Murrell v. Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.

1929 OK 308, 282 P. 343, 140 Okla. 129, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 332
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 10, 1929
Docket19264
StatusPublished

This text of 1929 OK 308 (Murrell v. Advance-Rumely Thresher 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
Murrell v. Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., 1929 OK 308, 282 P. 343, 140 Okla. 129, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 332 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

JEFFREY, C.

Advance-Rumely Thresher Company, a corporation, commenced this action against R. C. Murrell to recover the sum of $1,325.29 alleged to be the balance due on a written contract or order for the sale of a carload of lubricating and cylinder oils. The contract was attached to the petition as an exhibit and, omitting a description of the items ordered, is as follows :

■‘Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., Inc. (Incorporated)
“Order for Oils and Greases.
“Ship to R. 0. Murrell, station, Frederick, Okla., via freight at once. Terms. Sept 1st, 1926, 5% Dis. Aug. 20, 26. Deliver at Frederick. Charge to R. 0. Murrell, Frederick, Okla. We consign no goods. (Description of Oils.)
‘‘R. C. Murrell, purchaser. J. W. French, salesman.”

Defendant answered and admitted the execution of the written order and receipt Of the oils, but alleged, in substance, that prior to the execution of the written order one J. W. French, who was a salesman for plaintiff, represented to defendant that said French had secured written orders from a number of customers in and about Frederick, Okla., for oils amounting to almost a carload, and that if defendant would order a few. barrels of oils so as to complete a carload and permit the entire carload to be charged to defendant, the freight rate would be materially reduced; that defendant would not bo obligated to pay for the entire carload, but that defendant would only be obligated to deliver the oils covered by written orders, collect the purchase price, and remit the amount thereof to plaintiff. Defendant further alleged that said French delivered to him at said time about seven written orders for approximately seven barrels of oil, and stated that he had other written orders already executed, which would be delivered to defendant promptly. Defendant further alleged that he believed and relied upon the representations so made by plaintiff’s agent and was by reason thereof induced to sign the written order for the oil; that plaintiff delayed the shipment of the oil so that when it arrived those whose written orders had been delivered to him refused to receive their part of the oil, and that no other written orders for oil by other customers were ever delivered to him. Defendant alleged that plaintiff’s agent falsely and fraudulently represented to him that he had additional written orders from other customers which would consume almost all or the oil to he shipped, while as a matter of fact said agent did not have such written orders, hut that said representations were made for the purpose and d'd induce defendant to execute the written contract sued upon. Plaintiff denied all allegations of new matter alleged in the answer. The cause was tried to a jury. Defendant, hav *130 ing admitted the execution of the written, contract, assumed the burden of procedure and offered his evidence tending to support the allegations of his answer. At the conclusion of defendant's evidence, plaintiff demurred to the evidence, which demurrer was sustained, and the jury instructed to return a verdict in favor of plaintiff for the balance alleged to be due on the contract.' A verdict was so returned, judgment duly entered thereon, and defendant has appealed.

We will first consider defendant’s assignment of error that the trial court erred in excluding evidence offered by him. The rejected evidence was that offered by defendant as a witness and Mrs. McDaniel to the effect that plaintiff’s agent, Drench, orally agreed with defendant that if he would execute the order in order that the oil could ¡be shipped in a carload lot, defendant would only have to pay for a few barrels to be used by him and the balance thereof would be covered by written orders from other customers, which orders French then had in his possession; that all of the said written orders would be delivered to defendant, and the only obligation that would rest upon defendant in connection with the oil, other than the few barrels which he purchased himself, would be to deliver the oil under the written orders from other customers, collect the price thereof, and forward' it to plaintiff. Defendant also offered to testify that French promised that in the event there was any oil left on his hands after September 1, 1920, it could be returned to plaintiff, and defendant would not be charged therewith. The trial court admitted all evidence tending to establish fraud on the part of French in securing the written contract for the purchase of the oil. It is only that evidence which tends to show that there was a prior parol agreement, different in its terms and scope from the written agreement, which was excluded.

Defendant’s position is, as will be seen from a resume of the allegations of defendant’s answer, that the oil, except a few barrels, was shipped to 'him as agent for delivery. In so far as defendant’s liability is concerned, the oral agreement pleaded amounts to no more than a consignment of goods for sale. There is neither pleading nor proof to show the exact quantity of oil which defendant actually purchased outright according to his theory. In each instance he states that he agreed to take on his own account a few barrels to complete the carload. The evidence shows that the order and shipment covered approximately 65 barrels of oil; that defendant sold this oil from time to time as his customers called for it; and that at the time of the trial, he had on hand only about 37 barrels. The evidence also shows that he did not deliver any of the oil to the customers for whom he held written orders secured from French.

It is a well-recognized principle of law that evidence for the purpose of showing that a written instrument was delivered conditionally is admissible, although the condition rest in parol. However, such evidence does not tend to show any modification or alteration of the written instrument, but that it never became operative and its obligation never commenced. Colonial Jewelry Co. v. Brown et al., 38 Okla. 44, 131 Pac. 1077. But we do not understand this to be the defense here relied on. The effect of defendant’s contention is not that the contract, which he executed, would take effect and become operative upon the happening of some condition, which was orally stipulated by the parties, but that the written contract sued upon would never become a binding obligation. The contract sued upon directs that plaintiff ship to defendant at Frederick, Okla., and charge to him all of the oil at a designated price, and upon certain terms therein designated. The contract also contains in bold type, “We Consign No Goods.” This appears to be an absolute contract by which defendant purchased and agreed to pay for all of the oil therein described. If defendant's position be tenable, he would be in effect admitting that he entered into a binding contract in writing, but entered into a prior oral contract different from the written contract, which prevails over the written contract wherever the provisions of the two conflict. To sustain defendant’s position would permit him to contradict or vary the terms of a written instrument by parol, which is prohibited by law. Section 5035, C. O. S. 1921; Gillis v. First National Bank of Frederick, 47 Okla. 411, 148 Pac. 994; Colbert v. First National Bank of Ardmore, 38 Okla. 391, 133 Pac. 206; Duffey v. Scientific American Compiling Department, 30 Okla. 742, 120 Pac. 1088; McCaskey Register Co. v. Curfman (Ind.) 90 N. E. 323.

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Related

Colonial Jewelry Co. v. Brown
1913 OK 256 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1913)
Gillis v. First Nat. Bank of Frederick
1915 OK 292 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1915)
Colbert v. First Nat. Bank of Ardmore
1913 OK 445 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1913)
Holcomb & Hoke Mfg. Co. v. Jones
1924 OK 672 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1924)
Duffey v. Scientific American Compiling Department
1912 OK 96 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1912)
Hannon Tailoriing Co. v. Greenberg-Kantor Co.
227 P. 873 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1924)
McCaskey Register Co. v. Curfman
90 N.E. 323 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1910)
Manss-Bruning Shoe Co. v. Prince
41 S.E. 907 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1902)

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Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 308, 282 P. 343, 140 Okla. 129, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 332, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murrell-v-advance-rumely-thresher-co-okla-1929.