Oakes v. Goodreau

16 Mass. App. Dec. 1
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedMarch 6, 1958
DocketNo. 5157; No. 648
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 16 Mass. App. Dec. 1 (Oakes v. Goodreau) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oakes v. Goodreau, 16 Mass. App. Dec. 1 (Mass. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

Northrup, J.

This is an action for conversion of a 1957 Dodge Lancer automobile. The defendant’s answer is a general denial.

At the trial there was evidence tending to show that on April 8, 1957 one Samuel De-Cesare purchased the Dodge Lancer from the defendant under a conditional sales agreement and transferred to the defendant a 1956 Plymouth as part payment therefor. On the same day, all right title and interest of the vendor under said .conditional sales agree[2]*2ment was assigned by the defendant to the Haverhill National Bank without recourse. Thereafter, on April 23, 1957 said DeCesare entered into a written agreement with the plaintiffs for the purchase of a 1957 Cadillac and transferred to the plaintiffs all of his interest in the Dodge Lancer as a down payment on the Cadillac and as part consideration for the same. The plaintiffs’ dealer plates were attached to the Dodge Lancer and De-Cesare was given permission by the plaintiffs to use the same until the next day when financing of the Cadillac was to be arranged.

That evening, although no payments had become due under the conditional sales agreement, the Haverhill National Bank repossessed the Dodge automobile under a provision in the agreement for repossession in the event that the vendor deemed itself insecure. The apparent feeling of insecurity on the part of the Haverhill National Bank arose as a result of information which the bank had received to the effect that the 1956 Plymouth which was part consideration for the purchase of the Dodge Lancer might have been stolen or might be encumbered. After repossession by the bank the Dodge Lancer was placed by the bank in the custody of the defendant “for safe keeping”. Thereafter on April 26, 1957 the plaintiff Oakes paid to the Haverhill National Bank the sum of one thousand si'x hundred eighty-six dollars and eighty-eight cents ($1686.88) which was the amount then due on the Dodge Lancer under the conditional sales agreement and obtained from the bank a release to the plaintiffs of [3]*3all of the bank’s right title and interest in and to the same. On the same day the plaintiffs notified the defendant that they had purchased said agreement from the Haverhill National Bank and demanded that the defendant deliver the Dodge Lancer to the plaintiffs. The defendants delivered to the plaintiffs the dealer’s plates which were on the Dodge Lancer at the time it was repossessed but refused to deliver the automobile to the plaintiffs.

On May i, 1957 the plaintiffs notified De-Cesare by letter that they would not hold the Cadillac for him more than twenty-four hours and when said DeCesare failed .to call for the car the plaintiffs sold it to another customer. At the conclusion of the testimony the defendant filed the following requests for rulings:

1. In an act of conversion the plaintiff must have present legal right to the immediate possession of the property converted.
3. The plaintiff did not have a present legal right to immediate possession of the property in question at the time of the alleged conversion.
3. The plaintiff at the time he secured the assignment of the conditional sales contract from the Haverhill National Bank knew or should have known that Samuel DeCesare had fraudulently gained possession of the 1957 Dodge Lancer from the defendant.
4.. At the time the plaintiff had secured the assignment of the conditional sales contract from the Haverhill National Bank there had been no default in payment, which entitled the said Haverhill National Bank or its assignee to immediate possession.
5. The plaintiff is not an innocent purchaser for value.
[4]*46. The said Samuel DeCesare procured possession of the 1957 Dodge Lancer by entering into a contract with the defendant, which contract was entered into by fraud in the part of the said Samuel DeCesare.
7. The defendant had a right to rescind the contract with Samuel DeCesare upon learning that said contract was procured by fraud.
8. The said defendant did descind his contract with the said Samuel DeCesare.
9. The said defendant did offer to put the Haverhill National Bank in status quo at the time of a rescission of the contract.
10. Even though this court should find that the plaintiff had some indicia of ownership in the 1957 Dodge Lancer, that said plaintiff is estopped from claiming said ownership.
11. A conditional vendor of personal property retains title to said personal property until full payment is made.
12. That the plaintiff is estopped from maintaining this action of conversion, in view of the fact that he knew or should have known that Samuel DeCesare had fraudulently secured possession and control of the 1957 Dodge Lancer, and with this knowledge received an assignment of the conditional sales contract.
13. Plaintiff made no demand on the defendant for the return of the car.

The court made special findings of fact substantially in accordance with the testimony hereinbefore set forth and ruled on the defendant’s requests as follows:

Request i — Allowed;
Request 2 — Denied — see findings of fact;
Request 3 — Denied — in the form requested. This request is premised upon the assumption that Samuel DeCesare fraudulently gained possession of the Dodge Lancer [5]*5automobile. I am unable to find on the evidence that the said DeCesare in fact gained possession of said automobile by fraud. Whatever intimation there may have been that said DeCesare did so gain possession of said automobile, the fact was not proven at the trial and I cannot so find.
Request 4 — This request is premised upon a default in payment alone; under the provisions of the conditional sales contract there are other contingencies upon which the Vendee might take possession.
Request 5 — Denied;
Request 6 — Denied in the form requested — see Findings of Fact and my disposition of request 3;
Request 7 — Denied and Request 8 denied as not applicable to the facts found; the contract referred to in this request was assigned to the Haverhill National Bank by the defendant and he subsequently never had title to the conditional sales contract and could not exercise any rights thereunder;
Request 9 — This is a request for finding of fact;
Request 10 — Denied see Findings of Fact;
Request 11 — Denied in the form requested;
Request 12 — Denied;
Request 13 — Denied — see Findings of Fact.

The court found for the plaintiff in the sum of $275.00 with interest from April 26, 1957. The defendant duly requested a report of the trial court’s rulings on his requests numbers 2 to 13 inclusive and the correctness [6]*6of the court’s rulings thereon is the present issue.

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Related

Spring v. F. B. Rich & Sons, Inc.
37 Mass. App. Dec. 133 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div., 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 Mass. App. Dec. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oakes-v-goodreau-massdistctapp-1958.