Martin v. Coogan

1936 OK 277, 55 P.2d 1037, 176 Okla. 391, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 207
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 24, 1936
DocketNo. 25185.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1936 OK 277 (Martin v. Coogan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Coogan, 1936 OK 277, 55 P.2d 1037, 176 Okla. 391, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 207 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This action was instituted by J. P. Thurmond against J. S. Williams, E. L. Martin, O. N. Windle, Fred L. Coogan, and Louise Randle, executrix of the estate of Luther H. Randle, deceased, on a note alleged to have been executed by the said J. S.Williams, E. L. Martin, O. N. Windle, Fred L. Coogan, and Luther I-I. Randle on March 12, 1931, payable to the plaintiff, Thurmond, on January 1, 1932, with 10 per cent, interest from date and providing for an attorney’s fee of 10 per cent, of the amount due on said note in case of suit; said note was for the sum of $518.50, upon which there was credited the sum of $144.75 paid by E. L. Martin and the sum of $144.75 paid by O. N. Windle. The defendant E. L. Martin admitted the allegations of plaintiff’s petition and p’eaded by cross-petition that since the filing of said action he had ¡paid off the demands of the plaintiff in said action and prayed judgment over against J. S. Williams, who was alleged to have been the party for whose benefit the note was given. E. L. Martin further alleged that he the said E. L. Martin, O. N. Windle, Luther H. Randte, and Fred L. Coogan were sureties on said note for the said J. S. Williams and upon his paying off the balance due on said note he became subrogated to the rights of the plaintiff in said action, and asked judgment against J. S. Williams for the whole sum paid by him and contribution from O. N. Windle, Louise Randle, executrix of the estate of Luther H. Randle, deceased, and Fred L. Coogan. The cross-petitioner. E. L. Martin, appears to have abandoned any claim which he may have had against J. S. Williams, O. N. Windle, and Louise Randle, executrix of the estate of Luther H. Randle, deceased, which leaves for our consideration the question as to whether or not the trial court committed error in sustaining the following mentioned demurrers of Fred L. Coo-gan to the evidence introduced by E. L. Martin, cross-petitioner herein. Fred L. Coogan filed an answer' to the cross-petition of E. L. Martin and admitted signing the note sued on, but alleged that he signed it as indorser and guarantor ,and not as maker. *392 He also alleged in the alternative that some time in 1932, on demand of plaintiff, J. P. Thurmond, he executed a new note to plaintiff in the sum of approximately $144, by which he paid in full his obligation on the note sued on.

The cause was presented to the court without a jury upon the issues made by the cross-(petition of E. L. Martin and the answer of Fred L. Ooogan, and after taking the cross-petitioner’s evidence, Fred L. Ooogan demurred thereto.

The court overruled the first, second, and third grounds of the demurrer filed by Fred L. Ooogan and sustained said demurrer as to Fred L. Ooogan on the fourth ground, said fourth ground of said demurrer being sustained for the reason that if the said Fred L. Ooogan were obligated in any manner, he settled his obligation by signing a new note to J. P. Thurmond, settling his obligation on the original note, to which said ruling of the court in sustaining said demurrer the cross-petitioner, E. L. Martin, excepted.

The court also sustained Fred L. Ooogan’s demurrer to the evidence introduced by the cross-petitioner, E. L. Martin, for the reason that the evidence discloses that J. S. Williams was the principal maker of the note sued upon and all other signers were either sureties or indorsers, and that one of the sureties, E. L. Martin, cross-petitioner, having paid and satisfied said note in full, the cause of action upon the note against the other comakers, sureties, and indorsers would expire.

The court then rendered judgment that E. L. Martin, cross-petitioner, take nothing against Fred L. Ooogan and that said E. L. Martin pay the costs of said suit.

It appears that E. L. Martin, plaintiff in, error, has abandoned all the grounds set forth in his motion for new trial, petition in error, and specifications of error, excepting the following:

First. Was Fred L. Ooogan primarily liable on the note sued on as surety thereon with Luther H. Randle, E. L. Martin, and O. N. Wendle?

Second. Did the execution of a note to J. P. Thurmond by Fred L. Ooogan and delivering it to Guy Ford for an amount equal to one-fourth of the note sued on, with interest, discharge him from his liability of the note sued on?

Third. Did the payment of balance due on said note sued on by E. L. Martin, one of the sureties, after suit was brought on the ¡note, discharge the obligation so that the payer could not claim contribution from the other sureties?

The only question for determination by this court on this appeal is whether or not the trial court committed error in sustaining the defendant Fred L. Ooogan’s demurrer to the evidence of the defendant and cross-petitioner, E. L. Martin, on the following grounds:

(1) That the evidence discloses that J. S. Williams was thej principal maker of the note sued upon, and all other signers were either sureties or indorsers, and that one of the sureties, E. L. Martin, cross-petitioner, having paid and satisfied said note in full, the cause of action upon the note against the other comakers, sureties, and indorsers would expire.

(2) That if the said Fred L. Ooogan were obligated in any manner, he settled his obligation by signing the new note to J. P. Thurmond, settling his obligation on the original note.

In order for the trial court to have properly sustained the demurrer of the defendant Fred L. Ooogan to the evidence of the defendant and cross-petitioner, E. L. Martin, it was necessary for said court to conclude from the evidence that the defendant Fred L. Ooogan did not sign the original note as a surety, or that, in the event he did sign the same as a surety and thereby became jointly and severally liable for the payment of said original note, he executed the new note to J. P. Thurmond, and that it was the intention of both Fred L. Ooogan and J. P. Thurmond that the execution and delivery of the new note should constitute payment of his proportionate part of said original note.

In passing upon a demurrer to plaintiff’s or cross-petitioner’s evidence, this court has laid down, among other rules, the following rules applicable thereto:

(1) Where the evidence fairly tends to support any cause of action, the demurrer ithereto should be overruled. T. H. Rogers Lumber Co. v. M. W. Judd Lumber Co., 52 Okla. 387, 153 P. 150.

(2) The court cannot weigh conflicting evidence, but must treat the evidence as withdrawn which is most favorable to the party demurring to the evidence. Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. of Newark, N. J., v. Adkisson, 152 Okla. 216, 4 P. (2d) 50; Jefferson Standard Life Ins. Co. v. Poulter, 154 Okla. 86, 6 P. (2d) 665; Shannon Furniture Co. v. Federal Surety Co., 159 Okla. 205, 15 P. (2d) 22.

*393 (3) It is only where the evidence and all the inferences therefrom are insufficient to support a verdict for the plaintiff that a demurrer thereto can properly be sustained. Petroleum Iron Works Co. v. Bullington, 61 Okla. 311, 161 P. 538.

(4) On a demurrer to the evidence all the facts which the evidence in the slightest degree tends to prove and all reasonable and logical inferences and conclusions therefrom are admitted. Smith v. Rockett, 79 Okla. 244, 192 P. 691.

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Bluebook (online)
1936 OK 277, 55 P.2d 1037, 176 Okla. 391, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-coogan-okla-1936.