Parsons v. Eisele

1928 OK 766, 277 P. 643, 137 Okla. 35, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 951
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided December 31, 1928·No. 18238·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

DIFFENDAFFER, C.

This is an action in replevin for the recovery of the possession of an automobile of the alleged value of $900, and for damages for the wrongful detention thereof. The petition and affidavit were in the usual form, the allegations of damages in the sum of $100 being general. The automobile here in controversy is described as “one five-passenger second-hand Packard touring automobile.” A writ of replevin was issued on June 14, 1926, and returned “Not found” on June 16, 1926. On June 06th, an alias writ was issued and serv'ed on June 28th. Defendant made a redelivery bond, and the automobile was returned to his possession by the sheriff.

Motion to require plaintiff to make hi's petition mor’© definite and certain in the elements of damages was filed by defendant, and overruled by the court, after which defendant answered by 'general denial.

The issues as thus joined came on for trial before a, jury on November 8, 1926, resulting in a directed verdict for plaintiff for the possession of the automobile. The issues as to the amount of damages were submitted to the jury, plaintiff having, under leave of court, over the objection of defendant, amended his petition as to th’e amount of damages claimed, after the evidence was heard, by alleging, in substance: That at the date of the commencement of the action the damages then caused by the wrongful detention of the automobile were $100; that since that date defendant had detained the possession of said property, and that the damages caused thereby were $6 per day from June 14, 1926, to this date “October 20,” in a total sum of $768, for which sum plaintiff prayed judgment. Th'e verdict was for possession of the automobile, or its value, as found by the jury, in the sum of $900, and for damages in the sum of $760. After unsuccessful motion for a new trial, judgment was entered in accord with th'e verdict. From this order and judgment, defendant below brings this appeal.

The parties will hereinafter be referred to as in their respective positions in the trial court.

The petition in error contains 26 specifications of error aside from the one alleging error in overruling the motion for new trial. These several assignments of error are presented in defendant’s brief under five propositions, as hereinafter noted.

Defendant did not demur to plaintiff's evidence, nor did he file a motion for a directed verdict, but in view of defendant’s contention, we deem it necessary to set out in substance th’e evidence of both parties.

Plaintiff’s evidence, in, substance, wa’s that he was engaged in the automobile business in Oklahoma City selling Packard automobiles, under the trade nam’e of Eisele Motor Company; that, on June 8, 1926, defendant, in company with Ed. M. Semans, came to his place of business, and asked him if be had anything in a good used sedan or car that plaintiff could let them have for campaign purposes; that they thought he should let them have a car for the advertisement and prestige it would give him; that he told them h’e was not interested in polities nor campaigning, and could not let them have a car that way; they then proposed to buy a car, but would not put more than $1,500 in it; that he told them he did not have a used sedan on hand at that time; but told them of two h'e had coming in, in a few days, on deals that he had made; that he had traded for one of these at around $2,-500, and the other at '$1,340; that the higher priced one was one that had been taken in a trade from George Gorton at Ctement, for $2,482, and the other car was one that he wa's trading for from W. E. Orney of Enid at $1,340; that he exhibited to them the written contracts with these parties showing the “trade in” price of each car; that he priced the Gorton car to them at $2,300' and the Orney car at $1,100; that they said th'ey would wait and see them; that the next day defendant returned alone and told plaintiff that they had decided to take the $1,100 sedan if it was all right, but that they had to have a car that day to go somewhere in th'e southern part of the state; that defendant and Semans had spoken to him the day before about 'giving a note; that in the meantime he had inquired as to the financial standing of defendant and Semans, and had satisfied himself that either of them was financially responsible, and told defendant that he would let him have the touring car, here in question, to use until the next day, when he could bring it back and decide Whether or not he would take the sedan, provided he would execute the r.obe of $1,100 before taking the touring car, which defendant agreed to do; that a note for $1,100 due in six months was prepared by plaintiff, and delivered to defendant for execution; that he took the note to have it signed, and also toork the touring car and drove it away; this was on the 9th; that he never gave defendant permission to use the touring car longer than the next day; that *37 he did not see defendant again until the next day when he came to plaintiff’s place of business and demanded the delivery of the Gorton car for $1,100, claiming that he had contracted for the Gorton car for $1,-100; that plaintiff told him that that was impossible, that he could not let him have a car like that for $1,100; that he had never offered or agreed to sell the Gorton car for $1,100; that defendant insisted that he. had bought the Gorton car for $1,100, and told plaintiff that he would keep the touring car until plaintiff did deliver the Gorton car; that plaintiff then told him that if he would return the touring car, he would forget all about the. deal, and let it go; that defendant refused to do so, and that, on the 14th day of June, he filed the replevin action; that after the suit was filed, defendant again oajne to him and wanted to give him the note for $1,100, if plaintiff would deliver the Gorton car to him; that plaintiff declined to do so; that defendant had kept the touring car from the 9th day of June until the date of the trial, and that the reasonable market value thereof wa's $900. and that the usable value of th'e touring car was $6 per day. Several witnesses testified as to the usable value of the car, placing it from $5 to $10 per day.' The testimony of both plaintiff and defendant shows conclusively that defendant did not pay any part of the purchase price of the automobile that he claimed to have bought, and that no contract or agreement of any kind, or any memorandum thereof in writing was sighed by defendant, concerning the agreement, and that the only writing ’signed by either party was the note for $1,100.

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Parsons v. Eisele, 1928 OK 766, 277 P. 643, 137 Okla. 35, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 951 (Okla. 1928).

1928 OK 766 (Parsons v. Eisele) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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