Jammie v. Robinson

195 P. 6, 114 Wash. 275, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 606
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 24, 1921
DocketNo. 15961
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 195 P. 6 (Jammie v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jammie v. Robinson, 195 P. 6, 114 Wash. 275, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 606 (Wash. 1921).

Opinion

Holcomb, J.

— The second amended complaint, on which this cause was tried, alleged that defendant F. B. Robinson made certain false and fraudulent representations on which plaintiff relied as to a motion-picture theater in Ellensburg, Washington, known as the Isis Theater, namely; that he, Robinson, had procured the consent of Millie B. Sayles to an assignment and lease of the theater, when, in fact, she had not consented thereto; that the moving-picture business of the theater was netting two hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars per month; that the daily receipts did not run less than from thirty . dollars to seventy-five dollars; that defendant knew these statements to be false and untrue. Plaintiff demanded to recover the amount paid on the written contract, to defendant, namely, $846.70, with interest thereon from the date of the contract. The cojnplaint further alleged, in effect, that, on or about June 11, 1917, plaintiff was ejected from the Isis Theater by Millie B. Sayles, the owner thereof.

A second cause of action set up in the second amended complaint demanded damages in the sum of three hundred dollars on account of loss in the operation of the picture show, during the period plaintiff had it, from March 6 to June 10 or 11, 1917. But this cause of action was withdrawn from the jury upon an instruction that plaintiff could not recover thereon.

Defendants, in answer to the second amended complaint, admitted that they received $846.70 from plaintiff on account of the purchase price of the assign[277]*277ment of the lease of the moving-picture business referred to in the complaint, but denied that defendant Robinson made any fraudulent representations in connection with the assignment of the lease and the sale of the moving-picture business to plaintiff, and denied that Millie B. Sayles refused her consent to the as-' signment of the lease from Robinson to plaintiff; set up, by way of counterclaim and cross-complaint, that plaintiff agreed to pay the sum of $1,396.70 for the assignment of the lease and the purchase of the moving-picture business referred to, setting’ out the agreement in full; and alleged that he had paid only the sum of $846.70 and that a balance was due of $523.60 on account of the agreed purchase price. They further alleged that plaintiff agreed to pay defendant the rental of the theater for the months of March and April to May 9,1917, as it became due, defendant having paid the rental in advance, such rental being the sum of $115 per month for each of those months, making a total of $230, no part of which has been paid. They set up a further second cause of action and cross-complaint upon a promissory note executed by Jammie and his wife to Robinson for $120.

For reply to the counterclaim and cross-complaint, plaintiff denied all the allegations contained therein, except the execution of the memorandum agreement referred to by defendants in paragraph one of their counterclaim and cross-complaint. Upon these issues, the cause went to trial before the court and a jury.

Appellants make ten assignments of error, five of which were determined in the submission of the cause to the jury in favor of appellants under the following instruction:

“The plaintiff alleges and claims as a fraudulent representation that the defendant Robinson told him that he would procure the consent of Mrs. Sayles to [278]*278the assignment of the lease from him, Robinson, to the plaintiff Jammie. Bnt I charge yon that, as a matter of law, this is not a fraudulent representation, because the plaintiff Jammie was not injured by it, even though it was made, inasmuch as he became the possessor and owner of the lease and the moving-picture business when he became the occupant of the premises with the knowledge of Mrs. Say]es.”

There is no need of further discussion of those claims of error arising upon the ruling upon a motion to strike a paragraph of the second amended complaint and permitting respondent to amend a paragraph thereof, overruling appellants’ objection to and admitting evidence of an alleged eviction from the theater and refusing to give appellants’ requested instructions numbered 5 and 7.

The court gave proper instructions to the jury upon the questions of fraud and deceit and the quantum of proof necessary to enable one to recover upon such allegations, and, after a careful examination of the instructions and the requested instructions of appellants that were refused, we can find no error in the instructions given or in rejecting any of the instructions requested, if the case was a proper one to go to the jury at all.

• The court gave very clear, concise and correct instructions to the effect that the basis of respondent’s action is fraud; that the fraud which gives rise to an action of deceit exists where a person makes a false representation of a material fact susceptible of knowledge, knowing it to be false, or as of his own knowledge, when he does not know whether it is true or false, with intention to induce the person to whom it was made, in reliance upon it, to do or refrain from doing something to his pecuniary hurt, when such person, acting with reasonable prudence, is thereby deceived to so do or refrain from doing, to his damage.

[279]*279The jury were also told that, in cases of this kind, the proof required to sustain such allegations of deceit or fraud must be clear, cogent and convincing; that fraud is never presumed. They were told that the material allegations of deceit and fraud involved in respondent’s complaint were these: (a) That the appellant represented that the moving-picture business was netting him (Robinson) from two hundred and fifty dollars to three hundred dollars per month; (b) that he represented that the daily receipts did not run less than thirty dollars to seventy-five dollars.

The jury were then told that they must be convinced under the rule as .to the nature and quantity of proof required: First, that the defendant made one of the representations to plaintiff above enumerated as a fact, as distinguished from the mere expression of an opinion; second, that one or more of such representations were false; third, that the defendant knew it to be false or made it recklessly of his own knowledge when he did not know whether it was false or true; fourth, that such representation was made with the intention of inducing plaintiff to purchase the moving-picture business; fifth, that plaintiff,- acting with reasonable prudence, relied upon such representations and was thereby deceived and induced to purchase the moving-picture business, -and that, with regard to the element of reliance the representation must have been the cause which directly and proximately induced plaintiff to purchase the picture-show business, that is, the cause without which he would not have purchased; sixth, that plaintiff bought the moving-picture business to his pecuniary damage.

The jury were also told that fraud cannot be based on mere expression of opinion, and that a party who makes an independent examination or investigation as to any property or business is bound thereby and can[280]*280not charge another with fraud as to any fact or matter coming within the scope of such examination or investigation; and that, in such case, the parties are upon equal ground and their own judgment must be their guide in coming to conclusions.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 P. 6, 114 Wash. 275, 1921 Wash. LEXIS 606, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jammie-v-robinson-wash-1921.