Paul v. Commercial Bank

68 So. 68, 69 Fla. 62
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedFebruary 3, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 68 So. 68 (Paul v. Commercial Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paul v. Commercial Bank, 68 So. 68, 69 Fla. 62 (Fla. 1915).

Opinions

Shackleford, J.

For the second time R. H. Paul brings here for review a judgment recovered against him by the Commercial Bank of Ocala, a corporation. The opinion which we rendered upon the former writ of error will be found in 66 Fla. 83, 63 South. Rep. 265. As stated therein, the bank brought an action against “R. H. Paul, W. J. Hilman, S. A. Rawls, C. M. Sweat, and F. L. Sweat, as late partners, formerly doing business under the name and style of S. A. Rawls & Company” on a promissory note signed by S. A. Rawls & Co. Service of process was had on R. EL Paul alone. W. J. Elillman and S. A. Rawls appeared and pleaded. G. M. Sweat and F. L Sweat were not served and did not appear. The action was dismissed as to Hillman upon the theory that he was not a partner and was not liable.

As we further stated therein, “the real isue in the cause was upon the plea of R. H. Paul that he was never a member of the firm of S. A. Rawls & Company, and liable on the note.” As we also stated, “a verdict ‘for the plaintiff’' was returned,” upon which a judgment was rendered and entered, which we copied in full. This [64]*64judgment we reversed for the reason that it failed to adjudicate the issue made by the pleadings. We said that, “Under the peculiar circumstances of this case the irregularity of not naming the members of the firm against which the judgment purports to be rendered, makes it proper to reverse the judgment. The real issue in the cause being whether Paul was a partner and liable on the note in controversy, the judgment should at least identify Paul as a member of the firm, there being no specific finding in the record that Paul was a- member of the firm and liable on the note, even if such a finding would aid the judgment as rendered here.”

After the mandate had gone down, the pleadings remaining unchanged, the issue, which was stated in our former opinion, was submitted to another jury for determination and the following verdict was returned: “We, the jury, find for the plaintiff, and we find: also that Mr. R. H. Paul was a. member of the firm of S. A. Rawls & Co., and we assess the plaintiff’s damages at One thousand two hundred ninefy-six ($1,296.00) Dollars as principal and interest, and also One Hundred ($100) Dollars as attorney’s fees. So say we all.”

Upon this verdict the following judgment was returned: “It is therefore considered and ordered by the court, that the plaintiff, the Commercial Bank of Ocala, a corporation under the laws of the State of Florida, do have and recover of and from the defendant R. H. Paul as surviving partner of the firm of S. A. Rawls & Company, I he sum of twelve hundred and ninety-six dollars as principal ($1,296.00) and one hundred dollars as attorney's fees, total thirteen hundred and ninety-six ($1,396.00) Dollars, together with the costs of this suit, taxed [65]*65at $9.52-100 dollars, for which let execution issue. And the defendant in mercy, etc.”

Prior to the second trial a suggestion was filed of the death of S. A. Rawls, one of the defendants, who had filed a plea to the effect that the note which formed the basis of the action was “the note of S. A. Rawls & Company.”

Before taking up for consideration any of the errors assigned we think it advisable to dispose of a contention made by the defendant in error. After referring to the former opinion rendered by us he states in his brief that “this court decided that the form of the judgment which the Commercial Bank had then recovered was defective, and the bank has now recovered a similar judgment upon exactly the same evidence as was submitted at the former trial,” by reason whereof it is contended: ‘-‘It would, therefore, seem that the court now need only consider the form of the verdict, and the form of the judgment as now entered, and the charge of the court which was not assailed in the former trial; and all of the assignments of error now made, which are not based on the charge of the court, or the form of the judgment, or verdict, would not seem to be now open for consideration.”

In other words, the principle of what is known as the law of the case is invoked as being decisive of the points presented on this writ of error. It is undoubtedly true, as we have frequently held: “All the points ad judicated by an appellate court upon a writ of error or an appeal become the law of the case, and are no longer open for discussion or (Consideration, but this principle has no applicability to and is not decisive of points presented upon a second writ of error that were not presented upon [66]*66the former writ of error, and consequently were not before the appellate court for adjudication.” See Florida East Coast Railway Co. v. Geiger, 66 Fla. 582, 64 South. Rep. 238. It is also further true, as we held in the cited case, “A judgment of reversal is not necesarily an adjudication by the appellate court of any other than the questions in terms discussed and decided.”' See the excerpt, which was quoted with approval therein, from the opinion rendered by Mr. Justice Brewer in Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Hill, 193 U. S. 551, text 553, 24 Sup. Ct. Rep. 538. It is important then, to bear in mind just what points were discussed and decided in the opinion rendered on the former writ of error. It clearly appears in such opinion that, after stating what the real issue was, as made by the pleadings, we discussed and decided only two points, first, that the judgment failed to adjudicate such issue, for which reason we reversed the judgment, and, second, that we could not say that the trial court erred in refusing to direct a verdict for the defendant Paul. We stated that a number of contentions were made as to the rulings of the court as to the admissibility of evidence, but we did not even set forth such rulings of which complaint was made, much less discuss them or determine their correctness. It necessarily follows that this contention of the defendant in error has not been sustained.

The first assignment is that “the court erred in admitting in evidence the note sued on in this case.” We find the ground of objection urged against the introduction of this note was “that there was no proof that R. H. Paul in anywise authorized the signature of S. A. Rawls & Co. as binding him as a member of that partnership.” Even if we were to concede that no such proof had been adduced, that of itself would not render the note inadmissible. The testimony of S. A. Rawls, the first witness [67]*67introduced on behalf of the plaintiff, which was prior to the proffer of the note, was to the effect that a co-partnership had existed for several years under the name of S. A. Rawls & Company, of which S. A. Rawls, R. H. Paul and others were members, that different notes had been executed from time to time in the due course of business by such co-partnership and that S. A. Rawls had executed the note in question in the name of such co-partnership. Even if the testimony previously adduced had been to the effect that such copartnership had been dissolved prior to the execution of such note, as would seem to have been the case, that would not render the note inadmissible. We find that, prior to the proffer of the note, the plaintiff had also introduced as a witness Dr. J. C. Boozer, who had testified as follows:

“My name is Dr. J. C. Boozer, I am President of the Commercial Bank of Ocala, which position I have held for three years.

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Bluebook (online)
68 So. 68, 69 Fla. 62, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-v-commercial-bank-fla-1915.