Ogden Packing & Provision Co. v. Tooele Meat & Storage Co.

124 P. 333, 41 Utah 92, 1912 Utah LEXIS 42
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedMay 11, 1912
DocketNo. 2321
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 124 P. 333 (Ogden Packing & Provision Co. v. Tooele Meat & Storage Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ogden Packing & Provision Co. v. Tooele Meat & Storage Co., 124 P. 333, 41 Utah 92, 1912 Utah LEXIS 42 (Utah 1912).

Opinion

PSION, O. J.

Despondent brought this action to recover upon an open account for goods, wares, and merchandise alleged to have been sold to appellant. After stating the corporate capacity of both the appellant and respondent, and that during all of the time mentioned in the complaint the appellant was engaged in business at Tooele City, Utah, respondent, for a first cause of action, in substance alleged that between the 1st day of March, 1910, and the 26th day of April following, respondent sold and' delivered to appellant, at its request, “goods, wares, and merchandise” of the value of $1979.81, no part •of which had been paid. For a second cause of action, it is alleged that in the months of February, March, and April, 1910, the O. J. Crabtree Produce Company sold and delivered to appellant, at its request, “goods, wares, and merchandise” of the value of $70.05; that before bringing the [94]*94action said account was duly assigned to respondent; and that no part thereof had been paid. For a third cause of action, respondent alleged that on the 1st and 2d days of December, 1909, Aljets & Anderson sold and delivered to appellant, at its request, “goods, wares, and merchandise” of the value of $94.59; that said account was duly assigned to respondent; and that no part had been paid. Appellant answered the complaint, admitting its corporate capacity and that of respondent, and further admitted that it had been engaged in doing business as alleged in the complaint, and denied all other allegations of the complaint. The appellant, as provided by law, demanded and received a full and complete bill of particulars of the accounts stated in the several causes of action aforesaid. A trial to the court without a jury, resulted in findings, conclusions of law, and judgment'in favor’ of respondent for the full amounts claimed in the several causes of action, and to reverse said findings and judgment appellant prosecutes this appeal.

The court, in substance, found the facts as follows: That between March 1, 1910, and the 26th day of April following, the respondent sold and delivered to appellant, at its request, at Tooele City, Utah, “goods, wares, and merchandise” of the value of $1979.81; that during the months of March and April, 1910, aud on the 1st and 2d days of December, 1909, “goods, wares, and merchandise” were sold and delivered to appellant in the amounts and by the persons alleged in the second and third causes of action; that said two accounts were duly assigned to the respondent, as alleged in the complaint, and that no payments had been made thereon, nor upon the account stated in the first cause of action; and that the whole amount claimed in the complaint was due from appellant to respondent.

At the trial the respondent, by leave of court, added an amendment to its complaint, setting forth facts constituting an estoppel, which was done to meet appellant’s claim, that the goods alleged to have been sold and delivered to it were in fact sold and delivered to one U. S. Cline, who. was its lessee, and who was in possession, as such, of its place of [95]*95business, and doing business on bis own account and for bis own benefit. On this issue tbe findings of tbe court are ratber lengthy and specific. Tbe substance and legal effect thereof may, however, be stated thus: That during all of tbe times that tbe goods in question were sold and delivered, as stated in tbe preceding findings, and for a long time prior thereto, appellant “was engaged in and was carrying on, in tbe name of tbe 'Tooele Meat & Storage Company,’ a general meat, live stock, and produce business;” that in conducting said business appellant dealt and contracted with a large number of persons in tbe name aforesaid; “that from tbe month of November, 1908, to tbe 30th day of April, 1910, said business was conducted and carried on through tbe agency of one IT. S. Cline, and during all of said time IT. S. Cline acted as tbe manager and agent of the defendant company (appellant) in its said business with its knowledge and consent, and tbe defendant received and appropriated to its own use tbe profits and benefits derived from tbe transactions entered into on its behalf by tbe said IT. S. Cline during all of said time;” that during all of tbe time aforesaid appellant, by its conduct and course of dealing, held out said Cline to tbe public as its agent and business manager, permitting him to act in that capacity, and that while so acting tbe goods mentioned in tbe findings of fact were by him purchased for appellant from tbe respondent and its assignors.

Tbe court also in effect found that by this conduct of appellant respondent’s assignors and others were induced to deal, and did deal, with said Cline as its business agent and business manager, and that appellant is estopped from now claiming that said Cline was not its agent and business manager, and that said business was not conducted and tbe goods in question were not purchased for its benefit.

1,2 It is contended that tbe foregoing findings are not sustained by tbe evidence. This is a law case, and all we are empowered to do- in such cases is to determine whether there is any substantial evidence in support of tbe findings of tbe court. We repeat, what we have repeatedly said, that ordinarily we cannot devote either time [96]*96or space to set forth the evidence, and, under .ordinary circumstances, all we shall do in law cases is to examine the evidence; and where a case is tried to the court, if we find sufficient evidence which is competent, material, and relevant to sustain the findings* we shall dispose of the assignments by merely stating our conclusions. In this case, however, we have carefully examined the evidence contained in the bill of exceptions, and' we find that Hr. Oline in most positive terms states, under oath, that during all of the time stated in the complaint, and when all of the goods in question were purchased, he was the general business manager of appellant; that as such he purchased all of them; that all were purchased for it, and the money derived from the sale thereof was all deposited in the banks in its name; and was checked out in its name and appropriated and used for its benefit. There is much additional evidence to the same effect; but the foregoing, even if standing alone, was quite sufficient, if the court believed it to be true, to sustain the findings complained of.

3,4 It is also contended that the items of the accounts were not established according to the legal rules of evidence; and hence the findings in that respect are not supported by legal and competent evidence. It no doubt is the law, as counsel contend, that mere “order slips,” or shopbooks, in which merely the orders for goods are entered as the orders are received are not books of original entry within the rule under which shopbooks of original entry are admitted in evidence to prove an account, when the entries contained therein are properly proved or established. In this case such is, however, not all that was done. What was done is this: The salesman of the respondent, who testified he sold the goods in question in the first cause of action, said that he received the orders for the goods from appellant’s manager, either in person, or in such manner that he was personally cognizant of just what orders were received. These orders were placed on slips, called “order slips,” and when the goods were shipped out the items or goods shipped to appellant were compared with the items on the order slips [97]

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Bluebook (online)
124 P. 333, 41 Utah 92, 1912 Utah LEXIS 42, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ogden-packing-provision-co-v-tooele-meat-storage-co-utah-1912.