Morrison v. W. L. Green Commission Co.

1916 OK 968, 161 P. 218, 61 Okla. 287, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 890
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 21, 1916
Docket8072
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 1916 OK 968 (Morrison v. W. L. Green Commission Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrison v. W. L. Green Commission Co., 1916 OK 968, 161 P. 218, 61 Okla. 287, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 890 (Okla. 1916).

Opinion

Opinion by

GALBRAITH, C.

W. L. Green Commission Company, hereinafter designated as plaintiff, commenced this action against C. G. Morrison, hereinafter designated as defendant, for damages for breach of a contract for the sale and delivery of wheat. ■ It is alleged in the petition that the plaintiff agreed to buy and the defendant agreed to sell and deliver 3,000 bushels of No. 2 hard wheat, at 87% cents per bushel, at New Orleans, La., for August, 1914, delivery ; that the plaintiff, relying upon the performance of said contract, on behalf of the defendant, resold said quantity of wheat, and that the defendant failed to deliver the same, and on account, of such failure the plaintiff was forced to buy the wheat in the open market at $1.13 per bushel, and thereby was compelled to pay the sum of $933.75 in excess of the amount which he had agreed to pay the defendant,' and judgment was prayed in this amount, together with 6 per cent, interest thereon from September 1. 1014.

The answer was, first, a general denial. The second ground of defense was that the contract being signed by one of the parties and not being signed by the plaintiff, was for that reason void: and the third ground of defense was that on account of the war in Europe the Rock Island Railroad Company placed an embargo on the shipment of wheat from Medford, Okla., where the defendant was doing business, to New Orleans, in July and August. 1914, and he was" therefore not able to procure cars for the shipment of wheat, and further, that the banks of the country, owing to the flurry caused in financial circles by the world war then raging, refused to pay out money, and “it was impossible for the said defendant to receive pay for the purchase price of said wheat;” therefore the contract was impossible of performance. A demurrer was interposed to the second and third grounds of defense and sustained by the court. Afterwards the cause came on for trial on the petition and the general denial in the answer. At the close of the evidence the court instructed the jury to return "a verdict for plaintiff for the amount claimed. The verdict was returned, and judgment entered thereon. To review that judgment this appeal has been prosecuted.

The first assignment of error is to the ruling of the court in sustaining the demurrer to the second' and third grounds of defense. The order sustaining the démurrer was made and entered on the 7th day of May, 1915. The petition in error and . case-made were filed in this court on March 2, 1916. Objection is made to the consideration of this assignment for the reason that more than six months expired between the day the order complained of was made and filing petition in error and case-made in this court, and it is contended for that reason that the court is without jurisdiction to consider this assignment.

This objection seems to be well taken. Section 5255, Rev. Laws 1910, as amended by Sess. Laws 1911, p. 35, reads in part:

“All proceedings for reversing, vacating, or modifying judgments, or final orders shall be commenced within six months from the rendition of the judgment or final order complained of. * *

More than eight months intervened between the date of the order sustaining the demurrer and commencing the proceedings in error in this court, and that order, being ap-pealable, became final at the expiration of six months after it was made.

In Holland v. Beaver, 29 Okla. 115, 116 Pac. 700. Ann. Cas. 1913A, 814, the first' paragraph of the syllabus reads:

“This court cannot consider the question of whether a district court erred in sustaining a demurrer to a petition, when the petition in error is filed more than one year after the ruling of the court sustaining such demurrer was made, notwithstanding the fact that proceedings are begun within one year from the date of judgment subsequently entered.”

*289 It will be recalled that this cause arose prior to the amendment of section 5255, Rev. Laws 1010, by the act of February, 1911, above quoted, and that the section prior to the amendment allowed one year’s time instead of six months to commence proceedings in error.

Again in Rhome Milling Co. v. Farmers’ & Merchants’ Nat. Bank of Hobart, 40 Okla. 131, at 134, 136 Pac. 1095, at 1096, the court, in discussing this question, said:

“The first specification of error set forth in plaintiff’s brief and urged for reversal of the cause is that the court erred in sustaining defendant’s demurrer to the first count of its amended petition and to the cause of action therein set forth. 'This action of the trial court, however, cannot be reviewed. At the time the order complained of was rendered, section 6082, Comp. Laws 1000 (Rev. Laws 1910, sec. 5255), was in force, by which it is required that a proceeding to reverse a judgment or a final order of a court in a civil action shall be commenced within one year after the rendition of the judgment or order complained of. More than two years elapsed after the trial court sustained said demurrer before this proceeding was instituted. and, under the previous decisions of this court, the court was without jurisdiction to review the order of the court sustaining said demurrer.' Holland v. Beaver, 29 Okla. 115, 116 Pac. 766, Ann. Cas. 1913A, 814; Reynolds v. Phipps et al., 31 Okla. 788, 123 Pac. 1125. See, also, Blackwood v. Shaffer, 44 Kan. 273, 24 Pac. 423, which is also controlling upon this question.”

The remaining assignment of error is:

“That the court erred in refusing to hear testimony of the defendant, and in sustaining objection to the offers made on page 60 of the record.”

It appears from the record that the defendant, notwithstanding the demurrer had been sustained to that -part of 'his answer, setting out the reason for his failure to perform the contract, the court was willing to and did allow him to state his reason, as is shown from the following proceeding:

“Q. Now I will ask you what the financial condition was so far as being able to collect any money on drafts or checks during the latter part of August or the first part of September, 1914?
“Mr. Wedgewood: Objected to as incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial, and too general.
“The Court: I think it is, but overruled. Let him answer.
“A. Well, there was quite a good deal of stir in the banking business at that time; some of the grain companies wired us to not make any drafts that they couldn’t pay, but the Green Commission Company had never wired us because we never shipped them any. I don’t know whether that is the reason or not, because we never shipped them any. Q. What is your experience so far as knowing whether the banks would hand out any money on drafts, if so, how much?
“Mr. AYedgwood: Objected to as incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.
“The Court: Yes, sustained. You should have tried these fellows to see whether or not you could get your money.
“Mr. Riding: Exception.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Golsen v. ONG Western, Inc.
756 P.2d 1209 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1988)
Brown v. State Nat. Bank
1934 OK 87 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1934)
Junes & Spicer v. Advance-Rumley Thresher Co.
10 P.2d 724 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1932)
Howard v. Berryman
1930 OK 267 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1930)
In Re Estate of Cutchall
1928 OK 422 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1928)
State Bank of Dakoma v. Weaber
1926 OK 200 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1926)
Murphy v. Comley Lumber Co.
1920 OK 379 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1920)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1916 OK 968, 161 P. 218, 61 Okla. 287, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 890, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrison-v-w-l-green-commission-co-okla-1916.