Rampton v. Cole

172 P. 477, 52 Utah 36, 1918 Utah LEXIS 45
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 1918
DocketNo. 3143
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 172 P. 477 (Rampton v. Cole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rampton v. Cole, 172 P. 477, 52 Utah 36, 1918 Utah LEXIS 45 (Utah 1918).

Opinion

CORFMAN, J.

Plaintiff commenced this action in the district court of Salt Lake County to recover damages against the defendant for breaching a written contract entered into between plaintiff and the defendant on the 5th day of August, 1915, for the exchange of real estate.

So far as material here, the contract provides: The plaintiff agrees to exchange certain real estate known as the “Rampton Building” on Main Street, Bountiful, Utah, for 220 acres of land, commonly known as the “Mule Ranch,” in Corinne precinct, Utah. Plaintiff assumes a mortgage of $6,500 on said Corinne property. Defendant assumes a mortgage of [38]*38$5,300 on tbe Bountiful property. Plaintiff gives defendant a third mortgage of $2,000 on said Corinne property subject to said $6,500 mortgage, and a second mortgage of $2,600 is given by plaintiff to Bountiful State Bank. “Both parties agree to deliver title to and possession of the parcels of land each is conveying, on or before January 1, 1916.”

It is alleged in the complaint that the plaintiff on and prior to January 1, 1916, made, executed, and tendered to the defendant a good and sufficient conveyance of the property to be by him conveyed to defendant under the contract, and the plaintiff’s ability, readiness, and willingness to perform and carry out any and all covenants as in said agreement provided he shall do; that the defendant on and prior to January 1, 1916, and ever since, has wholly failed, neglected, and refused to make, execute, and deliver to the plaintiff a deed of conveyance as in said agreement provided for, and that thereby plaintiff has suffered damages in the sum of $10,000; that plaintiff has in reliance upon the said contract expended $50, for all of which judgment is prayed, including interest and costs of suit.

The answer admits the execution of the contract; affirmatively alleges, as a defense, that the contract was not intended to be final between the parties; that the time the contract was signed an oral agreement was entered into between the parties that plaintiff should examine defendant’s property and, if found satisfactory, then the parties should draw a final contract containing terms identical with those orally agreed upon and the former written agreement should become null and void. The answer also alleges fraud and misrepresentation on the part of the plaintiff; that the contract was signed through mistake and inadvertence on the part of defendant ; and denies that plaintiff has sustained any damage. The reply denies the affirmative allegations of the answer.

The trial was to a jury, and the issues found in favor of the plaintiff. Judgment was entered accordingly. Motion for new trial was made and denied. Defendant appeals.

On appeal defendant has assigned thirty-six errors. In his [39]*39brief and argument, however, be summarizes and states bis theory of the ease on appeal in the following language:

“ (A) That no complete binding contract was executed by plaintiff ánd defendant. The document upon which suit is brought was only an option for á contract. * * *
"(B) That the certifying of plaintiff’s abstract down to daté and the delivery of the abstract was a condition precedent tó be performed by plaintiff before plaintiff could put defendant in default. * * *
"(C) 'That both parties- failed to perform their alleged covenants in the document sued upon within the time stipulated’. * * *
"(D)- That plaintiff was not on the 1st day of January, 1916, of at any time prior to the time of bringing his suit, ready to perform' his alleged agreemént with defendant. * * *
"(E) And that if there was a valid agreement and it was breached by defendant, plaintiff sustained only nominal damages.”

We have reviewed the testimony, as disclosed by the record,with care, and we find testimony wás received pro and con and submitted to the jury under instructions of the court bearing óú each one of the foregoing propositions of thé defendant. Some of the testimony, we think, was 1, 2 admitted erroneously by the court over the objections of thé plaintiff, particularly the testimony of defendant’s witness tending to vary the terras of thé written agreement between thé parties, relied on by the plaintiff, the execution óf which was admitted by both plaintiff and defendánt. Of thé admission of that evidence, the defendant has' no cause to and dbés not complain. Many of the questions raised on the appeal by the defendant were determined adversely to him by the verdict of the jury, in plaintiff’s favor, and are not therefore, when sustained by substantial evidence, properly before this court for determination. As we view the case after a very careful' reading of the eitire record,' primarily there áre but two questions for this court to here pass upon: (a) Did the’ trial court commit erroi? iff its instructions to' the jury, as’ to the measure of damages? (b) Was the verdict of the jury, [40]*40fixing tbe amount of plaintiff’s damages at $1,786.50, excessive ?

Tbe court instructed tbe jury as follows:

“ (21) If you find tbe issues in favor of tbe plaintiff, then you are to assess bis damages in sucb amount as will fully compensate bim for any losses sustained by reason of tbe failure of the defendant to perform tbe terms of said contract.
“In estimating the damages, you are to take into consideration the increase in value, if any, of the Mule Bancb, between August 5, 1915, and January 1,1916, or tbe decrease in value, if any, of tbe Bountiful property between tbe 5th day of August, 1915, and tbe 1st day of January, 1916, or both; also, any necessary expenses to which tbe plaintiff was put by reason of tbe default of tbe defendant in making preparation for tbe carrying out of tbe contract on tbe plaintiff’s part, not exceeding tbe sum of $10,050.”

The defendant complains that tbe trial court, by tbe first paragraph, in effect told tbe jury that it was their duty to assess damages against tbe defendant, without leaving it for tbe jury to determine whether the plaintiff has sustained damages, and if so bow much, citing in support of his 3 contention section 199, Brickwood-Sackett, Instructions to Juries, and Chicago & N. W. R. R. Co. v. Chisholm, 79 Ill. 584. We do not think the instruction in the particulars complained of by defendant, by any fair interpretation, is susceptible of tbe construction placed upon it by the defendant. The language used by tbe court very plainly left it for tbe jury alone to determine whether tbe plaintiff bad sustained damage, and, if so, for them to say bow much and to assess the damages against tbe defendant. Moreover, we think tbe instruction in that regard correctly stated tbe law applicable to the issues in tbe ease. Black on Bescission and Cancellation, section 705.

The second paragraph of tbe instruction complained of by plaintiff, wherein tbe court told tbe jury that, “in estimating the damages, you are to take into consideration the increase in value, if any, of tbe Mule Bancb, between August 5, 1915, and January 1, 1916, or tbe decrease in value, if any, [41]*41of the Bountiful property between the 5th day of 4 August, 1915, and the 1st day of January, 1916, or both,” we think was a faulty instruction.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
172 P. 477, 52 Utah 36, 1918 Utah LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rampton-v-cole-utah-1918.