so as to prevent any conflict on-material points; and that unless the conflict is clear and the findings incapable of being harmoniously construed, a judgment will not be reversed on the ground of a conflict in the findings. (See Ames v. City of San Diego, 101 Cal. 390, 395, [35 Pac. 1005] ; Murray v. Tulare Irr. Co., 120 Cal. 311, 315, [49 Pac. 563, 52 Pac. 586] ; People’s Home Sav. Bank v. Rickard, 139 Cal. 285, 291, [73 Pac. 858] ; Mitchell v. Hutchinson, 142 Cal. *93 404, 409, [76 Pac. 55] ; Heaton v. Arper, 145 Cal. 282, 285, [78 Pac. 721].)

The jury explicitly found, in response to four questions, that the only settlement between the partners was on October 14, 1901, and that such settlement was only a partial settlement, and covered only a portion of the personal property, and that at this settlement the personal property affected thereby was divided between the partners, and the respective portions assigned to the partners delivered to them. In answer to the final question submitted to it, which was, substantially, If you find that there was a settlement of partnership affairs, and a division of the partnership, was Cornelius Haight at such time afflicted with weakness of mind, etc.? the jury answered: “We find there was no settlement.” It is urged that this answer is inconsistent with the others before noted. It is clearly apparent, taking all the findings together, that the last question and answer had reference solely to the full and complete settlement alleged in the answer, and under these circumstances there is no inconsistency whatever.

In answer to certain other questions, the jury found that the real property conveyed to defendant by the deeds of February 15, 1901, and March 23, 1901, was so conveyed for the purpose of enabling defendant to manage the affairs of the partnership and to be used as partnership property, and that it was not conveyed to him for his sole use or benefit, or in exchange for real estate conveyed to Cornelius by defendant, and that the property conveyed by the deed of October 14, 1901, was intended to be used as partnership property at all times until a final settlement should be had. It further explicitly found that, at the time of death of Cornelius, all of the property described in the complaint, both real and personal, was owned by the partnership. In answer to certain other questions asked as to whether Cornelius received any consideration, or any consideration proportionate to its value, for any of the property so conveyed to defendant, the jury answered, “No adequate consideration,” “No,” and the consideration, if any, “was grossly disproportionate to its real value.” It is urged that this presents a material conflict. It is apparent that the latter questions and answers were material only in the event that it was found that the allegations of the complaint as to the property being transferred to defendant solely as part *94 nership property for partnership purposes were not sustained. As suggested by learned counsel for defendant, if those allegations were true, there was no room for any question as to consideration. The findings upon the questions as to the purposes and objects of the conveyances are clear and explicit in support of the allegations of the complaint, and fully cover the issues in that behalf. There is nothing in the other findings referred to that necessarily conflicts with these findings. There is no finding in terms of any consideration moving from defendant to Cornelius for any of these conveyances, and such a conclusion is not necessarily infer-able from the findings made.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Hecker
179 Cal. App. 2d 823 (California Court of Appeal, 1960)
Harper v. Markarian
281 P.2d 305 (California Court of Appeal, 1955)
McKeon v. Giusto
280 P.2d 782 (California Supreme Court, 1955)
Good v. Lindstrom
181 P.2d 933 (California Court of Appeal, 1947)
Mardesich v. C. J. Hendry Co.
125 P.2d 595 (California Court of Appeal, 1942)
Boens v. Bennett
67 P.2d 715 (California Court of Appeal, 1937)
Hales v. Snowden
65 P.2d 847 (California Court of Appeal, 1937)
Hartford v. Pacific Motor Trucking Co.
60 P.2d 476 (California Court of Appeal, 1936)
Arundel v. Turk
60 P.2d 486 (California Court of Appeal, 1936)
Marion Machine, Foundry & Supply Co. v. Gould
57 P.2d 275 (California Court of Appeal, 1936)
Lufkin v. Patten-Blinn Lumber Co.
59 P.2d 414 (California Court of Appeal, 1936)
Lacey v. McConnell
48 P.2d 161 (California Court of Appeal, 1935)
Boland v. Gosser
43 P.2d 559 (California Court of Appeal, 1935)
Vila v. Brovelli
39 P.2d 855 (California Court of Appeal, 1935)
Georgia Casualty Co. v. Lindauer Corp.
12 P.2d 107 (California Court of Appeal, 1932)
Los Angeles Soap Co. v. Bossen
9 P.2d 900 (California Court of Appeal, 1932)
McAlvay v. Consumers' Salt Co.
297 P. 135 (California Court of Appeal, 1931)
Taylor v. King
282 P. 1017 (California Court of Appeal, 1929)
Crandall v. Schnouser
279 P. 778 (California Supreme Court, 1929)
Northwestern Pacific Railroad v. Currie
279 P. 1057 (California Court of Appeal, 1929)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 P. 197, 151 Cal. 90, 1907 Cal. LEXIS 396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haight-v-haight-cal-1907.