Halverson v. Lasell

157 N.W. 682, 33 N.D. 613, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 113
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 157 N.W. 682 (Halverson v. Lasell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Halverson v. Lasell, 157 N.W. 682, 33 N.D. 613, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 113 (N.D. 1916).

Opinion

Christianson, J.

In the year 1908, plaintiff entered into an arrangement with the defendant, whereby plaintiff was permitted to construct a dwelling house upon a plot of ground within the city of La Moure, owned by the defendant. Plaintiff thereafter constructed [616]*616the house aud occupied the same as a dwelling until in the fall of 1910, when he removed to Morton county in this state. Prior to plaintiff’s removal, some negotiations were had between him and one Mills for the sale of this house to Mills. A price was agreed upon, promissory notes were executed by Mills, and a bill of sale conveying title to the building was executed by the plaintiff. These papers, however, were not delivered, but were placed with the cashier of a bank at La Moure until such time as Mills furnished certain securities. The understanding at the time of the sale negotiations was that Mills should remove the house to another location as soon as he could. Mills failed to furnish the securities, and the papers were never delivered. On May 15, 1911, the defendant, Lasell, wrote plaintiff in part as follows: “Now Mills is unable to move the house he has no money, and can do nothing. I am already breaking upon this land, and will have to move the building myself, and shall move it upon a stone foundation upon my own property and retain it until the full satisfaction of all claims, unless I hear from you by return mail. The house is in my possession, I have the deed for it, and I am going to move it at once. I desire to hear from you, however, and get the matter straight so far as you are concerned if possible.”

Whereupon the plaintiff sent the keys to the house to Mills by mail, and also wrote Mills the following letter: “As Lasell wrote me telling me to move the building, I will write and ask you to move it as he has all ready ordered it moved, as I am coming back as soon as I can get away.”

After the receipt of this letter, Mills and Lasell had a conversation in which the moving of the house was discussed, and in which Mills informed Lasell that he did not have time to move the house if it had to be removed right away, and that he (Lasell) would either have to move it himself or get it done. During this conversation, Mills turned over to Lasell the letter which he had received from plaintiff, together with the keys to the house. Thereupon, in the latter part of May, 1911, defendant moved the house off his property and into the street adjacent thereto, where it remained until about May 30, 1912.

The proposed deal between plaintiff and Mills was never consummated, and some time in the latter part of September, 1911, the papers were destroyed and the deal terminated by mutual consent. Mills testi[617]*617fied that fie informed the defendant, Lasell, of this fact shortly thereafter. The defendant owned some lots in another part of the town site, and about May 30, 1912, he again moved the house and placed the same on these lots. He'took out one end of the house and added to it materially, constructed a full basement under it, and in general made it into a modern dwelling house, apparently permanently located on a fixed and substantial foundation. Defendant thereupon rented the house to a tenant, and continued to receive rent from the tenant up to the time of the trial. There is no contention that defendant had any authority from anyone to alter or remodel the building, nor is there any claim that he received any authority to move-the building the second time. In fact defendant rests his authority upon the permission received from Mills in May, 1911, and an alleged claim for leveling off and cleaning up the premises from whence the house was moved. Plaintiff instituted the present action for damages sustained by defendant’s acts. The same came on for trial before a jury, and resulted in a verdict in plaintiff’s favor. Judgment was entered pursuant to the verdict, and defendant has appealed from such judgment.

Plaintiff’s complaint, as amended upon the trial, alleged:

“I. That on the 7th day of June, 1911, the plaintiff was the owner and lawfully possessed of the following described property:

“One frame house eighteen (18) feet by twenty-four (24) feet in size and one and one-half (1J) stories high, which upon said date was situated upon lots twenty-one (21) and twenty-two (22) in block fourteen (14) of the eastside addition to the city of La Moure, county of La Moure, and state of North Dakota, and which was worth and of the value of $600.

“II. That on or about the 7th day of June, 1911, the defendant unlawfully took possession and moved away said house, moving it at that time upon one of the streets in the city of La Moure, and later and on or about the 30th day of May, 1912, said defendant moved said building upon his lots in block twenty-nine (29) of the original plat of the said city of La Moure, and converted said property to his own use to the damage of the plaintiff in the sum of $600.”

The defendant’s answer, aside from a general denial, consisted of certain counterclaims, which are not material on this appeal. No error is assigned upon rulings with respect to the sufficiency of the pleadings.

[618]*618(1) Appellant’s first assignment of error assails tbe court’s ruling “in denying tbe motion of defendant’s counsel, made at tbe close of plaintiff’s testimony, tbat tbe jury be directed to render its verdict against the plaintiff and in favor of tbe defendant.” Tbe record shows that after tbe denial of sucb motion defendant introduced considerable testimony in bis defense, and tbat plaintiff introduced further testimQny in rebuttal. Tbe record also shows tbat tbe motion was not renewed at tbe close of all tbe evidence. Hence, under numerous decisions of this court, tbe error, if any, in tbe denial of defendant’s motion for a directed verdict at tbe close of plaintiff’s case in chief, was waived. See Buchanan v. Occident Elevator Co. ante, 346, 157 N. W. 122, and authorities therein cited.

(2) Tbe next assignment of error is predicated upon alleged error in tbe court’s instructions to tbe jury. Tbe instructions assailed are as follows:

1. “I instruct you tbat conversion would be any unauthorized assumption and exercise of tbe right of ownership over tbe building in question by tbe defendant.”

2. “Tbe defendant is charged with taking tbe building and moving it to bis own property in another section of tbe city, and I instinct you tbat sucb talcing and moving by tbe defendant in law constitutes a conversion unless tbe moving and taking away were authorized by tbe plaintiff, or by a third party, either tbe rightful owner of the building, or one who claimed ownership under tbe plaintiff, and the plaintiff’s situation and conduct were sucb tbat defendant was led to believe sucb third person to be tbe owner.”

3. “Before you can find for tbe plaintiff on tbe question of conversion, you must be satisfied by a fair preponderance of tbe evidence tbat plaintiff was tbe rightful owner at tbe time of sucb conversion; and tbat defendant took and moved tbe said building without bis authority expressly given.”

4. “Tbe source of claim of ownership by Mills cannot avail tbe defendant unless made under circumstances known and assented to by plaintiff. Tbe plaintiff must have done something or omitted to have done something which caused tbe defendant to, in good faith, purchase said building from Mills, believing it to be tbe property of said Mills, and convert tbe same to bis own use, if you find tbat be did purchase it.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 N.W. 682, 33 N.D. 613, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/halverson-v-lasell-nd-1916.