Herrold v. Hartley

24 P.2d 338, 144 Or. 368, 1933 Ore. LEXIS 82
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 6, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 24 P.2d 338 (Herrold v. Hartley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Herrold v. Hartley, 24 P.2d 338, 144 Or. 368, 1933 Ore. LEXIS 82 (Or. 1933).

Opinion

BAILEY, J.

This suit was instituted by the plaintiff, L. O. Herrold, against the defendant, C. A. Hartley, to require the defendant to give an accounting to plaintiff of the paving and sand and gravel businesses conducted by him and the defendant at Medford, Oregon, under the supervision of defendant, since August, 1928, and for a decree that plaintiff is the owner of the plants and equipment used in connection with said paving and sand and gravel businesses. The defendant Hartley filed an answer putting in issue many of the allegations of the complaint, asserting ownership of the sand and gravel plant and equipment in himself, consenting to and agreeing with plaintiff that there should be an accounting of the Medford transactions, and requesting an accounting from the plaintiff in relation to the business conducted by the plaintiff and the defendant at Oregon City during the three years immediately prior to the commencement of their operations at Medford. From a decree declaring plaintiff to be the owner, and entitled to the immediate possession, of the paving and sand and gravel plants and equipment at Medford, and requiring defendant to file a statement relative to his operation of the sand and gravel plant at Medford subsequent to March 30, 1931, the defendant prosecutes this appeal.

*370 In 1924 the plaintiff and the defendant discussed procuring contracts for, and engaging in, the grading and paving business. Prior to that time, and since 1911, the plaintiff, located at Salem, had been engaged in grading and paving work in the state of Oregon. The defendant lived at Silverton, where he had at one time been city engineer. Since 1901 he had been a civil engineer and more or less connected with paving and grading work. After discussing the possibility of obtaining road work, the defendant in 1924 made trips to southern Oregon and to California in the hope of procuring paving contracts, but was unsuccessful. His expenses in connection with those trips were borne equally by himself and the plaintiff.

In 1925 the defendant learned of street paving to be done at Oregon City and, to a large extent through his efforts, grading and street paving contracts were obtained there, taken in the name of plaintiff. At that time the plaintiff had a plant at Silverton, which was not suitable for the Oregon City work, and in order to secure the contracts at Oregon City the plaintiff agreed to construct a new paving plant there, which he did at an expense of between $7,000 and $8,000.

Work under the first contract was started at Oregon City in June or July of 1925, and completed during the calendar year. After the plaintiff had reimbursed himself for the amount expended in constructing the new plant there remained a profit estimated at $8,760.52.

The defendant was superintendent or foreman of the street .grading and paving, and one Hutchison, who had been employed by the plaintiff, for a number of years, was in charge of the plant. Each was paid $200 per month and the defendant in addition was al *371 lowed a drawing account for Ms automobile expenses. During the winter months of 1925-26 no paving work was done, but the defendant employed his time in obtaining new grading and paving contracts at Oregon City and interviewing property owners as to the kind of pavement desired. He continued to receive $200 a month and automobile expenses.

Further grading and paving work was done at Oregon City during the year 1926 under much the same circumstances as during the previous year, and a net profit of $23,677.31 was realized. The same procedure was followed during the next two years, up to about the middle of 1928, with a net profit of $22,936.83 for 1927 and $14,808.86 for 1928. TMs, in addition to a plant paid for out of earnings, made a total profit of $70,185.52 for the Oregon City operations.

While work was being done at Oregon City the banking transactions connected therewith were conducted through an Oregon City bank in the name of L. 0. Herrold and Epsie E. Herrold, his wife. Warrants for the work, received by the defendant in most instances, were deposited in the joint account of plaintiff and plaintiff’s wife. Checks on that account were drawn in the name of the Herrolds and signed by defendant as superintendent.

In the latter part of 1926 or early in 1927 Hutchison ceased to be employed in the Oregon City work, and Hartley thereafter had charge of both the paving plant and the street work. During the entire period at Oregon City he was also bookkeeper and cashier with relation to said operations. At the end of each season Ms books were delivered to plaintiff and were audited by plaintiff’s wife, who was an experienced bookkeeper, and the result of her audit was submitted to the defendant.

*372 On January 13,1927, at the suggestion of plaintiff, the defendant drew a cheek for $1,500 payable to himself, which was entered by the defendant in the ledger as follows: “By instruction L. O. H. Bonus — good will”. At the same time, under instruction of plaintiff, a check was drawn in favor of Hutchison for the sum of $600. The amount of this check together with advances made to Hutchison equaled $1,500, and the total was entered by defendant in language identical with that concerning the $1,500 received by himself.

On February 27, 1928, a check in the sum of $500 was drawn by defendant, payable to himself, and the following entry was made: “C. A. Hartley, account interest in the business”. The checks of $1,500 and $500 were in addition to the $2,400 paid annually, mostly in $100 checks semi-monthly, to the defendant during the entire period of operating at Oregon City, and in addition to automobile expenses.

From time to time the plaintiff drew and used apparently for his own purposes large sums of money from the joint account of himself and his wife in the Oregon City bank.

In the summer of 1928 a contract was taken in the name of plaintiff at Medford, for the grading and paving of streets. This contract was obtained largely through the efforts of Hartley. Plaintiff and the defendant were unsuccessful in buying sand and gravel at what they considered a reasonable price, and they concluded to operate their own sand and gravel plant for the Medford work. A lease was taken, apparently first in the name of plaintiff and the defendant and a few days later in the name of Hartley alone, on a sand and gravel pit.

*373 The paving plant at Oregon City was not suitable for the Medford work. An abandoned paving plant, owned by Clackamas county, was purchased; the two plants were dismantled and parts thereof were shipped to Medford and there installed. Material for a sand and gravel plant at Medford was purchased and such plant was there erected. Funds for meeting the cost of material used, the erection of these plants and the purchase of equipment were advanced by plaintiff.

According to the testimony of the accountant and auditor, one of plaintiff’s witnesses, there was advanced by plaintiff in the Medford operations a total of $37,149.34, and there had been returned to him out of receipts $15,625.99, leaving a balance of $21,523.35 which had not been repaid to plaintiff.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 P.2d 338, 144 Or. 368, 1933 Ore. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/herrold-v-hartley-or-1933.