Parr v. Missouri Farmers Ass'n

567 S.W.2d 724, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2107
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 12, 1978
DocketNo. KCD 29322
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 567 S.W.2d 724 (Parr v. Missouri Farmers Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parr v. Missouri Farmers Ass'n, 567 S.W.2d 724, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2107 (Mo. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

DIXON, Judge.

The defendant, Missouri Farmers Association, appeals a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $6,116.29. Plaintiff’s suit was bottomed on a claim that approximately one thousand bushels of soybeans owned by Parr, the plaintiff, were delivered and stored by the defendant and sold by the defendant on July 13, 1976, at a market price of $6.62 a bushel.

The essential dispute between the parties is the date of sale, MFA contending the sale took place on May 6 when the market was $4.52 per bushel.

MFA, on this appeal, raises an issue with respect to the introduction of a letter in evidence and attacks three instructions.

Russell Parr had grown the soybeans in question on a farm which he previously owned. Prior to the growing season, Parr had sold the farm but agreed to take the crop as part of the down payment. The new owner of the farm, one Fowler, was indebted to the MFA, and MFA was concerned that the account be paid by way of a setoff against the proceeds of the soybeans if they were Fowler’s property. Fowler did not claim ownership of the beans, but the costs for planting had been paid by Fowler and the sharecropper who delivered the beans to MFA storage was at that time in the employ of Fowler, although he had also been Parr’s tenant. The soybeans were delivered to the elevator for storage in the names of the tenant and Parr and the tenant’s share of the beans is not in dispute in this suit. Parr said that he heard that the beans were being held subject to Fowler’s debt and, on May 6, went to the MFA Exchange. He intended to sell his beans to avoid any difficulty with respect to Fowler’s debt. An employee of MFA testified that Parr informed him he wanted the beans sold and the employee entered the sale order on the MFA books. Parr denied ordering the sale.

The testimony with respect to the practices concerning the sale of beans was fairly explicit. The Spickard MFA Exchange maintained a daily price at which they would buy soybeans and, likewise, a daily price at which they would sell soybeans, the sales price being always slightly higher than the purchase price. Thus, the MFA had a continuing offer to buy at a daily price which fluctuated and, likewise, had a continuing offer to sell at a daily price, which similarly fluctuated. It was clear that a customer who asked to sell beans would get the price established by MFA for a purchase by MFA on the day the sale was requested, regardless of whether the beans were resold by MFA the same day or held for later sale. MFA by this means established a local market price for soybeans. It was the custom and practice to deliver a check or notify the customer in person of the price of the sale, if subject to setoff, and the balance as between MFA and the customer at the time of the transaction. Parr never received any type of notice of the transaction, and MFA did not pay him for the beans.

On May 7, Parr returned to the MFA and talked to the manager. The manager said that Parr asked for a check, but the manager refused it because he thought that MFA had a claim against the beans because of Fowler’s debt. Parr’s claim is that the only inquiry he made was whether Fowler’s bill would be held against his beans and that he received an affirmative reply from the exchange. At some time in June, Parr called MFA; and MFA flatly refused to pay for his beans without deduction for the Fowler debt. Parr’s lawyer wrote MFA in June demanding either the soybeans or the proceeds of sale. That letter was by regis[727]*727tered mail, and the signature of the manager of MFA appeared on the receipt. A letter was introduced into evidence and was identified by a lawyer for Fowler as having been received by him from Stephen T. Far-ies, an attorney for MFA. It was admitted that Faries was acting for MFA in connection with the dispute. This letter recited, under date of July 7, 1976, “The Spickard MFA Exchange still has 942.63 bushels of beans in storage in the name of Russel [sic ] Parr” and then inquired as to whether Fowler claimed any interest in the beans. The letter then continues that if Fowler does not claim an interest the lawyer would advise MFA to pay Parr the value of the beans in storage. On July 13, Parr claims that MFA called and announced a willingness to pay on that day’s market and when he went to the exchange he refused to accept the check as offered in the amount of $4,137.50, the May 6 price for beans, because he understood he was to receive the July 13 price which, with proper storage charges deducted, would produce approximately $6,000.

The appellant’s first point is that the letter from the lawyer Faries was erroneously admitted because it was hearsay and not within an exception to the hearsay rule. At the time the objection was made that it was hearsay, Parr’s attorney suggested that the letter was an exception as it constituted an admission by an agent of the defendant. There was some discussion between the court and counsel as to whether the letter constituted an admission or a declaration against interest; but, if it was admissible as an admission, no further inquiry need be made. Admissions of an attorney relevant to the purpose for which he was employed and made while engaged in that employment are admissible in evidence against the employer and client. Gibson v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 147 S.W.2d 193 (Mo.App.1941).

The employees of MFA who testified at trial admitted that Faries represented MFA with regard to the specific legal dispute, and the statements made by Mr. Faries were certainly relevant to the purpose of his employment. MFA also argues that the letter was not properly admitted because there was no testimony as to its authenticity. Contrary to Rule 84.04(d), this claim was not included in MFA’s point, the point being directed solely to the hearsay nature of the letter. In any event, that objection was not offered at trial and comes too late in the proceedings to be of any avail.

MFA’s second point is divided into three subpoints, each of which attack some aspect of the instructions given to the jury. They need be considered separately because of the nature of the claims made. The first attack is upon the plaintiff’s verdict-directing instruction. MFA contends that a disputed issue, the date of sale, was not included as a finding in the instruction. If there had been a dispute as to whether the beans had, in fact, been sold, MFA’s point would have more merit. It should be noted that MFA conceded that the beans were sold and, in fact, entered a formal tender of judgment under Rule 77.24 for the amount of the sale price assuming a sale date of May 6. The real issue as to the date of sale is one affecting damages and not liability. The verdict, of necessity, must have been for the plaintiff. The only real dispute was how much the plaintiff was entitled to receive. The date of sale and price were presented in other instructions to be later discussed, and no prejudice occurred to MFA by the omission of this element from the verdict director. Axiomatic is the reading of all instructions together; and, when that is done, all of the elements of the plaintiff’s right to recover and the amount thereof were presented for a jury determination. Kelso v. C. B. K. Agronomics, Inc., 510 S.W.2d 709 (Mo.App.1974).

MFA attacks the damage instruction given in the case which is a modification of MAI 4.04, although the modification is so great that any resemblance to MAI 4.04 is lost.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Drury v. Missouri Pacific Railroad
905 S.W.2d 138 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1995)
Stern Fixture Co. v. Layton
752 S.W.2d 341 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
567 S.W.2d 724, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parr-v-missouri-farmers-assn-moctapp-1978.