Lacoste v. Fagin

2 Mass. App. Div. 228
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedApril 21, 1937
StatusPublished

This text of 2 Mass. App. Div. 228 (Lacoste v. Fagin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lacoste v. Fagin, 2 Mass. App. Div. 228 (Mass. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

Riley, J.

The plaintiff has a finding in her favor in an action of tort for personal injuries received as a result of a collision on a public highway in this Commonwealth on [229]*229July 4, 1936 between an automobile owned by Alma LaFramboise and operated by tbe plaintiff and one operated by the defendant.

Tbe defendant’s answer contains an allegation of contributory negligence.

Tbe Report sets out that tbe trial court, upon motion of tbe defendant, granted a new trial on tbe sole issue of tbe legality of tbe registration of the automobile operated by tbe plaintiff, stipulating that if tbe registration is found to be legal, tbe finding is to stand, otherwise a finding for tbe defendant is to be entered. It appears by tbe Report that tbe defendant by appropriate Requests for Rulings at tbe new trial, raised tbe question of tbe legality of tbe registration of tbe automobile operated by tbe plaintiff and tbe sole question for our determination is whether, as matter of law, this automobile was legally registered, the trial judge having found as a fact that it was properly registered.

At tbe time of the accident the automobile operated by tbe plaintiff was registered in tbe name of “Canoe Club Beverage Co.” At the new trial there was evidence tending to show that in 1934 one Alma LaFramboise bad taken over all of tbe assets, including this automobile, from a bankrupt corporation, which was doing business in manufacturing, bottling and selling soda, soda water and malt beverages under the corporation name of Canoe Club Beverage Co., Inc.,- that tbe plaintiff was tbe widow of one Epbrem Ducharme, who, from the time of its incorporation to tbe date of tbe sale of all of its assets, was the President and Treasurer, tbe largest stockholder and general manager of tbe bankrupt corporation; that tbe plaintiff was tbe Clerk, and tbe Board of Directors consisted of Epbrem Ducharme, tbe plaintiff and Ernest LaCoste, tbe present husband of the plaintiff; that tbe corporation bad its place of business in a building at tbe rear of a two family dwell[230]*230ing house designated as Nos. 13-15 Providence Street, Aldenville, Chicopee, Massachusetts; that at the time of the accident and for several years prior thereto, there was painted across the front of the building, formerly occupied by the corporation and visible from the highway, a sign as follows: “E. Ducharme Bottling and Soda "Works”; that Alma LaFramboise, after taking over the assets of the corporation, continued to carry on the business on the same premises under the trade name of “Canoe Club Beverage Co. ’ ’; that the premises consisted of a two family dwelling house with a yard and a building in the rear used as both a garage and a place to manufacture and bottle soda; that Alma LaFramboise occupied the upper tenement of the dwelling house designated as Nos. 13-15 Providence .St.; that the premises were owned by the plaintiff, who occupied the lower tenement, both prior to the bankruptcy of the corporation, and at the time of this suit; that Ephrem Ducharme, for a number of years prior to 1930, engaged in the manufacturing, bottling and distribution of sodas and other carbonated beverages at the rear of the premises designated as Nos. 13-15 Providence St., Chicopee, Massachusetts ; that in July, 1930, the business conducted by Ephrem Ducharme 'was incorporated under the name of “Canoe Club Beverage Co., Inc. ’ ’; that the corporate business was managed under the immediate direction of said Ephrem Ducharme, and the plaintiff was familiar with the business and the books, and at frequent intervals, looked after the bookkeeping and other clerical work for the corporation; that in May, 1934, the corporation was voluntarily petitioned into bankruptcy, and a trustee in bankruptcy was appointed in due course; that appraisers were named for the bankrupt estate and the required data as to assets and liabilities was filed; that neither in the petition nor in the report of the appraisers, was there any mention of a Pon[231]*231tiac coupe, the automobile operated by the plaintiff, as one of the assets of the corporation; that the corporation was dissolved by Chapter 8 of the Acts of 1935, which took effect as of January 1,1935; that at the time of this suit, the real estate was subject to a mortgage held by the Hadley Falls Trust Company; that Alma LaFramboise is a housewife whose husband is employed by the City of Chicopee in the Welfare Department; that she never had worked or been engaged in the business of manufacturing, bottling or distributing soda and carbonated beverages prior to her taking over the business of the Canoe Club Beverage Co. Inc.; that since she has taken over the business, she has not herself supervised nor engaged in the actual process of manufacturing, bottling or distributing of soda and carbonated beverages, and at no time actively conducted the business; that she did not pay any money for the assets that formerly belonged to the afore-mentioned corporation; that she did not give anything in exchange for the Pontiac automobile which was among the assets of the afore-mentioned corporation; that she took the Company over in her name, and did not have any money; that the business was transferred in her name, and she didn’t have any money to pay for it; that after the corporation was petitioned into bankruptcy, the business was conducted under the name of Canoe Club Beverage Co., Inc.; that Ephrem Ducharme continued in direct supervision of business until his death on January 18, 1935; that he was so employed by Alma LaFramboise to manage the business, and after his death, his wife, the plaintiff, then Mrs. Aurora Ducharme, continued on in her employment with the business, taking over to herself the duties and supervision as exercised by Ephrem Ducharme up to the present time; that her wages were Eight (8) Dollars a week, and that she would receive that sum if the receipts of the business warranted by its payment; that she carried on the business as her own; that she handled all the [232]*232matters pertaining to the manufacture, bottling and distributing and sale of the soda and carbonated beverages, and looked after the bookkeeping and finances; that she told a representative of the mortgagee, who held the mortgage on the real estate, and who periodically came on the premises to collect rent, that she was carrying on the business herself; that she made such representations from May, 1934 up to the time of trial; that on August 28, 1936, she signed an application with her own name only for a permit to engage in the business of manufacturing, bottling and selling certain non-alcoholic beverages under the name of Canoe Club Beverage Co., as required under Chapter 441 of the Acts of 1935; that said application was filed with the Board of Health for the City of Chicopee; that on October 30,1935, she told an inspector of the State Department of Health, while he was making an inspection of the premises in the course of his duties, that she owned the business and was conducting it on her own behalf as the Canoe Club Beverage Co.; that on August 26, 1936, she again told this inspector the same; that a clerk at the Board of Health-in the City Hall in Chicopee advised the inspector that the plaintiff was the owner of the Canoe Club Beverage Co.; that two City directories published by Price & Lee Co., showed the following :

I. City Directory Published by Price & Lee Co. containing in one volume City Directory for the cities and town of Holyoke, South Hadley and Chicopee for the year 1936.
On Page 33 of the Chicopee Directory for 1936 is the following:

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Bluebook (online)
2 Mass. App. Div. 228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lacoste-v-fagin-massdistctapp-1937.