McElwain v. Schuckert

477 P.2d 754, 13 Ariz. App. 468, 1970 Ariz. App. LEXIS 873
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedDecember 10, 1970
Docket1 CA-CIV 1193
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 477 P.2d 754 (McElwain v. Schuckert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McElwain v. Schuckert, 477 P.2d 754, 13 Ariz. App. 468, 1970 Ariz. App. LEXIS 873 (Ark. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

JACOBSON, Judge.

In this appeal from the judgment of the Maricopa County Superior Court, entered in favor of the plaintiff, E. John Schuckert and his wife, we are primarily asked, to review the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the judgment.

Plaintiffs-appellees, E. John. Schuckert and Beverly Schuckert, d/b/a ■ Schuckert’s Furniture, brought an action for fraud and breach of warranty against defendant-appellant, Harry McElwain, in Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona. Plaintiffs’ causes of action were based upon a transaction in which defendant allegedly sold to plaintiff 27 General Electric color television sets which were later found to be stolen. The trial court, sitting without a jury, entered judgment in plaintiffs’ favor for $6,047.00.

Viewing the facts in a light most favorable to sustain the trial court, the following appears.

On Saturday evening, February 3, 1968, a telephone call was placed to the plaintiffs’ place of business and taken by plaintiffs’ bookkeeper, Mr. Osterreicker. Mr. Osterreicker testified that the caller identified himself as the defendant and that he personally recognized the defendant’s voice. He further testified that the. defendant told him that he had some GE television sets for sale and that he wanted to get in touch with Mr. Schuckert. Mr. Osterreicker gave defendant Mr. Schuckert’s unlisted home phone. Mrs. Schuckert testified that on the same evening she answered the phone at home, gave the ■ receiver to her husband, a conversation ensued, and that after completing the call her husband told her that the defendant had called. Several other telephone calls were placed the next day to the Schuckert home, all from the defendant.

Mr. Schuckert testified that the substance of these several telephone calls was that the defendant had some television sets to sell and that it had to bé a cash sale. He further testified that payment was to be made to the person delivering the sets áfter inspection. Mr. Schuckert agreed to purchase the sets.

*470 Twenty-seven GE color television sets were delivered to Schuckert’s place of business that Sunday, were inspected and the person delivering the sets was paid $3,700.00 cash as part payment at the time of delivery.

' Plaintiff had a sale in progress on the Sunday in question, and he immediately put some of the sets on the floor for sale.

The following day, Monday, the deliveryman returned to plaintiffs’ store and was paid an additional $1,500.00 in cash.

Approximately two weeks later, the police arrived at the plaintiffs’ store and took possession of the remaining General Electric television sets, all of which had apparently been stolen from a third party.

Following plaintiffs’ payment of $6,894.-00 to the true owner of the television sets, the instant litigation was commenced.

The defendant contends that he never called the plaintiffs on Saturday, that he made no representations that he owned the sets, that he was merely passing information as to the availability of these sets to the plaintiffs as a business favor and that he never received any money from this transaction.

The defendant offers four questions for review by this court.

The first question challenges the trial court’s refusal to admit the deposition of the plaintiff, E. John Schuckert, into evidence.

Following extensive examination of the plaintiffs by both sides, the defendant offered Mr. Schuckert’s deposition in evidence, in its entirety, for the court to consider any inconsistencies contained therein as compared to Mr. Schuckert’s testimony at trial. After discussion between the court and counsel as to the admissibility of the deposition, the court stated:

“The Court: Well, I will recheck the rule and will see what it says.
“It may be you are correct, but I was under the impression for witnesses in Court, depositions as such weren’t admissible.
“Of course, it would be used by counsel for impeachment, but I will check the rule and will reserve ruling on it.”

There is no indication in the record of a ruling by the court as to the offer of the deposition nor is there evidence of a request for such.

Defendant correctly cites the case of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Co., v. Parr, 96 Ariz. 13, 391 P.2d 575, (1964), for the established rule that “a motion which is not ruled upon is deemed denied by operation of law.” Plowever, an offer of evidence is not a “motion,” hence, it is not within the purview of the rule. Postponement of a ruling as to the admissibility of evidence is not an exclusion of such evidence and the failure to request a ruling is deemed an abandonment of the evidence sought to be admitted. Matlow v. Matlow, 89 Ariz. 293, 361 P.2d 648 (1961).

Defendant’s second question for review challenges the trial court’s limitation of defendant’s cross-examination of plaintiff’s wife, Mrs. Schuckert.

The relevant portions of the record are as follows:

Cross examination of Mrs. Schuckert by Mr. Ajamie:

“Q Mrs. Schuckert, before then had you ever talked to Mr. McElwain?
“A Yes, when he worked at the store and a couple of days when I helped at the store.
“Q Can you honestly say that you recognized the voice?
“A I only know when he told me who he was and when he called previously when John told me.”
‡ ‡ ‡ ^
“Q Then, you and Mr. Schuckert discussed it, did you?
“A Yes.
* * * * * *
*471 “Q He told you then he purchased them from Harry?
"A I knew he purchased them from Harry.
* * * * * *
“Q Well, in other words, you had considerable discussion with your husband with respect to the whole transaction ?
“Mr. Wilks: Your Honor, object. This isn’t leading us anywhere. It isn’t relevant to the issue.
“The Court: Be sustained. Anything further.
“Mr. Ajamie: No, sir.”

Defendant now states that had he been allowed to continue with this line of questioning he would have been able to show that Mrs. Schuckert knew nothing about the fact other than that which her husband told her. Such might well have been the case, however, as shown by the testimony hereinafter quoted concerning defendant’s next question for review, Mrs. Schuckert in fact testified she knew only what her husband had told her. Moreover, there is no indication that the sustaining of an objection to the above line of inquiry precluded defendant from pursuing the witness’s credibility.

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Bluebook (online)
477 P.2d 754, 13 Ariz. App. 468, 1970 Ariz. App. LEXIS 873, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcelwain-v-schuckert-arizctapp-1970.