People v. Hecht

119 Cal. App. 780
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 26, 1931
DocketCr. A. No. 696
StatusPublished

This text of 119 Cal. App. 780 (People v. Hecht) 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
People v. Hecht, 119 Cal. App. 780 (Cal. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

McLUCAS, P. J.

The defendant was convicted of the crime of contriving, preparing, setting up and proposing a lottery, and appeals from the judgment. According to the undisputed facts, the defendant was the owner of the Wilshire Clothes Shoppe, in Long Beach, and sent out [781]*781salesmen soliciting memberships in suit clubs, who stated to the persons solicited that they were forming a suit club and wanted sixty members, each member to pay two dollars per week, that as a member was selected for a suit, he received his suit and that ended his payments. Members having the widest acquaintance were first selected in order to boost the sale of memberships. Upon selection of persons having such wide acquaintance, inquiry was made by the solicitor whether the person solicited for membership would help boost the club if he were selected to receive a suit within four or five weeks. The names of the members were to be selected by the solicitor and not by chance. Bach week the members were to be notified as to the name of the person selected to receive a suit for that week.

The solicitor delivered to each customer a small contract book in which the date of the first payment and the amount were entered. There was space for 30 payments. The contract was later verified by a different solicitor. Subsequent payments were entered as made. The contract reads as follows:

“Customer’s Purchase Contract
“The Wilshire Clothes Shoppe hereby agrees to sell and the holder of this contract agrees to buy, one tailored-to-measure suit or coat for the sum of Sixty ($60.00) Dollars, upon the payment of Two ($2.00) Dollars or more, each week, to its authorized collector, or at its place of business.
“In the event the purchaser shall discontinue payments, this contract shall become null and void, but the Company agrees that it will at any time during the life of this contract, make and deliver to purchaser one of its tailored garments upon payment to the Company of the difference between the amount paid by the said purchaser and Sixty ($60.00) Dollars.
“Verbal agreements between agents and purchasers of this contract contrary to the printed terms contained.herein will not be recognized by the Company.
“Payment on another contract cannot be added to amount paid on this contract.
“If you prefer to have your suit or overcoat, before the expiration of this contract, you can obtain same from us at any time by paying up the unpaid balance of this contract.
[782]*782“The making of the second payment and receipt of this contract shall constitute full acceptance of its terms.
“(Signed)
“The Wilshire Clothes Shoppe.”

The contract was not required to be signed by the purchaser.

On the first page of the contract book appeared the following advertisement:

“Bach week we will give one or more of our high-grade tailored garments, valued at $60.00, to the person or persons whom we consider can be of greatest assistance to us in securing new customers, and such person will be free from making any payments therefor.
“The tailored garments which are given free to persons in payment for services rendered in obtaining or assisting us in obtaining new customers are awarded strictly upon a basis of merit and no prize, chance or lottery methods of any kind will directly or indirectly be used.”

Witnesses for the People testified as follows concerning their dealings with the solicitor:

Ralph Dewey:
“A. Pie came in and wanted me to go in this suit club and explained it to me.
“Q. AVhat did he say?
“A. IPe said that if I would go into it they would be glad to use me as a booster, seeing I was in business in town, they thought I could be of some benefit in getting their club started.”

The witness joined the suit club, paid two dollars, and received a contract book with an entry of payment of two dollars. Later another payment of two dollars was made to a different salesman, who verified the contract. The witness had not received his suit and his total payments were four dollars. On cross-examination the witness testified:

“Q. Mr. Boch Binder came in and says, ‘We have a method here, a club by which we sell suits on time’?
“A. Yes.
“Q. You paid him two dollars and two dollars every week until you paid sixty dollars?
[783]*783“A. No, sir, he did not say anything about sixty dollars. He said it was a suit club. You paid two dollars down.
“Q. Then he said if you would be a booster and get other people to buy clothes, why you would get a suit, they would give you a suit ?
“A. Yes.
“Q. In return for your boosting?
“A. Yes.”
On redirect examination the witness testified:
“Q. Mr. Dewey, how much were you to pay, do you know, into this suit club?
“A. Well, there was no stipulated amount mentioned at all.
“Q. Do you know how much you were to pay?
“A. I was to pay until within a few weeks, they said, using me as a booster and they would push me ahead and fix me a suit a little sooner.”
W. H. Taylor testified:
“Q. Who were present at the time he called besides yourself and Mr. Boch Binder?
“A. Just the two of us.
“Q. What was the conversation? Just tell the court any conversation, what you said and what he said.
“A. He asked me if I would join this ‘Suit Club’, two dollars a week, and pay in until they selected me a good suit. I paid in two weeks and they selected me to get a suit.
“Q. You paid in two weeks. Did you get your suit?
“A. I got measured.
“Q. And you were not to pay any more money?
“A. No, sir, no more.
“Q. At the time you had the conversation, was there anything said as to how much you were to pay?
“A. No.
“Q. Was there anything said at that conversation?
“A. Nothing else said.
“The Court: 'When you had this conversation about being selected to have this suit, how did they say you were selected ?
“A They said that I would be a good fellow to boost their business.
[784]*784“Q. They said they just picked you out?
“A. They didn’t promise me anything. They just picked me out. I was not promised anything.

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42 Tex. 580 (Texas Supreme Court, 1874)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
119 Cal. App. 780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hecht-calctapp-1931.