Lucientes v. Bartholomae Oil Corp.

149 P.2d 28, 64 Cal. App. 2d 443, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1081
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 22, 1944
DocketCiv. 12576
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 149 P.2d 28 (Lucientes v. Bartholomae Oil Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lucientes v. Bartholomae Oil Corp., 149 P.2d 28, 64 Cal. App. 2d 443, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1081 (Cal. Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

*444 SPENCE, J.

This action was brought by Jose Lucientes, hereinafter called plaintiff, to obtain an accounting from Bartholomae Oil Corporation, hereinafter called appellant, under the terms of a certain trust agreement dated April 30, 1934. This trust agreement covered ten per cent of the net profits of a certain mining venture of appellant for a period of ten years commencing on January 1, 1935. During the pendency of said action and on October 4, 1938, plaintiff and appellant entered into a written agreement settling all claims and demands of plaintiff against appellant for the sum of $1,000, and providing for the dismissal of this action. Said sum was paid by appellant and accepted by plaintiff and the validity of said agreement, as between the parties thereto, has never been questioned. On December 8, 1938, and prior to any dismissal of said action, Lloyd Root and William Dalziel, hereinafter called respondents, were granted leave to file a complaint in intervention in said action upon their claim that they had an interest in said trust agreement dated April 30, 1934; that the action had been brought by plaintiff on behalf of himself and as a representative of respondents; and that after the filing of said complaint, plaintiff had taken a position hostile to said respondents. Despite these claims of hostility between plaintiff and respondents, the same counsel who acted for plaintiff in filing his complaint also acted for respondents in filing their complaint in intervention and the record discloses that the same counsel continued to act for both plaintiff and respondents throughout the trial. The complaint in intervention contained substantially the same allegations as did the complaint and also certain additional allegations which will be héreinafter discussed. Appellant’s answer denied many of the allegations of said complaint in intervention and also set up numerous affirmative defenses. A trial was had, followed by an accounting, and judgment was finally entered on January 2, 1943.

In said judgment, it was decreed that plaintiff should recover nothing against appellant; that respondents should recover nothing against plaintiff; that no profits had been realized from said mining venture but on the contrary, appellant had suffered a net loss of $116,054.61 during the period covered by the accounting and that therefore respondents were not entitled to judgment for any alleged profits. *445 No appeal was taken by any party from the above mentioned portions of the judgment.

It was further decreed, however, “That the plaintiff in intervention, Lloyd Root, is the owner of, and entitled to receive, an undivided forty percent of ten percent, and the plaintiff in intervention, William Dalziel, is entitled to receive an undivided twenty percent of ten percent of the net profits realized by the defendant Bartholomae Oil Corporation, in the operation of said mining properties mentioned and contained in the said two contracts of March 7, 1934, and which are mentioned and referred to in said agreement of April 30, 1934, being Exhibit ‘A’ in the complaint in intervention, subject, however, to all of the terms and conditions of said two contracts of March 7, 1934, for the period of ten years from the 1st day of January, 1935.”

This appeal was taken by appellant solely from that portion of the judgment which is quoted in the preceding paragraph.

There is no dispute concerning the making of the agreements to which reference is made in the above quoted portion of the judgment. Plaintiff, with the assistance of respondents, was instrumental in bringing together the parties and in assisting to procure the execution of the two agreements dated March 7, 1934. One of said agreements of March 7, 1934, was entered into by Martin Corliss and other persons, who were owners of certain mining claims in Alaska, with William A. Bartholomae, Jr. The other of said agreements of March 7, 1934, was entered into by James Frawley, who was likewise the owner of certain mining claims in Alaska, with said William A. Bartholomae, Jr. Said agreements provided for the sale of said mining claims to William A. Bartholomae, Jr. Plaintiff, respondents and William A. Bartholomae, Jr. were residents of California and said agreements were negotiated in this state and were executed in the city and county of San Francisco. Thereafter William A. Bartholomae, Jr., assigned said agreements to Bartholomae Oil Corporation, the appellant herein.

In the following month under date of April 30, 1934, the trust agreement referred to in the quoted portion of the judgment was executed in the city and county of San Francisco by appellant Bartholomae Oil Corporation, as trustor, and Joseph Bien, as trustee, and plaintiff Jose Lucientes and his *446 wife, as beneficiaries. Respondents were not parties to said agreement nor were they mentioned therein. After reciting the execution of the two agreements of March 7, 1934 and that “in consideration of services rendered by Jose Lucientes in and about the making and obtaining of said contracts, the party of the first part (appellant) is desirous of compensating the said Jose Lucientes to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth”, it provided for the transfer in trust to the trustee of “Ten per cent of the net profits realized by the party of the first part in the operation of the properties contained in the two contracts above referred to made by the said William A. Bartholomae, Jr. and assigned to the party of the first part, all subject, however, to the terms and conditions of the said two contracts, to continue for a period of ten years from the 1st day of January 1935.” The terms of the trust provided for the payment of the sums received by the trustee to plaintiff and, under certain conditions, to plaintiff’s wife. There were also certain terms giving the trust the nature of a so-called spendthrift trust by prohibiting the transfer or assignment by plaintiff of any interest in the trust.

Respondents knew of the terms of said trust agreement shortly after the execution thereof but nevertheless made no objection thereto until after appellant had made the settlement with plaintiff on October 4, 1938. On the contrary, respondents had previously accepted from plaintiff purported “assignments” of interests in plaintiff’s claim against appellant. The purported “assignment” from plaintiff to respondent Dalziel was executed on June 12, 1934, and made specific reference to the trust agreement of April 30, 1934. The instrument was in the nature of an order for the trustee to pay a portion “of said ten per cent” to respondent Dalziel. The purported “assignment” from plaintiff to respondent Root was dated May 11, 1937. It did not make specific reference to the trust agreement but was in the form of an agreement that “any and all claims which said Jose Lucientes may have against the Bartholomae Oil Corporation” in connection with said mining claims “shall be litigated solely and alone by said Jose Lucientes and said Jose Lucientes hereby assigns to Lloyd Root one-half of any sum which he may recover, attorneys fees and costs of suit having been first deducted.” The trial court found that these instruments *447

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Bluebook (online)
149 P.2d 28, 64 Cal. App. 2d 443, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1081, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lucientes-v-bartholomae-oil-corp-calctapp-1944.