Kidney v. Beemer

27 Pa. Super. 558, 1905 Pa. Super. LEXIS 103
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 14, 1905
DocketAppeal, No. 55
StatusPublished

This text of 27 Pa. Super. 558 (Kidney v. Beemer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kidney v. Beemer, 27 Pa. Super. 558, 1905 Pa. Super. LEXIS 103 (Pa. Ct. App. 1905).

Opinion

Opinion by

Morrison, J.,

This is an appeal from the judgment of the court below in granting judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense, and the single assignment of error complains of the action of the court in that respect.

The plaintiff, receiver, acting under the order of court, sold the goods and chattels, real and personal property and franchises of the two corporations which he represented to James Gr. Beemer for the sum of $31,500. By his direction the sale was made to him as trustee. By the order of court the terms of sale were one half cash on the day of sale and one half in thirty days. Beemer held a large number of claims against the two corporations and instead of compelling him to pay one half of the purchase money in cash on the day of sale, the purchaser and receiver exchanged receipts for this amount. On the same day Beemer acknowledged in writing that he owed the receiver $15,750, to be paid in thirty days from that date. Thirty days after the sale, instead of paying the balance in cash in accordance with conditions of sale, the parties estimated the amount which Beemer held against the corporations in claims and he executed a note for the balance of the purchase money amounting to $12,920. The claims held by Beemer were labor claims and various other items paid by him which were preferred against the funds in the receiver’s hands, and also a number of merchandise accounts which were payable out of the funds in the receiver’s hands, in such an amount only as the balance, after payment of preferred debts, charges and expenses of the receivership, permitted; but in arriving at the amount of the note of December 30,1901, the full amount [560]*560of such claims was allowed. It was, however, stipulated in said note that “ in the settlement between the said receiver and myself, said claims are to be allowed in such amounts as they are entitled to receive out of the proceeds of the funds in the receiver’s hands.” This note was signed by James G. Beemer, trustee, and there is nothing appearing thereon, or anywhere else in the papers sued on, which indicates for whom he acted.

Beemer made payments from time to time upon the purchase money and the receiver finally brought this suit to recover the sum of $1,315.84 as the balance of unpaid purchase money. In arriving at this sum the receiver allowed Beemer for his merchandise accounts the sum $6,588.25, alleging in the statement filed that the amount was the sum which said merchandise accounts were entitled to receive out of all funds in the receiver’s hands.

It is very clear from the averments in the plaintiff’s declaration and the papers thereto attached, that Beemer was only entitled to a credit upon his note for the merchandise accounts with the net sum to which they were entitled out of the funds in the plaintiff’s hands. And nowhere in the affidavit of defense is it alleged that these accounts were entitled to any greater sum than the plaintiff credited upon the note. It is set up in the affidavit of defense that his merchandise accounts amounted to $8,558.79, but that is conceded by the plaintiff and there really is no dispute between the parties that the plaintiff allowed all that these claims were worth. This being so, it is idle for the defendant to set out the full face value of his merchandise claims because he had agreed that they should only operate as payment for their actual value and, as we have said, he does not dispute the value fixed thereon by the plaintiff.

In this connection it may be noted that the defendant was liable to pay the whole sum of the purchase money, one half in cash at the sale and the other half in thirty days. Under the law he would have been compelled to wait for the payment of any or all of his claims until the receiver had collected all of his funds and had filed his account and secured the confirmation of the same.

Beemer contends, in this suit, that the plaintiff must first file an account and by that account it must be determined how. [561]*561much of the fund is applicable to the merchandise' accounts. But this is a mistake. Beemer, the debtor, must pay the balance of his purchase money and then, upon the filing of an account by the plaintiff, if he had not been allowed the full value of his merchandise accounts he will not be estopped from claiming any balance to which they are entitled.

We think the plaintiff • shows a clear right to recover the balance claimed in this suit and that the affidavit of defense is wholly insufficient to prevent judgment against Beemer as trustee and also against him individually. The plaintiff is entitled to judgment against him as trustee technically because he gave his obligation in that way. Again the plaintiff is entitled to judgment against Beemer personally, because he did not disclose for whom he was trustee. It is familiar law that an agent is personally liable on contracts made by him as agent when he fails to give notice of his agency and to name his principal: Meyer v. Barker, 6 Binney, 228; Iron & Coal Co. v. Smith, 66 Pa. 340; Quigley v. DeHaas, 82 Pa. 267; and Hopkins v. Mehaffy, 11 S. & R. 126.

It does not appear that Beemer had authority as trustee to bind anybody but himself and we are of the opinion that he placed himself in such a position in the case that the plaintiff is entitled to his judgment against James G. Beemer, trustee, and also against James G. Beemer.

The defendant relies on a technicality for the reversal of this judgment. It is this : The plaintiff brought his suit against Beemer and a large number of other persons. The summons was served on some of these but upon many of the others no service was had. When Beemer filed his affidavit of defense, he alleged that “ the codefendants mentioned in this affidavit are not bound in any sum, for no contract relation between them and the said plaintiff is sufficiently averred in the statement filed, and ‘ none ’ ever executed anything which is enforceable under the facts set forth in this case.” Upon Beemer filing his affidavit of defense on behalf of the alleged codefendants and failing to state who, if any, person or persons, were liable with him to the plaintiff, a motion was made on behalf of the plaintiff to amend by striking out of the case the names of all the parties defendant, except James G. Beemer, trustee, and James G. Beemer. alleging in the petition to amend that [562]*562the said :defendants’ names had been joined by mistake and that the plaintiff was lead into this mistake by Beemer, one of the defendants. ' Upon this petition and motion the court permitted the amendment and this left the case and pleadings against Beemer, trustee, and Beemer personally. Thereupon, on argument, the court held that the affidavit of Beemer was insufficient and granted judgment against him.

It is not denied that the court had powbr to permit this amendment but the defendant’s counsel contend that it was error to grant judgment against Beemer without filing an amended statement and giving an opportunity to file a new affidavit of defense. This contention overlooks the fact that the amendment was of the whole case and when all other defendants were striken out and the pleadings considered as amended accordingly, there was a good cause of action set forth in the declaration against Beemer and he was in court and had filed his affidavit of defense. As to the power of the court to grant the amendment, see Beringer v. Meanor’s Adm., 85 Pa. 223.

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Related

Youghiogheny Iron & Coal Co. v. Smith
66 Pa. 340 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1870)
Quigley v. DeHaas
82 Pa. 267 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1876)
Beringer v. Meanor's Administrator
85 Pa. 223 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1877)
Dusenberry v. Bradley
88 Pa. 444 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1879)
Murtland v. Floyd
25 A. 1038 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1893)
Werner v. Gross
34 A. 327 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1896)
Kerr v. Culver
57 A. 1105 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1904)
Commonwealth ex rel. John T. Baldwin & Co. v. Yeisley
6 Pa. Super. 273 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1898)
Van Zandt v. Winters
22 Pa. Super. 181 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1903)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 Pa. Super. 558, 1905 Pa. Super. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kidney-v-beemer-pasuperct-1905.