McGuire v. Thompson

40 N.W.2d 237, 152 Neb. 28, 1949 Neb. LEXIS 43
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 12, 1949
DocketNo. 32677.
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 40 N.W.2d 237 (McGuire v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGuire v. Thompson, 40 N.W.2d 237, 152 Neb. 28, 1949 Neb. LEXIS 43 (Neb. 1949).

Opinions

[29]*29Messmore, J.

This is an action at law to rescind an oral agreement made between the plaintiff and defendant whereby the plaintiff was to exchange his stallion for defendant’s mare. The case was tried to a jury, resulting in a verdict for the plaintiff, fixing the value of the stallion at $791. Upon the overruling of defendant’s motion for new trial, the defendant appealed.

The plaintiff’s amended petition set forth the agreement for the exchange of horses, the reliance of the plaintiff on the representation made by the defendant that the mare he traded was with foal which proved to be false, that upon discovery of the fraud the plaintiff rescinded the contract, returned the mare, and requested the return of his stallion which defendant refused.

Defendant’s answer was a general denial of the allegations of plaintiff’s amended petition and affirmatively alleged that the plaintiff was not the real party at interest. Defendant cross-petitioned for the feed and keep of the mare while in his possession, praying for $820 as the amount. The reply denied generally the affirmative allegations of the defendant’s answer and cross-petition.

For convenience we refer to the parties as they appeared in the district court.

The record discloses that the plaintiff is a farmer residing near Wisner, Nebraska. He testified that in the latter part of May and the fore part of June 1945, he owned a perfect, two-year-old albino stallion in good health; that the defendant, one of the operators of the “White Horse Ranch” in Boyd County and a dealer in albino horses, called at the plaintiff’s home for the purpose of negotiating an exchange of a mare for the plaintiff’s stallion. At that time an oral agreement was consummated between the parties whereby the plaintiff was to trade his stallion for defendant’s mare, expressly guaranteed by the defendant to be with foal and to deliver a fall colt. Present at the time the agreement was made were the plaintiff, his son, the defendant, and his wife. Pursuant to the [30]*30agreement, in the first week of June 1945, the defendant delivered the mare to the plaintiff’s farm. The plaintiff was not at home at the time, but was called by his son. Upon arriving home he ascertained that his son did not believe the mare was with foal. The plaintiff told the defendant he did not believe the mare was with foal, to which the defendant replied: “I guarantee her to be in foal.” The defendant further represented the mare to be “seven to eight months along.” The plaintiff relied upon and believed the representation made by the defendant. As a result the defendant left the mare and took the stallion. The plaintiff kept the mare for ten months and she failed to deliver a colt. In February 1946, the plaintiff wrote to the defendant stating that the mare was not with foal and he was going to return her, and demanded the return of the stallion. He also testified that he had lived on a farm all his life, owned and raised horses, and was familiar with breeding horses; that the period of gestation for a mare is approximately 11 months; that during the period of time the mare was in his possession she did not show any indications that she was with foal; and that you can generally tell when a mare is eight or nine months along whether or not she is with foal by looking at her. In April 1946, the plaintiff returned the mare to the defendant’s ranch and requested the defendant to return the stallion, which the defendant refused to do. At that time the defendant represented that the mare was supposed to be with foal. Plaintiff fixed the value of the stallion at the date of the trade in the amount of $1,200. The mare was ridden by his daughter on several occasions, and was not abused.

The plaintiff’s son corroborated his father’s testimony with respect to the conversation had between the plaintiff and defendant wherein the defendant guaranteed the mare to be with foal.

A witness present at the time the mare was delivered to the plaintiff by the defendant testified to the conversation had between them wherein the plaintiff stated that [31]*31the mare did not look like she was with foal, and the defendant said he would guarantee the mare to be with foal.

A neighbor and acquaintance of the plaintiff went with him to return the mare. He testified that the plaintiff told the defendant that he was returning the mare, and she was supposed to be with foal. The defendant stated that at the time he made the trade he guaranteed the mare to be with foal, and refused to return the stallion.

The defendant testified to the agreement as follows: That he told the plaintiff the mare was bred and should have a colt in the fall; that the negotiations were had in the presence of the plaintiff’s family; and that a daughter of the plaintiff was desirous of having the mare as a saddle mare. He understood and believed the stallion was owned by the daughter, and the purpose of the exchange was for her benefit. At the time of the exchange it was hard to tell whether or not the mare was with foal, but due to the enlargement of her stomach she looked like she was with foal. He received a letter from the plaintiff dated February 25, 1946, wherein the plaintiff stated he was going to return the mare and wanted his stallion returned to him. In this letter the plaintiff stated that when the defendant brought the mare to plaintiff’s farm he said to him: “That mare is not with foal” and the defendant said she was, but it would be a fall colt. The plaintiff said: “ * * * if the mare is in foal we will trade,” and that the mare not being in foal, there was not any trade.

Upon the return of the mare to the defendant’s ranch he offered to re-breed her, or in the alternative, offered the plaintiff another mare in exchange, which offers were refused by the plaintiff.

The defendant further testified that he did not believe the stallion was old enough to breed, the average age for such purpose being two-and-one-half to three years. In August of 1945, he castrated the stallion for the reason that it was not a pure albino and it would not be feasible [32]*32to use the stallion for breeding purposes. He explained several points about the stallion upon which he based his opinion, and testified that the value of the stallion at the time of the exchange was from $125 to $150, and that the value would increase by the training of the stallion for show purposes. He also testified that if the plaintiff had watched the mare he could have ascertained by her actions whether or not she was with foal.

The defendant’s wife testified that at the time the negotiations were made for the trade she had a conversation with the plaintiff’s daughter who was interested in getting the mare for riding purposes. In this conversation, the plaintiff’s daughter said she owned a colt but the colt was not old enough to be ridden. This colt is the stallion referred to in the record. The defendant did not guarantee to furnish a mare with foal. He stated that he would trade a mare that was bred, and that was all that was said. She was present when the plaintiff returned the mare to the ranch, and when he drove up she talked to him. He said: “Take your mare.” The witness said: “Well, she isn’t my mare, she is yours.” Shortly thereafter the defendant appeared and told the plaintiff that he would breed the mare, or, if the mare was not satisfactory, he would give him another one. The plaintiff refused such offers and said he would take his colt back.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
40 N.W.2d 237, 152 Neb. 28, 1949 Neb. LEXIS 43, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcguire-v-thompson-neb-1949.