Katterhenry v. Williamson

1920 OK 207, 190 P. 404, 78 Okla. 221, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 365
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 11, 1920
Docket9712
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1920 OK 207 (Katterhenry v. Williamson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Katterhenry v. Williamson, 1920 OK 207, 190 P. 404, 78 Okla. 221, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 365 (Okla. 1920).

Opinion

McNÉILL, J.

This action was commenced by Katterhenry and his wife against S. S. Williamson and W. C. A. Gast for damages resulting from a certain land transaction. W. C. A. Gast was not served with summons and the issues were joined between Katter-henry and Williamson. The petition alleged, in substance, that the plaintiff Katterhenry employed Williamson to purchase a farm for him according to a certain verbal agreement, and in carrying out the terms of said agreement Williamson purchased 200 acres of land *222 in Oraig county for plaintiff and in payment of said land plaintiff exchanged 77 acres in Iowa and paid $1,970 in cash; that for the services rendered by Williamson, plaintiff agreed to give Williamson 160 acres in Bailey county, Texas, which Williamson agreed to accept for his services in purchasing said land for the plaintiff..

It is further alleged that Williamson represented the purchase price of the land in Craig county was $75 an acre, or $15,000, and that plaintiff relied upon said statement and believed that the same was true, and acted upon the said representations, but Williamson falsely and fraudulently represented that he was purchasing the land for $75 an acre, when in truth and in fact he was purchasing the same for $35 per acre, or a total of $7,100. It is further alleged that Williamson, while acting as the agent of said plaintiff, made false and fraudulent statements as to the value of said land, in that he represented the land to he worth $75 an acre, when in truth and in fact said land was only worth $36 per acre. By reason of said facts, the plaintiffs averred damage in the sum of $7,900, and prayed judgment for said amount.

To this petition, the defendant, Williamson, filed his answer, admitting that Katterhenry owned 77 acres of land in Iowa and 160' acres in Texas. He denied that he ever acted as agent for plaintiff or made any false and fraudulent representations concerning said land, but alleged he had a written contract with the plaintiff involving an exchange of land, a copy of said contract being attached to defendant’s answer. The contract provided that the plaintiffs would transfer to defendant 77 acres of land in Iowa and the 160 acres in Texas and pay $1,970 in cash, and in exchange therefor that the defendant would transfer to plaintiffs 200 acres of land in Oraig county. The Iowa land and the Oraig county land were transferred subject to certain incumbrances. The defendant further answered stating that the contract and deeds were deposited in the bank in escrow; that the abstracts were furnished, showing exactly what defendant was paying for the Craig county land, and the abstracts were approved and the deeds delivered, and the trade consummated, and possession of the property was given, and that plaintiff had taken possession of the land, and that the terms of the written contract had been fully carried out. To this answer the plaintiffs replied, denying that Williamson had furnished the abstract showing the price he had paid for the land, and further stated that Williamson had always represented that he was paying $75 per acre for said land, and denied that plaintiff had ever received a copy of the contract, but by reason of his long friendship with defendant he relied upon the representations made by the defendant. With the issues thus formed, the case was submitted to the jury and the jury returned a verdict for the defendant. From said judgment, the plaintiffs have appealed.

For reversal of said judgment, the plaintiffs have set out in their brief 24 different assignments of error. The first assignment of error is that the court erred in permitting the defendant to introduce the contract, a copy of which was attached to defendant’s answer, being the agreement for the exchange of the property, which contract was signed by plaintiff and Iowa Land Company by S. S. Williamson, manager.

Plaintiffs in error contend that this contract was not admissible as a legal instrument, for the reason that it showed upon its face that the' contract was made by a fictitious partnership, and there was no evidence to show that said partnership had complied with section 4471, Revised Laws 1910. We are unable to see how said section can have any application to the question as to whether this contract was admissible in evidence, for the plaintiff produced Mr. Williamson as a witness, who testified as follows :

“Q. Mr. Williamson, who was the Iowa Land Company? A. Myself, doing business under that name. Q. You are the only member. A. Yes, sir.”

The plaintiffs below having offered evidence that the Iowa Land Company was composed of S. S. Williamson, f doing business under that name, and the contract being signed by Iowa Land Company by S. S. Williamson, if we apply the rule announced by this court in the cases of Robinovitz v. Hammil, 44 Okla. 437, 144 Pac. 1024, Roberts v. Mosier, 35 Okla. 691, 132 Pac. 678, and Oklahoma Fire Insurance Co. v. Wagester, 38 Okla. 291, 132 Pac. 1071, to these facts, the section of the statute which plaintiffs in error rely upon has no application to the contract in the case at bar.

The plaintiffs in error have set out in their brief 23 additional assignments of error and, with the exception of one or two of said assignments, they have presented no authorities to support any contention made. Several of the assignments of error admit that they are not sufficient to cause a reversal of the case, but counsel feel that the court should have ruled otherwise, although admitting the rulings made by the court were largely discretionary with the court.

*223 The 12th assignment of error raises the question of the refusal of the court to give an instruction which in effect was an instruction directing the jury to find in favor of ther plaintiffs and against the defendant, while counsel for plaintiffs in error suggest in their brief as follows:

“In order for the court to definitely determine the correctness of the court’s ruling upon this instruction, it might he necessary for the court to read the entire record, and perhaps there is no judge of the Supreme Court who would want to do so, although occupying the position of a reviewing, court.”

We desire to say from an examination of the entire record and a careful reading of all the evidence that was offered by the plaintiffs, we have no hesitancy in saying that the trial court did not commit error in re fusing this peremptory instruction, for the following reasons:

First, plaintiffs alleged that they had employed the defendant to purchase 200 acres of land in Craig county and in payment of said services X’endered by the defendant they paid or gave to the defendant 160 acres of land in the state of Texas as consideration. Plaintiff L. H. Katterhenry states that he made this oral contract with the defendant while going up the stairs to the defendant’s office. During the cross-examination the plaintiff admitted that after going up the stairs to defendant’s office, or shortly after he alleges the oral contract was made, he executed a written contract with the defendant, or the Iowa Land Company, wherein if was agreed that he, as party of the first part, and the.

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Bluebook (online)
1920 OK 207, 190 P. 404, 78 Okla. 221, 1920 Okla. LEXIS 365, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/katterhenry-v-williamson-okla-1920.