Lasley v. Ridenour

265 S.W.2d 744, 1954 Mo. App. LEXIS 234
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 1, 1954
DocketNo. 21984
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 265 S.W.2d 744 (Lasley v. Ridenour) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lasley v. Ridenour, 265 S.W.2d 744, 1954 Mo. App. LEXIS 234 (Mo. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

DEW, Judge.

Plaintiff brought this action to recover certain items claimed to be due him and growing out of an alleged written fárm lease made with the defendant lessee,. and other transactions with the defendant. The first count of the petition seeks to recover farm rent and certain advancements made to defendant both under said lease and under a later oral revision of the same. The second count is to recover damages for the breach of the contract for failure to perform certain services ■ on and about the farm. The third count prays recovery of $20 for pasture rent. The answer denies the charges made (with a few exceptions) and pleads a counterclaim consisting of two counts. The first count is to recover for services on the farm, in the total amount of $160. The second count consists of several items claimed for alleged breaches by the plaintiff of a partnership agreement to farm the- property in question, totaling $2468.44. Plaintiff’s reply denied the new matter set forth in the answer and counterclaims.

The jury found for the plaintiff on his petition in the .amount of $180.98, and for the defendant on his counterclaims in the amount of $1300.98. Judgment was entered January 10, 1953 for the defendant in the net amount of $1120. Plaintiff filed a motion for new trial, whereupon the court suggested a remittitur by the defendant of $20 as a condition for overruling the motion. The remittitur was made April. 20, 1953 and on that date the court made an order “for the purposes of making effective said remittitur”, setting the judgment aside, made a new entry of judgment for $1100 as of the date of the verdict, and overruled the motion for new trial. Plaintiff • filed a motion to set aside the new entry of judgment. This motion was not passed upon. The plaintiff appealed from the judgment entered on the date of the verdict, '

At the outset the plaintiff makes the point that the entry of judgment made by the court on April 20, 1953 is void, being made without authority. He contends that the judgment having been rendered on. January 10, 1953, and the court having suggested a remittitur of $20 by the defendant, and the remittitur having been made on April 20, 1953 as a condition to overruling the motion for new trial, the court had power and authority then to set aside the judgment of January 10, 1953, but had no power or authority to enter a new judgment' as of January 10, 1953. The plaintiff does not suggest any other method of giving proper credit for a remittitur under-such circumstances. The action of the court in making the new entry of judgment as of the date of the verdict for the amount- of the verdict, less -the amount remitted by the defendant, was not the rendition of a new judgment in the sense urged by the -plaintiff, even though in so doing the original judgment was set aside in the process and re-entered as corrected. It was, in effect, a proper correction of the existing judgment to give effect to the amount thereof remitted.

[746]*746• That a new 'entry of -judgment as corrected by the remittitur is not only'proper but necessary is indicated in State ex rel. Missouri Pacific Ry. Co. v. Broaddus, 212 Mo. 685, 111 S.W. 508, 509. There a re-mittitur was entered without the formality 'of a new'entry 'of judgment and it was cóntended that the entry of remittitur itself nullified the judgment, leaving the amount involved the original judgment less the re-mittitur. " The'Supreme Court held that the entry of the remittitur, without any further entry “did not set aside or nullify the judgment' of the circuit co'urt,' nor amount to the rendition and entry of a new judgment for the sum of the verdict, less the amount of the remittitur.” The 'tourt 'ruled that the amount', involved on appeal was the original amount of the judgment in' the absence of a new entry giving credit forthe ' remittitur. ‘

The procedure herein followed is the customary and accepted method of giving credit on a judgment for a remittitur. Meyer v. St. Louis Public Service Co., Mo.App., 253 S.W.2d 525; Counts v. Thompson, 359 Mo. 485, 222 S.W.2d 487. We think the judgment of January 10, as re-entered and corrected by the court April 20, 1953, in order to credit the remittitur, was not void for want .of the court’s authority so to..do.

Unfortunately, the trial 'Court denied the plaintiff’s motion for a reference in this case. While it is true that the total of the claims is not large, they are very numerous, calling for a meticulous accounting, -some arising out of express contracts, some out of implied contracts, some for moneys advanced,: and for services rendered. Plaintiff’s claims, submitted to the ■ jury, were sixteen in number and made in ■three counts of his petition. . Defendant’s counterclaims were-ten in number, made .in two counts. Much of . the evidence had to . do with whose livestock had what increase, whose machinery was used, removed or repaired; what the various crops were, whether -proper- division of shares .wer.e made' and received,- what breaches of the contract were committed and by whom, and what items were still in controversy. So confused became the proof - that the counsel for- the parties stipulated at the close of the-testimony that the' instructions might disregard the counts pleaded and that the items might be submitted generally as made under plaintiff’s petition and under defendant’s counterclaim. Thére was imposed upon the court the precarious and laborious task of conducting such an account- , ing. in -a jury trial and to instruct the jury properly upon the multitudinous issues involved., Ajax Rubber Co. v. White, 216 Mo.App. 283, 264 S.W. 466, Section 515.020 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S, ■ A like burden is now cast upon the appellate court to review the errors claimed to, have arisen out of the ■voluminous record of. .the ... proceedings. •However, .the plaintiff does, not preserve the point on ■ appeal that the court. erred in refusing a reference and we shall confine our opinion to the points made. Because,of the disposition made of the appeal on the points assigned, we, deem it unnecessary to set out the evidence, except where .essential-to. the points discussed. . .

Plaintiff claims that Instruction 4 directs the jury to find for him as to certain items claimed in his petition, but -that defendant’s Instruction, 1 and, the .court’s Instruction .6 authorized the jury to find against plaintiff on his petition. It. is urged, that those instructions are, therefore, contradictory on .their face and constitute reversible error. To understand this point it is necessary to set forth Instruction 3, given at plaintiff’s request. It reads as follows:

“Instruction No. 3 (Given)
“The Court instructs the Jury that this action involves an accounting and a determination of the ■balance due either .to Plaintiff or Defendant depending on which is entitled to any balance that the Jury may find due to one or the other.
“The Plaintiff asks judgment against the’Defend’ant for the following items:
“1. Money advanced for car license.:.$ 20.00
.“2. For oats .furnished for feed and seed...... 59.50
*⅛ Hay to feed during winter of 1950‘ 51. 20.00
“4. Millfeed .'.. 33.33
“5. Seed corn . 15.00
“6. Repairs -on machinery. 4.35
“7.

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Bluebook (online)
265 S.W.2d 744, 1954 Mo. App. LEXIS 234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lasley-v-ridenour-moctapp-1954.