Oil Tool Exchange, Inc. v. Schuh

153 P.2d 976, 67 Cal. App. 2d 288, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1309
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 13, 1944
DocketCiv. 3275
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 153 P.2d 976 (Oil Tool Exchange, Inc. v. Schuh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oil Tool Exchange, Inc. v. Schuh, 153 P.2d 976, 67 Cal. App. 2d 288, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1309 (Cal. Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

GRIFFIN, J.

This action, filed on December 17, 1939, was a complaint to foreclose a mortgage on certain real property in San Bernardino County, which mortgage was given by defendants Schuhs and Fidelity Foundation, Ltd., a trust, by Smith Williams and G. M. Love joy, as trustees, the then owners, as security for the payment of a promissory note in the sum of $15,204.07, payable to plaintiff Oil Tool Exchange, Inc., and executed on October 20, 1937, by defendants John E. Schuh and Blanche Schuh and payable in installments over a period of two years. No payments were made thereon except $2,500. Default of defendant Fidelity Foundation, Ltd., a trust, Smith Williams and G. M. Love joy, as trustees, and other party defendants, was duly entered. On November 21, 1941, the Schuhs and the trustees filed their answer and cross-complaint and admitted the signing of the note by the Schuhs and the mortgage by the named defendants, but denied that they were ever executed or delivered to plaintiff or that defendants ever received any consideration for them. They then alleged that on June 15, 1937, defendant John E. Schuh signed a pretended written guarantee of credit of “Louis C. Simmel Organization” to guarantee the payment of certain indebtedness to be incurred by that organization to plaintiff in a sum not to exceed $6,000; that Louis C. Simmel signed that guarantee as a coguarantor; that Simmel represented to defendant John E. Schuh that the object of the guarantee was to procure delivery to the organization, upon credit, of certain oil well casing for use in an oil well then being drilled by the said organization in Kern County; that Simmel misrepresented the facts to him as to the oil well and its ability to produce oil and led defendants to believe that Schuh would *291 never be called upon to make good his guarantee. It is then alleged that plaintiff corporation and Simmel had a secret agreement between them that they would never attempt to enforce the guarantee as to Simmel but would enforce payment thereof only from defendants Schuh; that on July 17, 1937, plaintiff, through its agent, agreed to cancel the guarantee; that in September, 1937, plaintiff here commenced an action in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County against defendant Schuh, alleging an amount of $13,722.11 due plaintiff by reason of indebtedness of Simmel to plaintiff and a guarantee by John E. Schuh of such amount. The unlimited, continuing guarantee signed by Schuh on June 15,1937, guaranteed the payment of all of the Simmel organization debts “now, heretofore, and/or hereafter incurred or due” and was to remain in force until written revocation was given, and that such revocation should only affect indebtedness thereafter incurred. A similar guarantee was signed by Mr. Schuh as to any debts of the Simmel organization and/or “H.C.L. and associates” owing to plaintiff, but this guarantee had a limitation of $2,750. Simmel was not made a defendant in that action.

It is further alleged in the answer that defendant John E. Schuh was in such financial difficulty that in order to protect his entire holdings from threatened involuntary bankruptcy proceedings to be filed by plaintiff, he and his wife, acting under the threat, executed the note and mortgage set forth in this action; that he therefore paid $2,500 on it unwillingly and under threats of foreclosure.

As a further defense it is alleged that the principal sum of the mortgage had been fully paid and discharged by the payment by Louis C. Simmel or Elma C. Simmel of their respective indebtedness to plaintiff for the purchase of the oil well machinery.

In an amended answer it is alleged that on April 6, 1939, plaintiff sued Elma C. Simmel upon a similar unlimited continuing guarantee of the Simmel organization debts to plaintiff in the sum of $11,223.11 plus costs and attorney’s fees. That guarantee was dated April 26, 1937. It is then alleged in the answer that Mrs. Simmel, in that action, interposed the defense of payment of the indebtedness by reason of the acceptance of the note and mortgage here involved; that plaintiff there contended that said note and mortgage was only held as security and was not accepted as payment; that the trial *292 court so held and rendered judgment against Mrs. Simmel for $14,589.97.

It is further alleged in the answer that the material sold to the Simmel organization by plaintiff was sold on a conditional sales contract and was later repossessed and returned to plaintiff. Defendants then pray that plaintiff take nothing; that the mortgage and note be delivered up and cancelled; for the return of the $2,500 paid; and for damages in the sum of $15,000.

The trial court found that the Fidelity Foundation, Ltd., was a trust; that John E. and Blanche Schuh were trustors and that they, as individuals, prior to November 17, 1939, transferred all of their title to the lands here involved to the trust and that they were the beneficiaries under it; that prior to the commencement of this action the trustees, in accordance with the terms of the trust, transferred all their title and interest as trustees in the trust to the Schuhs as tenants in common ; that the Schuhs, for a valuable consideration, made, executed and delivered the promissory note here involved as well as the mortgage securing it; that Schuh made and executed, for a valuable consideration the guarantee in writing which had a limitation of $2,750 as well as the unlimited guarantee above mentioned; that Elma C. Simmel executed the guarantee in writing alleged in the answer but that the guarantee was executed as a “separate independent contract from the guaranty” of Schuh. It then found that at the time of the execution of the unlimited guarantee of April 12, 1937, and concurrently therewith Schuh received from Simmel a 2% per cent participating royalty interest in a certain oil well which was being promoted for drilling by Simmel; that about the same time there was executed between the same parties an agreement in writing whereby Simmel agreed to transfer to Schuh a 20 per cent participating interest in oil to be produced on certain additional premises described, by which agreement Schuh personally agreed to pay for water string casing theretofore purchased by the parties from plaintiff, and to relieve Simmel from any liability thereon and to further finance the expedition for which Schuh was to have a one-fourth interest in every future well to be drilled on a particular leasehold.

The court found that the guarantee was an unlimited one and not only for the sum of $6,000 as claimed by defendants; that the action was brought in Los Angeles County on the *293

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Bluebook (online)
153 P.2d 976, 67 Cal. App. 2d 288, 1944 Cal. App. LEXIS 1309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oil-tool-exchange-inc-v-schuh-calctapp-1944.