Leslie v. Gonsalves

42 Haw. 169, 1957 Haw. LEXIS 14
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 24, 1957
DocketNo. 3042
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 42 Haw. 169 (Leslie v. Gonsalves) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leslie v. Gonsalves, 42 Haw. 169, 1957 Haw. LEXIS 14 (haw 1957).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

RICE, C. J.

Henry A. Leslie, Sr., of Napoopoo, South Kona, County and Territory of Hawaii, as plaintiff, filed a complaint in the circuit court of the third circuit, Territory of Hawaii, and thereby instituted suit against Joseph Gonsalves, of Honolulu, as defendant.

Two causes of action were alleged in the complaint. The first cause of action was to the effect that in the month [170]*170of August, 1952, the defendant, knowing that the plaintiff could use a walk-in deep freeze box at Kealakekua, Kona, for the purpose of freezing ice, fish and other like commodities, represented to the plaintiff that he, the defendant, could purchase an enamel walk-in type deep freeze box located in Honolulu for $750; that the said walk-in type deep freeze was a good steel enamel box and was in good running condition; that a few days thereafter, during the first part of September, 1952, the plaintiff was advised that there was another purchaser after the same box in Honolulu offering $1,000 for the same and that the defendant did not have $750 cash necessary to purchase the said box and wished the plaintiff to send him $800. Of that amount, $750 was to be for the box and $50 for transporting it from Kaimuki, in Honolulu, where it was purported to be, to the Young Brothers barge at a Honolulu pier.

It was further alleged that the plaintiff sent $800 to the defendant, relying upon the latter’s recommendation.

Subsequently, a walk-in type deep freeze consigned to the plaintiff from the defendant arrived in Hilo, Hawaii, and was by a public transfer company transported to Kealakekua, Kona. It was further alleged that immediately prior thereto it became and was necessary for plaintiff to, at his cost in the sum of $146.87, construct a special platform in Kealakekua, for the installation of the deep freeze box. However, when the deep freeze box which the defendant had purchased and sent to the plaintiff was installed in Kona, the plaintiff found that it was not an enamel deep freeze box, but was made of sheet steel which was “in a very bad, rusty and rusted through and unusable condition; that there were two large and extensive holes in the sheet steel and insulation on the top of the said deep freeze box, each covering over 4 square feet, into which had been poured concrete; that the top of the said deep freeze box [171]*171was in such poor, rusted and damaged condition that rain leaked freely through and down into the interior of the deep freeze; that the insulation of the deep freeze was no good and the interior corroded and rusted; that the motor and compressor were in a bad and unusable state of disrepair, whereby and wherefrom all of which the Plaintiff was and is unable to use the deep freeze box and the same is useless for the purpose for which it was intended; * * * »

The plaintiff further alleged: “that the Defendant fraudulently represented to the Plaintiff that he had paid $750.00 for said deep freeze box, whereas in truth and in fact he had paid only the sum of $400.00 for said deep freeze box; and that the deep freeze box so purchased was not the one which the Defendant had undertaken to purchase for the Plaintiff.” Also, that “after the unfitness and unsoundness of said deep freeze box was ascertained, the Plaintiff notified the Defendant thereof and offered said deep freeze box to the Defendant in return for all money spent by the Defendant, but the Defendant refused.”

Another allegation was to the effect that in addition to the $800 paid by plaintiff to defendant, and the sum of $146.87 installation cost, the plaintiff had spent $85 for transporting the deep freeze box from Hilo to Kealakekua, * * and has spent an additional $196.97 for transporting the said ice box with motor attached, from Honolulu to Hilo; that by reason of the premises, the Plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of $1,228.84.”

As a second and separate cause of action, plaintiff alleged that on or about the last part of August, 1952, or the first part of September, 1952, plaintiff agreed to sell and the defendant verbally agreed to buy plaintiff’s certain Chevrolet truck then located in Kona, Hawaii, for the sum of $1,000. Further, “that thereafter, in accordance with said agreement, the Plaintiff delivered said truck to the [172]*172Defendant in Honolulu, T. H., and the Defendant thereupon took possession of and continues to hold and keep the same in his possession; that the Defendant has paid no part of said agreed purchase price of said truck although Plaintiff has demanded the same of him; that by reason of the premises, the Plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of $1,000.00.”

The prayer of the complaint was for judgment for plaintiff against the defendant in the sum of $1,228.84 upon the first cause of action, and the sum of $1,000.00 upon the second cause of action, a total judgment of $2,228.84, “together with costs of this action and for all other proper relief in the premises.”

To the said complaint, the defendant entered a general denial and the case was tried by the court, jury waived.

Trial was had in two stages or parts, first on March 23 and 24, 1954, and then on January 13, 14, 17 and 20, 1955. On February 14, 1955, a decision of the court was entered and filed by the trial judge.

Pursuant to the said decision, judgment was entered and filed in the trial court on March 8, 1955.

The case has come before this Supreme Court by an appeal duly perfected by Henry A. Leslie, Sr., plaintiff below, from the said judgment entered on March 8, 1955.

The provisions of Rules 73 and 75 of the Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure have been complied with and this court has jurisdiction of the case by virtue thereof and of the appeal taken.

By stipulation of counsel for the respective parties the case has been submitted to this court on briefs and without oral argument.

The briefs are in agreement as to the evidence before the trial court having been conflicting.

The Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure were adopted and promulgated by this Supreme Court by order dated De[173]*173cember 7,1953, which provided that said rules should take effect on June 14,1954, “* * * govern actions and proceedings of a civil nature in the circuit courts of the Territory brought on or after said date except as otherwise provided in said rules, and also all further proceedings in such actions then pending except to the extent that in the opinion of the court their application in a particular action pending * * * would not be feasible or would work injustice * * *” then the former procedure would apply.

The action in the instant civil case was brought before June 14, 1954, but the second stage of the trial thereof, being further proceedings in such action then pending, occurred in January of 1955 and the decision of the trial court was entered and filed in February of 1955, so we deem that the said Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure applied to the proceedings in January and the decision in February, 1955.

Formerly, the decision of the trial court in a civil case tried without jury had to conform to the provisions of section 10107, Revised Laws of Hawaii 1945 (231-7, Revised Laws of Hawaii 1955) which required that the court “hear and decide the cause, both as to the facts and the law, and its decision shall be rendered in writing stating its reasons therefor.” However, when, as in the instant case, the Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure are applicable, such rules govern.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
42 Haw. 169, 1957 Haw. LEXIS 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leslie-v-gonsalves-haw-1957.