Kendrick v. Hochradel

132 N.W. 521, 167 Mich. 179, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 611
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 2, 1911
DocketDocket No. 92
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 132 N.W. 521 (Kendrick v. Hochradel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kendrick v. Hochradel, 132 N.W. 521, 167 Mich. 179, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 611 (Mich. 1911).

Opinion

Stone, J.

This is an action of assumpsit for the purchase price of a horse which the plaintiff claims to have sold and delivered to the defendant. The facts in the case are much in dispute. The plaintiff claims that on September 7, 1909, the defendant came to the village of Mesick to buy a team of western horses from the plaintiff, and that, not knowing a great deal about horses, or at least desiring the assistance of some one, the defendant brought with him one Newman, to pick out and take charge of such horses as he might purchase; that defendant and Newman, with others, went with the agent of the plaintiff, one Brown, to the yard of the plaintiff, where a number of plaintiff’s horses were; that defendant and Newman selected two horses; that something was said about halter-breaking the horses, which were wild; that plaintiff’s said agent stated that he would not halter-break them, and that they were to be sold right there in the yard, and all that he would do was to rope them; that defendant replied that it would be just as well, as he had brought Mr. Newman along to break the horses, and that he (Newman) would take charge of them from the start.

The horses selected were a bay and a black. The price [181]*181of the former was fixed at $90, and that of the latter $80. Plaintiff claims that the two horses were separated from the others and put in a pen by themselves, and were examined by the defendant and Newman, who expressed themselves as satisfied with the horses; that Mr. Newman, under the direction of the defendant, bought a rope, from •which halters were made, with which to lead the horses; that the bay horse was caught by the plaintiff’s agent, assisted by others; one of the halters was put upon the bay horse, which was taken charge of by Newman, in the presence of the defendant; that the defendant opened the gate leading to the highway, and Newman drove the horse (while holding the halter attached to the horse) into the highway, where the horse reared and fell, breaking his neck, which caused his death. It was the claim of the plaintiff upon the trial that in taking charge of the horse Newman was acting for, and as the agent of, the defendant, and that the defendant understood that the horses were to be delivered to him there in the yard, and that in so taking charge of the horse by his said agent the horse became the property of the defendant; that there was a delivery and acceptance of the horse; and that the risk of loss and duty of payment fell upon the defendant.

The claim of the defendant was that the horse was not delivered to him, or to any person for him, and that neither he, nor any one for him, ever accepted the horse. He further claimed that he was not to take the horse, or to pay for it, until it had been halter-broken, and that the sole and only purpose of putting the rope on the horse was to break it to the halter. There was a sharp conflict in the testimony, and numerous witnesses were examined whose testimony tended to support the respective claims of the parties.

At the close of the plaintiff’s case, the defendant moved for a directed verdict in his favor, upon the ground that, because of the statute of frauds, the plaintiff had not made a case, in that he had not proven a delivery and acceptance of part of the property sold. The trial judge was of [182]*182the opinion that there was testimony in the case to go to the jury upon both of the questions as to whether there was a delivery and an acceptance. The trial proceeded and resulted in a verdict and judgment for the plaintiff for the value of the bay horse. The defendant has brought the case here upon bill of exceptions, and there are 13 assignments of error.

The first, second, and twelfth assignments of error relate to the refusal of the court to direct a verdict for the defendant. We are of opinion that there was no error of the court in its ruling upon that branch of the case. The third, fourth, and fifth assignments of error complain of rulings in the admission of testimony. It is sufficient to say that we find no error here.

The sixth assignment of error relates to the charge of the court, in this: After stating the plaintiff’s claim, the court said:

If you find by a fair preponderance of the evidence that the facts as above outlined are these, then your verdict will be for the plaintiff in the sum of $90. There has been some testimony that this was to be the sale of two horses, but I charge you, as matter of law, that if the bay horse was selected and delivered to Mr. Hochradel, and that after coming into his possession, by himself or through his agent, a loss was sustained, that loss would be Mr. Hochradel’s loss, and the horse would be his horse, notwithstanding the fact that the two horses were not delivered. In other words, the delivery and acceptance of this part binds Mr. Hochradel to pay the price of so much as was delivered and accepted, if you find there was a delivery and an acceptance of the horse by Mr. Hochradel.”

It is well settled that a delivery of a part of the goods satisfies the statute. If the testimony of the plaintiff’s agent and that of his other witnesses was true, there was a delivery and acceptance of the horse, and thus the case would be taken out of the operation of the statute of frauds, and, whether true or not, was a question for the jury, and was properly submitted. The following cases are in point: Alderton v. Buchoz, 3 Mich. 322; Whaley [183]*183v. Gale, 48 Mich. 193 (13 N. W. 33); Rasch v. Bissell, 52 Mich. 455 (18 N. W. 316); Richards v. Burroughs, 62 Mich. 117 (28 N. W. 755); Harris Photographic Supply Co. v. Fisher, 81 Mich. 136 (45 N. W. 661); Toohey v. Plummer, 65 Mich. 688 (32 N W. 897). We find no error in this part of the charge. Lobdell v. Horton, 71 Mich. 681 (40 N. W. 28).

The seventh and eighth assignments of error relate to the charge of the court upon the subject of agency, as follows:

“As to whether or not Mr. Newman was the agent of Mr. Hochradel, as the plaintiff claims, and acting for him, that is a question of fact which you are to determine from all the facts and circumstances in the case. The fact that Mr. Newman says that he was not the agent is not binding upon Mr. Kendrick. It is for you to say from the testimony whether Mr. Newman was in fact acting for Mr. Hochradel, either as agent or employé, and in passing upon this question it is your duty to take into consideration the instructions that Mr. Hochradel gave to Mr. Newman relative to the horse delivered at the time, if you find that he gave any instruction along that line. On the question of agency, you have a right to consider whether there is any testimony to show ratification — that is, the acceptance or acquiescence by Mr. Hochradel in what Mr. Newman did; that is, did Mr. Hochradel consent to the action in his behalf by Mr. Newman ? You have also a right in passing upon this question to consider whether there was an original authority; that is, whether Mr. Hochradel brought Mr. Newman there for the purpose of assisting him in taking charge of the horse in the yard, as has been testified to by the plaintiff. You have also the right to consider whether Mr. Hochradel held out to the world, and to Mr. Brown, that Mr. Newman was his agent, to do the things Mr. Newman did; that is, to take charge of and break the horse or take charge of the horse for Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
132 N.W. 521, 167 Mich. 179, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kendrick-v-hochradel-mich-1911.