Ivey Oil, Inc. v. Myers

361 S.W.2d 361, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 618
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 10, 1962
DocketNo. 8123
StatusPublished

This text of 361 S.W.2d 361 (Ivey Oil, Inc. v. Myers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ivey Oil, Inc. v. Myers, 361 S.W.2d 361, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 618 (Mo. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

McDowell, judge.

This appeal is from a judgment of the trial court of Camden County, Missouri, entered January 10, 1962, dissolving the attachment and awarding $100.00 to respondents on their counterclaim for electric current paid by them for the benefit of George Ivey d/b/a Ivey Oil, Inc.

The action was brought by appellant, a gasoline and oil distributor, against respondents, former service station lessees. The petition included an action on account for balance due on materials and merchandise purchased by respondents from George Ivey; on a note for opening inventory; re-plevin on chattel mortgage on motor vehicle given to secure the note and for two months rental on service station. Respondents set forth various items in their counterclaim for monies alleged to be due them by the appellant.

Appellant filed an affidavit in attachment January 26, 1961, the date of filing of the suit, and service was had thereon in Camden County. On January 10, 1962, the court rendered judgment in favor of appellant on the petition for a total sum of $5,001.26 and for respondents on their counterclaims in the sum of $2,150.46, leaving a net judgment due appellant of $2,-850.80, and dissolved the attachment. Respondents filed no notice of appeal. Appellant appealed only from that portion of the judgment finding the issues on the attachment in favor of respondents and in finding the issues on paragraph numbered 6 of respondents’ counterclaim to count I awarding them $100.00 thereon.

Appellant presented evidence on two grounds alleged to support its attachment: That the respondents had fraudulently concealed, removed or disposed of their property and effects so as to hinder or delay their [363]*363creditors and that the debtors had failed to pay the price or value of any article or thing delivered, which, by contract, they were bound to pay upon delivery.

With respect to the first ground of attachment, the evidence shows that the business dealings between appellant and respondents covered a period of two years. During this period, on more than one occasion, respondents made payments, by checks, on open account owed Ivey and the checks were returned for want of sufficient funds. The evidence is that Myers and his wife maintained a personal account 'and an account in the name of Myers Derby Station in the First National Bank of Camdenton. In the early part of October, 1960, defendant, Dee Myers, gave Ivey a check in the sum of $553.25, drawn on the Myers Derby Station account to apply as payment on their delinquent account. October 13, 1960, respondents were given credit on their account on the books of appellant for this amount. October 28th the check was returned marked “insufficient funds”. Ivey, later, consulted respondent, Dee Myers, in regard to the non-payment of this check and Myers gave him another check dated December 5, 1960, drawn on the same account, in the same bank, to replace the first check that had been returned. Respondents, on November 1, 1960, withdrew all the money deposited in the Myers Derby Station account in the First National Bank and deposited $450.00 of this amount in a new personal account of Wilma Myers in the Camden County Bank of Camdenton and the balance of the money so withdrawn from said account in Dee Myers’ name. The account in the Camden County Bank was an active one; 23 checks had been issued to local people in a three months’ period and there never had been any instructions to the Camden County Bank to conceal the account. The two banks were about a block apart in the city of Camdenton.

After the second check was returned for insufficient funds George Ivey, in behalf of appellant, went to Myers Derby Station to see Dee Myers about the situation and found the station bare and the merchandise removed.

With respect to the latter ground George Ivey testified that he had contracted with respondents to deliver to them gasoline and fuel oil and that the fuel oil was to be paid for when delivered but was not paid for when so delivered.

The court found, and the evidence supports such findings, that the goods and merchandise sold to respondents were sold on open account and that the parties did not act under a contract that the goods and merchandise were to be paid for when delivered.

With respect to the judgment of the court allowing $100.00 to pay a part of the electrical bill for current used by respondents’ underground tanks by said Ivey, the facts show that Dee Myers contacted Ivey about the increased cost of the electrical bill caused by Ivey’s use of said pumps; that Ivey agreed to pay a part of such bills and Myers asked him if half of the amount of the bills would be reasonable and Ivey said he thought so. The testimony is that one-half of the bills was $251.45.

In the Memorandum judgment of the trial court he stated:

“On the issue concerning the attachment issued in this case the plaintiff offered evidence on two statutory grounds only, to-wit: That defendants had fraudulently concealed, removed or disposed of their property and effects so as to hinder and delay the plaintiff as a creditor, and that the defendants failed to pay the price or value of materials delivered which by contract they were bound to pay upon delivery. As to the first ground, the plaintiff proved that defendant Dee Myers withdrew the bank account of the Myers Derby Station from the First National Bank of Cam-denton, Missouri and deposited the amount of the withdrawal in the account of his wife and co-defendant in the Camden County Bank of Camdenton, Missouri. In my opin[364]*364ion there was no evidence of an intention to conceal the transaction and there was no evidence from which the Court might infer a fraudulent intent on the part of the defendants.
“Regarding the second ground for attachment, it is my opinion that since credit was extended to defendants and a running credit account was kept for a long period of time whereby the defendants were not required to pay according to any definite schedule the plaintiff’s proof is not sufficient to sustain this ground for attachment. Wherefore, the attachment is dissolved. * ⅜ ⅜»

It is the duty of this court in passing upon cases tried by the court to review the facts upon appeal as in suits of an equitable nature. It is our responsibility to make our own determination of facts' and where our examination of the evidence impels a conclusion that the lower court’s findings are clearly wrong we will not hesitate to make findings contrary to them. Cleary v. Cleary, Mo., 273 S.W.2d 340, Section 510.310 RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S. This section, in part, reads:

“ * * * ' The judgment shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous, and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge of the credibility of the witnesses.”

The first alleged error assigned by appellant is that the trial court erred in finding the issues on the attachment for the respondents and in dissolving the attachment because, under the admission of respondent, Dee Myers, he had fraudulently concealed and/or removed his property and effects so as to hinder and delay the appellant herein; and under the undisputed evidence of the appellant the respondents have failed to pay for the value of the fuel oil delivered to them when they had contracted to do so.

Appellant relies on Section 521.010[8], [13] RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S., and Mahner v. Linck, 70 Mo.App.

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Related

Cleary v. Cleary
273 S.W.2d 340 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1954)
Ellis v. Farmer
287 S.W.2d 840 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1956)
Mahner v. Linck
70 Mo. App. 380 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1897)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
361 S.W.2d 361, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 618, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ivey-oil-inc-v-myers-moctapp-1962.