Mahanna v. Westland Oil Company

107 N.W.2d 353, 1960 N.D. LEXIS 97
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 14, 1960
Docket7849
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 107 N.W.2d 353 (Mahanna v. Westland Oil Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mahanna v. Westland Oil Company, 107 N.W.2d 353, 1960 N.D. LEXIS 97 (N.D. 1960).

Opinions

BURKE, Judge.

The complaint of the plaintiffs in this action, insofar as it relates to issues remaining in the case, may be summarized in narrative form substantially as follows:

The Diamond Transport Company, a corporation, is the owner and entitled to the possession of five motor trucks and attached equipment of the total value of $42,126. On the-27th day of April, 1957, the defendants, American State Bank, Westland Oil Company and Fred Grawe, wrongfully seized said trucks and equipment and sold and delivered possession thereof to the defendant B. L. Lawrence, who still retains possession thereof against the will of the plaintiffs. The value of the use of said trucks to the Diamond Transport Company is $740 a day. In their use by the defendant B. L. Lawrence, the trucks have been damaged in the total sum of $11,750. The trucks were seized maliciously, with the intent to injure Diamond Transport Company, in furtherance of a conspiracy, on the part of all of the defendants, acting in concert, to force Diamond Transport Company out of business in competition with B. L.-Lawrence, so as to create a monopoly in the oil trucking business in and around Williston in B. L. Lawrence. The seizure of said trucks forced the Diamond Transport Company into receivership and thereby damaged it in the sum of $30,000. Plaintiff demanded damages for the value of the trucks and equipment in the srim of $42,126, damages for the loss of use of the trucks in the sum of $740 a day from the time of seizure until the day upon which judgment should be entered, damages for injury to the trucks while in the possession of B. L. Lawrence in the sum of $11,750 and damages by reason of being forced into receivership in the sum of $30,000.

In his separate answer the defendant, B. L. Lawrence, alleged that he purchased the trucks from Westland Oil Company without any knowledge of Diamond Transport Company’s claim and as a counterclaim he alleged that Diamond Transport Company was indebted to him in the sum of $1,087.-10. The American State Bank, in its separate answer, alleged that it purchased from Westland Oil Company conditional sales contracts covering the described trucks upon the condition that Westland Oil Company guaranty payment thereof. It alleged that these contracts were in default from and after March 23, 1957, and that at the time of the seizure of the trucks by Westland the amount of the default was $2,275.47. It alleged that it had been advised that the check Diamond Transport Company had given for its motor vehicle licenses had been returned because of insufficient funds and that such licenses had been, or were about to be cancelled. It alleged that Diamond Transport’s insurance had been cancelled for nonpayment of premiums. It alleged that it advised Westland Oil Company of these facts in order that it might take steps to protect itself upon its guaranty of the conditional sales contracts. In the answer of Westland Oil Company and Fred Grawe, it was alleged that Westland Oil Company had sold the trucks to Diamond Transport Company by conditional sales contracts; that the conditional sales contracts had been pledged to American State Bank and the payments thereon guaranteed by West-land Oil Company; that defaults had occurred in the payments on the contracts; that the trucks had been repossessed in accordance with the provisions of the contracts and sold to B. L. Lawrence. As counterclaims Westland Oil Company al[357]*357leged an open account indebtedness against Diamond Transport Company in the sum of $8,490.67 and the balance due upon the conditional sales contracts in the sum of $24,503.96. A jury trial of the action resulted in a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. Pursuant to the verdict a joint and several judgment was entered against all of the defendants for the value of the trucks seized in the sum of $15,767 and for the loss of use of the trucks in the sum of $9,450 or a total joint and several judgment of $25,217. In addition individual judgments for exemplary damages were awarded against Westland Oil Company in the sum of $7,391.50 against American State Bank in the sum of $7,391.50, against B. L. Lawrence in the sum of $5,000 and against Fred Grawe in the sum of $1,217. The open account counterclaim of B. L. Lawrence had been dismissed by the trial judge prior to the submission of the case to the jury and the counterclaims of Westland Oil Company were dismissed by the jury. Subsequent to the entry of judgment the defendants moved for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or for a new trial. Upon this motion the trial judge ordered that the judgment for exemplary damages against Westland Oil Company should be vacated and that Westland Oil Company’s open account counterclaim in the sum of $8,490.97 should be allowed, but in all other respects denied the motion. An amended judgment was entered in accordance with the court’s order and both plaintiffs and defendants have appealed.

Before entering into a discussion of the issues raised by these appeals we believe we should point out that the briefs filed by both appellants and cross-appellants do not conform to the requirements of Rule 8(B) 5, of this court. This rule provides that the briefs shall set forth:

“A concise statement of the facts pointing out specifically the page and line in the settled case, in verification of each statement so made.” 76 N.D. XIX.

Upon this appeal, although there are 493 pages in the transcript of the proceedings in the case, and both sides challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the parts of the judgment they consider unfavorable, the briefs filed by the parties are not annotated to the record either with respect to the statements of fact therein set forth, or with respect to any of the proceedings specified as error in the trial of the case. This court has thus been confronted with the alternatives of dismissing the appeals for failure to conform to the rules or of undertaking to do the attorneys’ work for them. Out of consideration .for the rights of the parties who are not at fault, we have chosen the latter course.

We turn our attention first to the defendants’ specifications that the evidence is insufficient to sustain a finding by the jury against the defendants, American State Bank and B. L. Lawrence for any damages or to support a finding of exemplary damages against any of the defendants.

The trucks which are the subject matter of this suit were sold by Westland Oil Company to Diamond Transport Company by conditional sales contracts. These contracts were delivered to the American State Bank. They bear Westland Oil Company’s guaranty and endorsement to bearer. There is no question but that, at the time of seizure, the sales contracts were in default and that valid grounds for repossessing the trucks existed. The particular default which precipitated the decision to repossess was the failure of Diamond Transport Company to keep the insurance on the trucks in force. Mr. Davidson, president of American State Bank, learned of this default from the insurance agent who had cancelled the policies of insurance. He passed this information on to the defendant, Grawe, who was the local manager of Westland Oil Company at Williston. Mr. Grawe then repossessed the trucks. They were delivered to him by Diamond Transport Company’s drivers without protest. This was on Saturday [358]*358April 27, 1957. On the following Monday morning, Mr. Anderson, the general manager and controlling stockholder of Diamond Transport Company, called at the American State Bank. He testified that when he entered Mr. Davidson’s office at the bank, Mr. Grawe, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Davidson were there, seated around Mr.

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Mahanna v. Westland Oil Company
107 N.W.2d 353 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
107 N.W.2d 353, 1960 N.D. LEXIS 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mahanna-v-westland-oil-company-nd-1960.