Richardson v. C. I. T. Corp.

5 S.E.2d 250, 60 Ga. App. 780, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 174
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedOctober 21, 1939
Docket27622
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 5 S.E.2d 250 (Richardson v. C. I. T. Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richardson v. C. I. T. Corp., 5 S.E.2d 250, 60 Ga. App. 780, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 174 (Ga. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinions

Sutton, J.

The petition set forth a cause of action against the defendants. It alleged, that they were indebted to the plaintiff in a named sum on a contract and note executed on July 7, 1937, to Yarbrough Motor Company and by it sold, transferred, assigned, and set over to the plaintiff on July 12, 1937; that the defendants had defaulted in payment, and that after allowing credit for certain payments before default, and for the net amount received from the sale of a truck (provided for in the contract, a copy of which was attached to the petition as an exhibit), a certain sum with interest remained due and unpaid, for which judgment was prayed. Where the holder of an instrument payable to his order transfers it for value without indorsing it, the transfer vests in the transferee such title as the transferor had therein, and the transferee acquires, in addition, the right to have the indorsement of the transferor. For the purpose of determining whether the transferee is a holder in due course, the negotiation takes effect as of the time when the indorsement is actually made.” Code, § 14-420. As the holder of the note, the plaintiff had the right to bring the present suit thereon. Williams v. Whited, 41 Ga. App. 398 (153 S. E. 205).

The ground of the demurrer that the alleged indebtedness should be reduced by the amount of $608.30, which demurrants denominate “interest” added to the cash price of the truck, and which it is averred is at the rate of 41 per cent, per annum and is usurious, is without merit, for the following reasons: It is shown by the copy of contract attached to the petition, of which the note was a part, that the truck was purchased, not at a cash price, but at a “time price” of $3725.60, for which was executed a note payable in eighteen instalments of $149.25 each, for the unpaid portion. This amount was arrived at by using as a basis the “cash price” of $3117.30, and adding to it a differential of $608.30, according to a certain chart. It is shown that the defendants agreed to the time price thus arrived at by signing the contract and note. [789]*789This situation does not present a case of selling an article at a cash price and forbearing immediate collection in consideration of the execution of a note bearing interest from date, but shows a plan of selling an article for an amount termed a “time price” and payable in the future. In these circumstances no question of usury is involved. “If a vendor and vendee agree upon a cash price of property which is the subject-matter of the sale, but the sale itself is not for cash but is distinctly on a credit until a particular time in the future, the transaction will not be rendered usurious because the vendor in order to make a time price on the property adds to the cash price another sum and includes the total amount thus arrived at in a promissory note which the purchaser gives, securing the same by a mortgage on realty. The law recognizes the right of a seller to make a difference in his cash price and his time price for his property; and though in a given instance this difference may exceed eight per cent., the law as to usury is not applicable.” E. Tris Napier Co. v. Trawick, 164 Ga. 781, 782 (139 S. E. 552). See Irvin v. Mathews, 75 Ga. 739; Willis v. Jefferson, 75 Ga. 743; Rushing v. Worsham, 102 Ga. 825 (30 S. E. 541); Bird v. Benton, 127 Ga. 371, 373 (56 S. E. 450); Talley v. Commercial Credit Co., 39 Ga. App. 297 (147 S. E. 175).

The ground of the demurrer to the allegations as to the sale of the truck .after being repossessed, (a) that it was not alleged how or in what manner the truck was sold, (b) that the allegations do not show that the truck was sold in any legal manner, (c) that the allegations do not show what was the market value of the truck or that it was sold for its market value, (d) that it is not shown what part of the selling expense of $24 was for attorney’s fees and what part for advertising, and the allegations do not show any right to charge the defendants for either advertising costs or attorney’s fees in the sale of the truck, and (e) that the allegations show no right in the plaintiff to recover attorney’s fees, is without merit, for the following reason: Under the contract, on default in the payment of any instalment, the full amount automatically became due and payable forthwith, and the plaintiff had the right, among other things, without any notice or demand, to repossess the truck and sell it at public or private sale, with the right to purchase at such sale; and it was provided that the expense of taking, removing, holding, repairing, and selling, and attorney’s [790]*790fees, should be deducted from the proceeds of the sale, and that all payments made under the contract should, in case of repossession, be retained as compensation for the irse of the property while in purchaser’s possession. As the plaintiff had the right to sell either at public or private sale, no allegation was necessary as to the manner in which the truck was sold, and it is not set up in the demurrer that the petition showed any illegal sale. Nor was it necessary to allege that the truck was sold for its market value, such value being material only in the event the plaintiff elected, under the contract, to make no sale but to retain the truck as its own at its market value, which election is shown not to have been made. It was immaterial what part of the $24 expense of selling was for advertising and what part was for attorney’s fees, inasmuch as either item of expense was such as might reasonably be incurred in the sale of the truck; and the objection that no right to make such charge is shown is contrary to the plain provisions of the contract.

The ground of demurrer to the allegations as to declaring the full amount due, that it was not shown when the right was exercised or how the defendants were notified, is without merit, for the reason that it is shown by the petition that the default occurred on October 7, 1937, and under the contract the full amount automatically became due and payable forthwith, and a formal declaration or notice to defendants that the entire balance had become due and payable was unnecessary, the allegation of having declared the full amount due being mere surplusage.

The ground of demurrer that it is shown by the allegations of the petition and the exhibit that “interest” was included in the note to maturity, and that defendants are entitled to a pro rata refund because the truck was repossessed before maturity, is without merit, for the reason that the note shows that interest is provided for only after maturity of the instalments, and the amount added to the list or cash price to establish the time price at which the truck was purchased was not interest, but was a differential used in arriving at the time price according to a chart, and to which the purchasers agreed by their act in signing the contract and note. The contract provided that any payments made were to be retained as compensation for the use of the truck while in the possession of the purchaser.

The ground of demurrer that that part of contract, “add, per [791]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rigdon v. Walker Sales & Service, Inc.
288 S.E.2d 711 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1982)
Sumner v. Adel Banking Co.
259 S.E.2d 32 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1979)
Bell v. Loosier of Albany, Inc.
222 S.E.2d 839 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1975)
Reese v. Termplan, Inc., Bolton
188 S.E.2d 177 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1972)
Smith v. Singleton
184 S.E.2d 26 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1971)
General Electric Credit Corporation v. Lunsford
167 S.E.2d 414 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1969)
Bowen v. Consolidated Mortgage & Investment Corp.
156 S.E.2d 168 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1967)
Theodore Roosevelt Agency, Inc. v. General Motors Acceptance Corp.
398 P.2d 965 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1965)
Carter v. Whatley
101 S.E.2d 899 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1958)
Newkirk v. Universal C. I. T. Credit Corp.
90 S.E.2d 618 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1955)
Faust v. General Finance & Loan Co.
84 S.E.2d 118 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1954)
Jackson v. Commercial Credit Corp.
83 S.E.2d 76 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1954)
Bonuso v. Shroyer Loan & Finance Co.
37 A.2d 760 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1944)
Shepherd v. Life Casualty Insurance Co.
29 S.E.2d 917 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1944)
Commerce Finance Co. v. Perry
67 Ga. App. 491 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 S.E.2d 250, 60 Ga. App. 780, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richardson-v-c-i-t-corp-gactapp-1939.