McCaull v. Nichols

150 N.W. 932, 29 N.D. 405, 1915 N.D. LEXIS 17
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 18, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 150 N.W. 932 (McCaull v. Nichols) 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
McCaull v. Nichols, 150 N.W. 932, 29 N.D. 405, 1915 N.D. LEXIS 17 (N.D. 1915).

Opinion

Bukke, J.

This is a trial de novo. While there are disputes in this case, we have no hesitancy in stating that the facts are clear to us. Not having the space to set out the evidence in full, we will content ourselves with stating that in our opinion the following narration ■ is supported by the evidence and appeals to us as the most reasonable construction to be placed upon all of the evidence.

During the fall of 1909 the defendant Kaiser, together with one Nichols, bought a lot in the village of Flasher upon contract from the [408]*408W. H. Brown Land Company and began the erection of a building thereon, procuring lumber upon credit from the plaintiff, copartnership, which we shall hereafter refer to as the Hawkeye Elevator Company, the last purchase of lumber being on November 11, 1909.

Thereafter, and on or about the 24-th of January, 1910, Kaiser purchased the interest of Nichols in the contract for the lot, and upon paying the balance of the purchase price, obtained the deed to the same. At or about the same time, he negotiated for a loan with the Flasher State Bank, through one Grace, its cashier. During all of these times, one McCall was the local agent of the plaintiff and Hawk-eye Elevator Company, and as such had sold the lumber to the defendant and Nichols. Shortly before the 24th of January, 1910, Kaiser and McCall approached Grace with the purpose of having the bank take a mortgage upon the building and lot in a sum sufficient to pay the balance due upon the lumber bill, which was the sum of $800.

In this connection, Mr. Grace testified:

I can’t remember whether they came together or whether they came separately, but Kaiser and he were both in and solicited the loan before it was made.
Q. Is that all you remember about' it ?
A. Furthermore, we were to have the first lien on the property. We were to have the mortgage, and our mortgage was to be the first lien.
Q. And were to loan them $800 — and what was to be done with the $800?
A. To pay the Hawkeye Elevator Company.
Q. You were not to get clear title to the property until they were paid off ?
A. If they did not turn over the property, that was not our business. That is what we loaned it to them for.
Q. Did you obligate yourself in any way to attend to the distribution: of the money?
A. I did not.
[409]*409Q. Did be offer you any inducements, as cashier of the bank, to induce you to make this loan to Frank Kaiser ?
A. We were to have the first lien on the property.
Q. Was that his offer to you ?
A. Yes.
Q. Then it was the statement made by the ITawkeye Elevator Company through their agent, Erank McCall, that induced you to make this loan to Erank Kaiser?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you rely upon the representations that were made to you by Mr. McCall?
A. I did.

Upon this same question, McCall testifies in part:

Q. That was the arrangement and understanding on the day the papers were made out?
A. Yes, sir, we were to get our $800 and they were to get the first lien.
Q. That was on the 24th day of January. The arrangement between you and Mr. Kaiser and the bank was this, — that the bank should make the loan of $800 to Mr. Kaiser, — that if they would make the loan of $800 to Mr. Kaiser, their mortgage would be the first lien, and you were to have the $800 that Mr. Kaiser was to get ?
A. Yes.

And' again he testifies:

Q. You wanted Mr. Grace to make the loan so your company would get its money?
A. Yes, sir, we did.
Q. You were anxious to get the matter straightened up ?
A. Yes.
Q. You were willing to have Mr. Grace make this loan for $800, and you told him that if he would make the loan for $800, that you would let his mortgage be the first lien when you got your money, and, of course, it would be ?
[410]*410A. Yes, it would be because we would bave nothing against the property.
Q. That was the arrangement and understanding on the day the papers were made out ?
A. Yes, we were to get our $800 and they were to get the first lien.

Without setting forth more of the testimony, we will say that we are satisfied that at that time the arrangement was that Kaiser was to pay to McCall the proceeds of the loan; everybody had confidence in Kaiser and did not attend to the business as promptly as they otherwise might have done, and owing to the fact that Flasher is not a county seat, none of the papers were then filed. We also find that on the same day, the 24th of January, 1910, the bank paid to Kaiser the full amount of his loan by crediting it to him upon the books of the bank, and that McCall knew of this transaction and assumed the burden of collecting the money from Kaiser, for either upon the same afternoon or upon the following forenoon, McCall had further conversation with Kaiser outside of the bank, and without the knowledge of the bank, whereby he extended further accommodations to Kaiser, the exact nature of which is not clear to us, owing to the fact that Kaiser was not a witness. However, it appears that Kaiser wished to go to Iowa to be married, and, needing some money for that purpose, induced McCall to accept a check for $450 upon the bank, and a note for the balance, $350, due in one year, running to the ITawkeye Elevator Company. Kegarding this transaction, McCall testifies that Kaiser promised to pay the same after he returned from his wedding trip, which is, of course, inconsistent with the fact that the note ran for one year.

McCall testifies upon cross-examination:

Q. Mr: Grace never told you that he had to hold the money until the papers were accepted?
A. No, it was just an assumption I had.
Q. Now, it was the same afternoon or the next day that he gave you this check?
A. I think it was the next morning. Some time the day after or the next day.
[411]*411Q. And he gave you then a check for how much ?
A. $450.
Q. On this account in the bank ?
A. Yes, to apply to our account.
Q. He gave you a check of this $800 he got from the bank?
A. Yes.
Q. And he gave you a check for $450 of it ?
A. Yes.
Q. And you arranged with him at that time that the balance of the $350 you would take a note for?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
150 N.W. 932, 29 N.D. 405, 1915 N.D. LEXIS 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccaull-v-nichols-nd-1915.