Maselli v. EH Appleby & Co., Inc.

256 P.2d 618, 117 Cal. App. 2d 634, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1857
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 5, 1953
DocketCiv. 8199
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 256 P.2d 618 (Maselli v. EH Appleby & Co., Inc.) 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
Maselli v. EH Appleby & Co., Inc., 256 P.2d 618, 117 Cal. App. 2d 634, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1857 (Cal. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

VAN DYKE, P. J.

This is an appeal from an order denying a motion to change the place of trial. Appellant is a California corporation. Respondent, Maselli, filed an action against appellant in the Superior Court of Glenn County. By Count One respondent sought a money judgment in the sum of $2,990.10. He alleged that he and the appellant corporation had entered into an oral agreement whereby respondent was to crush, and process into oil, olives to be delivered by appellant at respondent’s plant in Glenn County at an agreed price of $18 per ton; that this work was to be done and the price was to be paid in Glenn County; that pursuant to the contract respondent processed 172.33 tons of olives and delivered the oil therefrom to appellant; that appellant had paid only the sum of $110.04 on a total debt of $3,100.14, leaving the sum sued for unpaid. Respondent also included in his complaint a so-called second and separate cause of action, being a common count for the recovery of $2,990.10. He alleged a debt of $3,100.14, being for the reasonable value of work, labor and services done at appellant’s request “in the crushing and processing of olives”; he allowed the same credit of $110.04 and asked for the same recovery, as in the first count. Respondent also included a so-called third and separate cause of action in which he sought recovery upon a balance on a mutual, open and current book account alleged to be owing to him from appellant “for the crushing and processing of olives” at appellant’s request and at an agreed price. The same credit was allowed *636 and recovery of the same balance due was asked. Appellant moved for a change of venne to the county of its residence, San Francisco. It supported this motion by an affidavit which stated its principal place of business to be in that county, and averred further that the contract upon which plaintiff had brought suit was made September 8, 1950, in San Francisco, respondent Maselli being personally present in the office of appellant when the contract was made. It was averred further that the obligation on which suit was brought and the liability, if any, of appellant “to pay for the crushing of certain olives” arose, and the breach of the obligation, if any, occurred, in San Francisco. Appellant countered with an affidavit which alleged the contract to have been made in the month of June, 1950, at respondent’s plant in Glenn County, appellant’s president and general manager being personally present in Glenn County at that time. The affidavit further traversed the averments of appellant’s affidavit in respect of the place where the obligation arose, where payment was to be made and where breach occurred. In addition to opposing the motion for change of place of trial upon the ground of residence respondent moved the court to retain the action upon the ground of convenience of witnesses. He averred that there were four material and necessary witnesses residing in Glenn County whereby appellant intended to prove his case. Appellant countered with a further affidavit wherein it was averred that of respondent’s four witnesses three were employees of respondent. Further it was averred that appellant must produce at least five material and necessary witnesses at the trial; that two of them resided in San Francisco, and three in Los Angeles County. No issue was raised as to the residence of appellant.

Appellant contends that the two common counts in the complaint are separate causes of action, transitory in nature; that no showing has been made that any of the constitutional grounds justifying suit in a county other than that of appellant’s residence had been made with respect to these separate causes; that it was therefore entitled to a change of venue because of the inclusion of these separate causes in a complaint containing the first count, as to which count only was any issue made concerning where the contract was made, where the obligation arose, and the like. These contentions cannot be sustained. It is obvious from the allegations of all three counts contained in the complaint that the common counts are not based on separate contracts and that there was in *637 fact only one transaction ont of which this suit arose. Although our case law permits the use of common counts, nevertheless the courts recognize that where the common counts follow a count wherein all of the facts on which plaintiff’s demand is based are specifically pleaded and the common counts upon their face make it clear that they are based upon the same set of facts, the common counts are to be considered not as different causes of action, but as alternative methods of pleading the plaintiff’s right to recover the money judgment he seeks. Thus it was said in Hays v. Temple, 23 Cal.App.2d 690, 695 [73 P.2d 1248]:

“. . . It is the established law of California that, if plaintiff is not entitled to recover under one count in a complaint wherein all the facts upon which his, demand is based, are specifically pleaded, it is proper to sustain a demurrer to a common count set forth in the complaint, the recovery under which is obviously based on the set of facts specifically pleaded in the other count. (Harris v. Kessler, 124 Cal.App. 299, 303 [12 P.2d 467]; Powers v. Freeland, 114 Cal.App. 146, 150 [299 P. 736].)
“In Harris v. Kessler, supra, at page 303, the court says;
“ ‘Nor do we find any ground for reversal because of the order of the court sustaining the demurrer to the second count in the cross-complaint without leave to amend. It was a common count for money had and received, the demand being for $16,636.92, which was the identical amount claimed under the first count, and manifestly was based on the same state of facts set forth in the first count. It follows, therefore, that if defendant was not entitled to recovery under the first count, wherein all of the facts upon which the demand was based were specially pleaded, he was not entitled to recover the same under a common count.’ ” (See, also, Orloff v. Metropolitan Trust Co., 17 Cal.2d 484, 489 [110 P.2d 396].)

In this case the two common counts obviously refer to the facts specially pleaded in the first count. Not only is the same recovery asked but it is also averred therein that the liability alleged is for crushing olives. The second common count further averred the same agreed price of $18 per ton as set forth in the first count. Appellant cites Crofts & Anderson v. Johnson, 101 Cal.App.2d 418 [225 P.2d 594], in support of their position that we have different contracts here, but that case is not applicable for there the common count was based upon an account stated, which, as was pointed out, does rest upon a new contract, arising later than the original *638 contract whereunder the liability arose. That is not the situation here.

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Bluebook (online)
256 P.2d 618, 117 Cal. App. 2d 634, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maselli-v-eh-appleby-co-inc-calctapp-1953.