McCornick v. Levy

118 P. 558, 39 Utah 447, 1911 Utah LEXIS 62
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1911
DocketNo. 2155
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 118 P. 558 (McCornick v. Levy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCornick v. Levy, 118 P. 558, 39 Utah 447, 1911 Utah LEXIS 62 (Utah 1911).

Opinion

McCARTY, J.

This action was brought to foreclose a mortgage given to secure the payment of a promissory note. The complaint is in the usual form for the foreclosure of a mortgage. The defendant, in her answer, admits the execution of the note and mortgage, but alleges that at the time “she was in a weak condition physically, and her system had been wrecked by weakness and nervousness and sickness,” and that plaintiff, taking advantage of her weak condition, and by making certain false and fraudulent representations (set out in the answer), induced her to execute the note and mortgage. A cross-complaint was interposed, which alleges want of consideration, and reiterates the charge of fraud and.misrepresentation contained in the answer. The relief sought by her is a cancellation of the note and mortgage. Judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff.

The cause has been tried twice, and this is the second appeal taken by the defendant. The opinion rendered by this court on the former appeal is reported in 37 Utah, 134, 106 Pac. 660. The issues presented and the relief sought are practically the same as at the first trial. By an examination of the former opinion, it will be seen that the cause was reversed because'the facts pleaded by defendant in her answer and cross-complaint upon which she based her prayer for equitable relief were, as we then thought, and as we still [449]*449think, fully established on the former trial by the testimony given by the defendant and ber son, J. E. Levy, wbicb testimony was corroborated, rather than contradicted, by the meager evidence introduced by plaintiff on that issue. In view of the fact that the evidence introduced both by defendant and plaintiff at the last trial on the equitable issues presented by the pleadings not only warrants but impels us, in disposing of the cause, to arrive at a different conclusion, it becomes necessary for us to make a somewhat detailed statement of the facts leading up to and surrounding the execution of the note and mortgage as the same appear from the record presented on this appeal.

The Sam Levy Cigar Company, hereafter referred to as the cigar company, was incorporated under the laws of this state July 27, 1895, with a capital stock of 200 shares, at the par value of twenty-five dollars per share. The company was engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling cigars in Salt Lake City, IJtah, and was founded by Sami Levy, defendant’s husband, who died in October, 1904. Defendant was a stockholder and a director in the company from the time of its organization. She owned fifty shares, one-fourth of the stock. When Sam Levy died, defendant’s son, J. E. Levy, who was living at home with defendant, became manager of the business. For about a year prior to June, 1905, the cigar company was indebted to plaintiff, who was and is doing a general banking business, on an overdraft which it had obtained at his bank. About the latter part of June, J. E. Levy, in pursuance of numerous demands made by the bank on the cigar company for the payment of the overdraft, called at the bank and informed Henry Mc-Coroick, plaintiff’s son, who was temporarily in charge of the bank, that the cigar company was indebted to parties other than the plaintiff, and that it could not pay the overdraft, and if pressed for the money it would lose everything, and no one would get anything. At this time the overdraft amounted to $3230.25. Levy explained that the company had a lot of goods on hand which consisted of “broken stock,” [450]*450which was worthless;, because, of the lack of other material necessary to work it up; that the goods on hand cost several thousand dollars, and that if the company could obtain more money with which to purchase more stock it could go on with the business, make more money, and eventually pay all of its obligations. Henry McComick finally agreed to advance the company $2500, provided Mrs. Levy, who at that time was temporarily absent in New York, would guarantee the payment of the indebtedness of the cigar company to the bank, including the $2500 requested. A telegram was sent to Mrs. Levy, asking her if she would guarantee the account of the cigar company. This telegram was received by defendant, and answered in accordance with her wishes that she was willing to guarantee the indebtedness. On faith of this reply telegram Henry McComick prepared a written guaranty on a form used by the bank, and handed it to • J. R. Levy, who sent it to defendant for her signature. Mrs. Levy received it. Instead of signing it so as to make it her personal guaranty, as contemplated by J. R. Levy and Henry McComick, she returned it signed, “Sam Levy 'Cigar Mfg. Co., by Marie Levy, President.” In the meantime, plaintiff loaned the $2500 requested by J. R. Levy by permitting the cigar company to' overdraw its account in the additional sum of $2500, thereby increasing its indebtedness, to $5130.82. The excuse given by Mrs. Levy in her testimony why she did not guarantee the debt personally as she had expressed a willingness to do in her telegram, on the faith of which plaintiff loaned the $2500 mentioned, was that she had changed her mind. J. R. Levy went East with the $2500 advanced the cigar company by plaintiff, and was enabled to obtain, and did obtain, for cash and on credit, about $10,000 worth of goods. These goods were shipped to, and were received by the cigar company.

When this case was tried the second time, J. R. Levy was beyond the jurisdiction of the court, and his testimony given at the former trial was read in evidence. He testified that immediately after the receipt of the goods by the cigar company he, in pursuance of an understanding had with [451]*451Henry McCornick at the time he obtained the loan of $2500 for the company, disposed of the goods as rapidly as possible “for cash at reduced prices, sacrifice prices,” and deposited-the money in plaintiff’s bank to the credit of the cigar company ; “that this took possibly about three monthsthat the cigar company was not permitted to draw any money from the bank to pay its Eastern creditors; that checks were issued against the account, but were not honored by the bank. The books of the bank, containing the account of the- cigar company, the correctness of which is not disputed, show that .from July 8 to November 1, 1905, the time during which Levy claims he was selling goods “at reduced prices, sacrifice prices,” and depositing the proceeds of the sales in plaintiff’s bank, the indebtedness, the overdraft, of the cigar company at the bank was increased from $5674.27 to $6125.92, and that during this period of nearly four months not one cent was paid in, deposited to the credit of the cigar company, to reduce the amount of its indebtedness, but, on the contrary, the overdraft was increased $452.65. Furthermore, plaintiff and Henry McCornick both testified that during this time the cigar company did its banking business with another bank, and that no money was deposited in plaintiff’s bank to the credit of the cigar company.

Considerable evidence was introduced, none of which was denied, tending to show that J. E, Levy’s reputation for truth and veracity in the community where he has resided practically all his life was bad. While counsel for defendant do not admit that his testimony should be rejected as unworthy of belief, unless corroborated by other evidence, they do say in their printed brief: “We repudiated him in our former brief; we repudiate him again in our brief on this appeal. . . .

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
118 P. 558, 39 Utah 447, 1911 Utah LEXIS 62, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccornick-v-levy-utah-1911.