People v. Phillips

186 Cal. App. 2d 231, 8 Cal. Rptr. 830, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1623
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 9, 1960
DocketCrim. 6087
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 186 Cal. App. 2d 231 (People v. Phillips) 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. Phillips, 186 Cal. App. 2d 231, 8 Cal. Rptr. 830, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1623 (Cal. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

ASHBURN, J.

Robert W. Phillips and Thomas P. Rose were convicted of two counts of grand theft and one count of conspiracy to commit grand theft. Both appealed and presented a joint opening brief. However, on April 14, 1960, this court upon Rose’s request dismissed the appeal as to him. We now have before us the appeal of Phillips.

He claims the evidence to be insufficient to sustain the conviction of conspiracy (Count I) or to sustain the convictions of grand theft. (Counts II and III.) The basis of the convictions is the obtaining from one Barz his equity in certain real property through false pretenses. In addition to the attack upon the sufficiency of the evidence appellant Phillips claims error in (1) the court’s instruction concerning the responsibility of one who joins an existing conspiracy, (2) error in receiving certain testimony designed to show common plan, scheme and design, and (3) error in refusing certain instructions concerning common scheme and design. We have concluded that appellant’s points are not well taken.

So far as sufficiency of the evidence is concerned we must deal with a reporter’s transcript of 3,186 pages and briefs aggregating 295 pages. Having found the evidence to be sufficient we are not under obligation to review the same in an effort to convince counsel or others of the soundness of our conclusion. Pores v. Purity Milk Co., 135 Cal.App.2d 305, 309 [287 P.2d 169] : “It is not the province of a reviewing court to comment on each evidentiary conflict or disagreement or to present a detailed argument on the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings.” Sonkin v. Hershon, *236 130 Cal.App.2d 491, 492 [279 P.2d 156] : “It is not the province of a reviewing court to present a detailed argument on the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings where it appears that the question is one purely of determining which side shall be believed. The trial court having determined this with the witnesses before it, the controversy is settled.” An examination of the testimony and other evidence in the instant case discloses that the findings of the jury have the support of persuasive evidence. We recognize no obligation to set it forth herein. A short statement with respect to each count will suffice and consideration of the conspiracy charge will be postponed until after Counts II and III of the indictment have been discussed.

We have examined the evidence in the light of the rules laid down in People v. Daugherty, 40 Cal.2d 876 [256 P.2d 911], and many other eases, refraining from a weighing of the proofs or inferences and remembering that “ 1 “before the verdict of the jury, which has been approved by the trial court, can be set aside on appeal upon the ground” of insufficiency of the evidence, “it must be made clearly to appear that upon no hypothesis whatever is there sufficient substantial evidence to support the conclusion reached in the court below. • • . We must assume in favor of the verdict the existence of every fact which the jury could have reasonably deduced from the evidence, and then determine whether such facts are sufficient to support the verdict.” If the circumstances reasonably justify the verdict of the jury, the opinion of the reviewing court that those circumstances might also reasonably be reconciled with the innocence of the defendant will not warrant interference with the determination of the jury. . . .’” (P. 885.)

Count II charges Phillips and Rose with grand theft (Pen. Code, § 487, subd. 1), through inducing Peter Barz and Aurora Barz to part with their equitable interest in real property of a value exceeding $200, which inducement was brought about by false pretenses. Peter Barz owned the Shore Motel representing an investment of $95,000, and advertised it for sale. He thus met appellant Phillips who was engaged in dealing in real estate. Phillips endeavored without success to interest Barz in various properties, including Holiday Motel, an orange grove, a Colorado River ranch, a Russian River resort, a Chinchilla farm and a Clear Lake resort. Finally he offered a three-way deal which Barz accepted and which involved Rex Dettre’s obtaining the Shore Motel, *237 Phillips getting the Clear Lake resort then owned by Dettre, and Barz receiving from Phillips certain trust deeds. An exchange agreement was signed on December 10, 1953. Barz testified: “He [Phillips] said, ‘We can make a three-way deal,’ he says. ‘I can give you some second trust deeds on different property that I got, they are as good as gold. ’ ” “ He says, ‘Some is going to be on the freezer [Texas Frozen Food] and some on the Hopi House and some on the Holiday Motel. ’ Well, he said, ‘Then I will pick up the best one that I know they will be good for you,’ he says, ‘leave it to me.’ ” Submitting a list to Barz, appellant “told me that every building is backed up, the value, very much value, so I don’t have to worry about anything.” He also said that he would give Barz “about $80,000 worth of second trust deed” on a Texas Frozen Food freezer in Mercedes, Texas, that it was worth a quarter of a million dollars and the equipment and inventory worth about $150,000; that the property was subject only to a $32,000 first mortgage. “Then I told him, I said, ‘I’ve got to have some cash because I spent the last penny I had on the improvement of the motel.’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I think about the 10th or 15th of January you are going to get $2,000.00—’ which I never got. . . . Then he told me, he said, ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘I am going to give you the best trust deed so you can get the regular monthly payment which amount should run $600.00 a month, between the different trust deeds.’ ” Also: “Well, he told me how good a money-maker was that freezer, and I have nothing to worry about because it is good security.” An expert appraiser fixed the value of the freezer property in late 1953 and early 1954 at $35,000 to $40,000. The bank balance of Frozen Food on September 15, 1953 was $73.44; on October 1, 1953, $1,329.78; on January 18, 1954, $88.90. On March 31, 1953, and again on October 1,1953, the indebtedness on the freezer property was reinstated from default. The plant was in run-down condition, the electrical lockers not operating properly, and some of the other machinery at times inoperative. On December 14, 1953, one Kiszak acquired the property and, in addition to existing liens, placed a new trust deed of $45,000 upon it together with another trust deed in favor of Barz for $18,835. Barz received in January 1954 from Phillips two trust deeds on the same property, one for $10,000 and one for $5,190 and eventually the above mentioned $45,000 trust deed. When Barz asked for the whole thing which Phillips had promised, he said: “They are not ready. I am going to give it as soon as *238 I get them. So, for the time being, take this one. ’ ’ Barz never received any money on these trust deeds.

On February 12, 1954, Phillips was informed that the second trust deed on Rancho Motel, upon which he and one Lindemann had a third lien, had been foreclosed. He thereupon asked Barz to come to his office.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 Cal. App. 2d 231, 8 Cal. Rptr. 830, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1623, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-phillips-calctapp-1960.