Parker v. Boyle

99 N.E. 986, 178 Ind. 560, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 119
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1912
DocketNo. 21,806
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 99 N.E. 986 (Parker v. Boyle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parker v. Boyle, 99 N.E. 986, 178 Ind. 560, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 119 (Ind. 1912).

Opinion

Morris, J.

1. [562]*5622. [561]*561Appellant filed a claim against appellee Boyle, as receiver of The City Gas Company of Washington, Indiana, for money advanced for the benefit of the company, and for personal services rendered as manager thereof for a period of six years-. The receiver filed an answer to the claim, and also a cross-complaint for an accounting, alleging that appellant was indebted to the company in a large sum for secret profits unlawfully .retained -by him as a promoter of the company, and also alleging that claimant was justly indebted to the company on other accounts. After issues were formed there was a trial by court, and finding and judgment for appellee receiver, in the sum of $21,260.65, from which this appeal is prosecuted. Appellant’s motion for a new trial was overruled. Errors are here assigned on the court’s rulings on certain demurrers to pleadings, but a consideration of these has been waived by a failure to present them in appellant’s brief. It is claimed that the court’s decision is not supported by [562]*562sufficient evidence and is contrary to law. But, at the threshold, we are met by appellees’ contention that the court cannot consider the sufficiency of the evidence, because appellant has failed to comply with clause five of Rule 22 of this court, which requires that in ease the insufficiency of the evidence, in fact or law, to sustain the verdict or decision, is assigned, appellant’s brief shall contain a condensed recital of the evidence in narrative form so as to present the substance clearly and concisely. Appellees, however, while expressly disavowing any intention to waive the point, have, in their brief, so supplemented that of appellant, by setting out a condensed recital of the evidence, that the court is enabled intelligently to consider it without recourse to the bill of exceptions.

Appellant has signally failed to comply with clause five of Rule 22, in preparing his brief. Instead of a condensed recital, in narrative form, of the testimony of the various witnesses, counsel have stated the facts, in a general way, which they conclude are established by all the evidence, and have followed this with many pages of excerpts from the bill of exceptions. There has been no attempt whatever to give a condensed recital, in narrative form, of the evidence adduced at the hearing.

Inasmuch, however, as appellant’s failure to prepare his brief in accordance with the rule has been supplied in that of appellee, we perceive no good reason why the court should refuse to consider the sufficiency of the evidence, in law, or in fact, to sustain the finding. Michael v. State (1912), 178 Ind. 676, 99 N. E. 788, and cases cited.

3. There is a sharp conflict in the evidence relating to the material facts in issue. Appellant testified that in December, 1903, he purchased on his own account the gas plant and franchises from the Washington Gas Company, with an agreement with the latter that it should be paid for at a future time. The purchase price was $40,000. After making the purchase, he procured others to [563]*563invest in stock and bonds of a proposed new corporation, to be named Tbe City Gas Company, and to be organized to operate the plant on a capitalization of $60,000, the investors to receive $1 in stock and fifty cents in bonds for each dollar invested; that bonds were to be issued for $30,000; that the new corporation was organized on such plan; that each investor received stock and bonds accordingly; that $10,000 in stock, and $5,000 in bonds were issued to appellant, and the same amounts were issued to Julius Dick, for which the corporation received nothing, but which, on appellant’s theory, belonged to him as $20,000 in legitimate profit in the purchase and sale of the plant; that Julius Dick was a creditor of appellant and the consideration of the issue to Dick, of the stock and bonds, was the settlement of appellant’s account due Dick; that appellant did not tell any of the investors, with the possible exception of Julius Dick, that the plant cost only $40,000, but did tell them it was worth $60,000.

The principal ground of contention is the issue to appellant and his creditor, at his direction, of the stock and bonds for which the corporation received no equivalent.

It is appellant’s theory that the corporators of the new company had the right to fix its capitalization, and it was competent for them to estimate the value of the plant purchased, and the court cannot say that because they estimated the plant too high appellant is legally bound to pay for $20,000 worth of stock issued tó him, and yet take a price for the property which he never agreed to take. Coffin v. Ransdell (1887), 110 Ind. 417, 11 N. E. 20.

There was evidence given which sustains a finding of the following facts: About thirty years ago, appellant, Enos T. Taylor, Julius Dick and Jacob Dick were all residents of Huntington, Indiana. Taylor and the Dicks were wealthy, and engaged in large business affairs. The Dicks became the owners of an artificial gas plant in Huntington, and had appellant employed in various capacities therein until the [564]*564discovery of natural gas in that country, Avhen he moved to Niles, Michigan, Avhere he has. since resided. While employed in the Huntington plant, appellant acquired a technical knoAvledge and experience in the manufacture and distribution of gas. He had the confidence of the Dicks and, through them, of Taylor, on all matters involving a knowledge of artificial gas plants. During the ensuing. years, Avhen appellant discovered on the market an artificial gas plant that could be bought for a low price, he went to these thi’ee men, and interested them in the purchase of such plant. In this way the four parties became the owners of a controlling interest in gas plants at Warsaw, Indiana; Niles, Holland and Manistee, Michigan; and LeMars, Iowa; Taylor and the Dicks furnishing practically all the money for the purchases. On December 28,1903, appellant secured, orally, an option for the purchase of the Washington plant for $40,000, to be paid for as follows: $28,000 cash, bonds of a new company to be organized for operating the plant in the sum of $10,000, and the cancelation of existing bonds of the Washington Gas Company in the sum of $2,000.

Appellant Avas interested in the Holland, Michigan, plant in 1903, and was there during a reconstruction of the plant, and became acquainted Avith George E. Kollen, a resident of that city. In December', 1903, appellant informed Kollen that he had an option for the purchase of the Washington, Indiana, plant for $60,000, and solicited him to become an investor in it, and Kollen agreed to purchase 120 shares of stock, par value $100 per share, and $6,000 in bonds, for $10,000. On January 19, 1904, Kollen advanced $7,500 to appellant, and later, previous to July, 1904, paid him the .remaining $2,500, and received the stock and bonds.

On January 20, 1904, appellant Avent to Taylor and the Dicks and informed them that he had looked over the Washington plant, that it could be bought cheap, and fixed up and resold at a profit. He said it could be purchased for $60,000. Neither Taylor nor Jacob Dick made any investí[565]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
99 N.E. 986, 178 Ind. 560, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parker-v-boyle-ind-1912.