Meldrum v. Kenefick

89 N.W. 863, 15 S.D. 370, 1902 S.D. LEXIS 17
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 1, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 89 N.W. 863 (Meldrum v. Kenefick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meldrum v. Kenefick, 89 N.W. 863, 15 S.D. 370, 1902 S.D. LEXIS 17 (S.D. 1902).

Opinion

Corson, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of the plaintiff. The cause of action is stated in the complaint as follows : “That on or about the 20th day of October, 1892, the plaintiff, at defendant’s request, entered into a contract with one Joseph S. Kenefick to erect and construct a house on the above described premises, ready for lathing and plastering, at the agreed price of fifty dollars, for which defendant agreed to pay plaintiff.” The answer was a general denial. The case was tried to a jury, and the defendant, at the close of the plaintiff’s evidence, moved the court to strike out the evidence of the plaintiff for the reason that it appeared from the same that he had not made a contract with [372]*372the defendant as alleged in his complaint, and because it appeared that the defendant had merely guarantied the payment of the contract. This motion was denied, and the plaintiff excepted. At the close of all the evidence the defendant moved the court to direct a verdict in favor of the .defendant on the ground that the undisputed evidence in the case showed that the plaintiff claims to hold the defendant liable under a guaraty, and riot as principal debtor. It is contended on the part of the appellant that inasmuch as in the complaint it is alleged that the plaintiff entered into a contract with the defendant for the erection of the building, and the evidence showed that he was simply a guarantor, and not the principal debtor, the plaintiff was not entitled to recover in. this action, for the reason that such a contract, in order to bind the defendant, must be in writing, under the statute. It is contended on the part of the respondent in support of the judgment: (i) That the contract was in fact an original contract entered into by the defendant, upon which he is liable to the plaintiff; (2) that if the defendant was a guarantor, under the evidence, the plaintiff was entitled to recover, for the reason that no objection was made in the trial court that the guaranty was not in writing, and the defendant cannot raise that question for the first time in this court.

It appears from the evidence of the plaintiff that in 1892 he had a conversation with the defendant in regard to the building of a house on the farm then occupied by a brother of the defendant; that he had told the plaintiff his brother had the plan, and was in town, and requested the plaintiff to see him; that he saw the brother and the plan. And he further testifies: “I saw Joe, and after-wards saw the defendant, and said I would erect the house for $50. I told him I had talked with Joe, and he said I could build it; and then I said to defendant, T cannot on Joe’s account.’ De[373]*373fendant then said, ‘Well, you go ahead and build the house, and I will see that you get your money;’ I built and completed it about the last of October.” Plaintiff then testified to several conversations between himself and the defendant in regard to the payment, in one of which the defendant desired the witness to get the money out of his brother Joe — as he had done so much for him, he wanted Joe to pay it. Subsequently, defendant refusing to pay, the plaintiff brought this action. It will be observed from the evidence that he refused to build the house on “Joe’s account”, and that the defendant directed him to go ahead and build the house, and he would see that the plaintiff should get his money. It is true that the plaintiff spoke in some portions of his evidence of the defendant having guarantied the payment, and that he requested the brother to pay it; but, in our view, the case comes clearly within the provisions of subdivision 2, § 4277, Comp. Paws, which reads as follows : “A promise to answer for the obligation of another, in any of the following cases, is deemed an original obligation of the promiser, and need not be in writing: * * * (2) Where the creditor parts with value, or enters into an obligation, in consideration of the obligation in respect to which the promise is made, in terms or under circumstances such as to render the party making the promise the principal debtor, and the person in whose behalf it is made his surety. * * * ” At the time the contract was made with the defendant, no debt existed on the part of his brother, and the plaintiff distinctly refused to erect the building upon the brother’s responsibility. It is clear from the plaintiff’s evidence that he relied entirely upon the agreement of the defendant to- pay him, or see him paid, for erecting the building.' Ordinarily, when one agrees to pay the debt of'another, which.has already been contracted, the party is strictly a guarantor; and his guaranty must be in- writing; [374]*374but when the contract is originally made with the party sought to be charged, and the party seeking to enforce the contract relied exclusively upon the responsibility of such party, the contract is an original one, and need not be in writing. Section 4277, Comp. Laws, is a copy of section 1538 of the proposed code for the state of New York; and the code commissioners of that state refer to the following cases, among others, as the basis for this subdivision of the section: Chase v. Day, 17 Johns. 114; Quintard v. De Wolf, 34 Barb. 97; Devlin v. Woodgate, Id. 252; Darlington v. McCunn, 2 E. D. Smith, 411. The case of Chase v. Day, supra, was.an action by the plaintiff, Day, to recover of the defendant, Chase, .for newspapers sold and delivered to him. On the trial it was shown that Chase, the defendant, called at the printing office of Day, and, after some conversation in regard to the terms on which Day would let the nephew of the defendant have newspapers, the defendant Chase said: “If my nephew should call for papers, I will be responsible for the papers that he shall take.” In discussing the case the supreme court of New York says: “Here was a promise to pay for the papers, by the. defendant below, before they were delivered to a third person, and the only question is whether the credit was given originally and solely to the defendant. The evidence fairly warrants the construction that the credit was so given, and therefore it is not within the statute of frauds, requiring a note in writing in order to charge a person for the debt or default of another. * * * It was not a collateral agreement, but an original and absolute contract on the part of the defendant for the price of the papers to be furnished for the use of his nephew.” But if the contract was one strictly of guaranty, the plaintiff was entitled to recover, as his evidence was admitted without objection, and it is too late in this court to raise the question that the contract was [375]*375not in writing. The most that could be claimed for the evidence would be that there was a variance between the allegations of the complaint and the proof. No such variance, however, was suggested at the trial, and hence the variance is not a ground for reversing the judgment in this court. Section 4934 provides: “No variance between the allegation in a pleading and the proof shall be deemed material, unless it have actually misled the adverse party to his prejudice, in maintaining his action or defense, upon the merits. Whenever it shall be alleged that a party has been misled, the fact shall be proved to the satisfaction of the court, and in what respect he has been misled; and thereupon the court may order the pleadings to be amended, upon such terms as shall be just.” So far as the record discloses, defendant made no suggestion that he had been misled by the alleged variance; and hence, if there, was a variance, it was the duty of the trial court to disregard it.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 N.W. 863, 15 S.D. 370, 1902 S.D. LEXIS 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meldrum-v-kenefick-sd-1902.