Hoeffler v. Carew

116 N.W. 241, 135 Wis. 605, 1908 Wisc. LEXIS 171
Wisconsin Supreme Court·Decided May 8, 1908·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Dodge, J.

1. The first assignment of error is upon the court’s refusal to direct a verdict for the defendants, the-motion being predicated upon two- contentions: First, that no delivery was shown sufficient to pass title from Lap-ine to plaintiff inter sese; second, that there was no- proof of an [609] “immediate delivery followed by an actual and continued change of possession,” absence of which, by sec. 2310, Stats. (1898), aroused a presumption of fraud in such transfer.

With reference to the first position, it is very fully established that the actual transition of title from one to another in pursuance of a contract of sale is almost entirely a matter of intention. Very slight acts of either surrender of possession by the seller or acquirement of dominion by the purchaser are often sufficient to evince such intention. Indeed the intention may exist and have effect in the absence of any change of possession whatever. Sewell v. Eaton, 6 Wis. 490; Abraham v. Karger, 100 Wis. 387, 76 N. W. 330; Fromme v. O'Donnell, 124 Wis. 629, 632, 103 N. W. 3; Seivert v. Galvin, 133 Wis. 391, 113 N. W. 680; Taylor v. Tigerton L. Co. 134 Wis. 24, 114 N. W. 122; Warshawsky v. Rosengarten, 134 Wis. 288, 114 N. W. 497. There is certainly enough in the evidence to warrant an inference of intent that title should pass from Rapine to the plaintiff upon receipt of the letter of Jidy 16th, which, as appears by the quotation in the preceding statement of facts, was final in terms, and signified an understanding that upon its delivery the transfer should be complete and the indebtedness held by the plaintiff against Rapine should thereupon be canceled. Even if that intention were not so clear as to' warrant the court in deciding it as a matter of law, it was at least sufficiently inferable to warrant the submission of the question to the jury.

The second contention, that there was no evidence of any such delivery and change of possession as is demanded by sec. 2310, would not of itself justify the court in directing a verdict for the defendants, for the question would still be open, either for the court or the jury, whether the presumption of fraud had heen overcome by other evidence. Taylor v. Tigerton L. Co., supra; Bullis v. Borden, 21 Wis. 136.

2. The second assignment of error is that the court erred [610] in overruling defendants’ motion for a new trial. This is very inadequate compliance with our Rule 10 that “the brief of the appellant shall contain a concise statement of . . . the errors relied upon,” for under this general assignment the appellants discuss ten specific acts of the trial court, each of which they assert constituted an error. These acts consist of several adverse rulings upon the admission of evidence and several in exclusion of evidence, wholly unrelated to each other. Others are instructions given and the refusal of instructions requested. If counsel refrain from pointing out by proper assignments the specific errors upon which they rely, they must anticipate that the court may decline to consider them. However, in the present case we have examined such errors in detail and will proceed to state our conclusions thereon.

(a) A letter was admitted in evidence which appellants contend was not sufficiently identified. The question prima facie of identification was for the court. There were present other letters and signatures of the author, the authenticity of which was conceded, and which by comparison at least constituted some evidence from which the court could conclude as to the genuineness of the objected writing. His conclusion is not so clearly wrong that we can hold it error under the rule of Hupfer v. Nat. Dist. Co. 119 Wis. 417, 427, 96 N. W. 809.

(b) Objection was made to the use of a printed blanlc form to establish the contents of the chattel mortgage which plaintiff held. There was plenary proof of the loss of plaintiff’s mortgage to open the door for secondary evidence as to its contents, and there was no impropriety in the use of a form testified to be identical with that upon which the lost mortgage was written to supply the fact as to the printed portion of the contents of the lost instrument.

(c) Explanation by the plaintiff of his reasons for not recording his mortgage was admissible by reason of their [611] bearing upon bis actual intent to defraud creditors of La-pine.

(d) We can discover no materiality in the fact that one Groesbeck pointed out this instrument to the sheriff upon an inquiry for Lapine’s piano. Groesbeck is not shown to have had any contact or relations with Lapine or the plaintiff, and no declaration of his could be competent as against them.

(e) Bethke was not allowed to answer a question, “Had Lapine ever mentioned that the Hoeffler Manufacturing Company was the owner of the piano ?” This, if answered in the negative, would have been in direct contradiction of the evidence of Lapine offered by plaintiff to prove the surrender of the piano to Bethke to be held for the plaintiff. We can conceive no reason for excluding the testimony, but are unable to reach the conclusion that it was prejudicial in view of the fact that the same witness was allowed to testify fully to all that in fact transpired between himself and Lar pine and to answer in the negative the question whether Hoeffler s name was ever mentioned.

(f) Instructions given with reference to plaintiff’s rights as chattel mortgagee, even though erroneous, are rendered innocuous by the finding of the jury negativing any such rights.

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Hoeffler v. Carew, 116 N.W. 241, 135 Wis. 605, 1908 Wisc. LEXIS 171 (Wis. 1908).

116 N.W. 241 (Hoeffler v. Carew) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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