Rock v. Robinette

1923 OK 646, 218 P. 808, 92 Okla. 123, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 796
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 18, 1923
Docket11824
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1923 OK 646 (Rock v. Robinette) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rock v. Robinette, 1923 OK 646, 218 P. 808, 92 Okla. 123, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 796 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

*124 Opinion by

RUTH, 0.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff in error, plaintiff below, as assignee of the Thomas Milling Company of "Weatherford, Okla., against the defendants in error, defendants below, to recover as damages the difference between the contract price of flour on a certain date and the market price at which the plaintiff’s assignor resold the said flour at a subsequent date.

Plaintiff alleges in his petition that the milling company and the defendants entered into a contract in the following words and figures:

“Uniform Sales Contract.
“Standardized by The Millers’ Exchange.
“Order No. 7-14, 1917.
“Thomas Milling Co., of Weatherford, Okla., hereby sells, and People’s Exchange, of Tulsa, hereby buys the flour and or feed as specified below, on the following terms and conditions:
“(The Millers’ National Federation package differentials shall govern.)
“Packages Brand Price
“Number Size
“220 48 Silver Wave 12.00
“560 24 Silver Wave 12.70
"5 cars one every 15 days.
“following_
“Ship via Railroad
“Bill Shipper’s Order.
“Destination
“Notify
“Date of Shipment August 15th
“Terms: Draft
“with bill of lading attached. Delivery F. O. B. Mill, freight allowed to_
“The buyer shall have the privilege to change the specifications as to the size of the packages by written notice to the seller, not later than_day before the time of shipment as above stated, and shipment shall be made by the seller within the said-days without further notice from the buyer. This contract shall not be valid and binding until the same shall have been confirmed by_Thomas Milling Company, of Wea-therford, Oklahoma.
“It is understood that this contract contains all of the agreements between the parties and no modification thereof, after the same shall have been confirmed, will be valid, except by mutual consent of the parties. in writing.

“Thomas Milling Co. (Signed) S. D. Haines, Salesman.

“Peoples Exchange, Buyer.”

That the defendants received and paid for all but 334 barrels 6f the flour; that defendants notified the milling company on November 15, 1917, that they would not accept the balance of their order and the milling company sold the balance of the order on November 15, 1917, on the open market and this action is brought to recover the difference in the price of the flour on November 15th and the contract price under their contract with the defendants on July 14, 1917, it being alleged that flour had greatly depreciated in value within that period.

The defendants answered by general denial and further answered denying specifically that they refused to accept the flour and alleged the milling company extended time of shipment by letters under date of October 5th. and November 27, 1917, respectively, and that the milling company refused to ship flour in accordance with the contract.

No reply was filed by the plaintiff and upon the issues so joined, the cause proceeded to trial before Jas. I. Phelps, a-judge of the 13th judicial district, specially assigned to Tulsa county, both sides having waived a jury, and after hearing had, the court “finds the issues in favor of the defendants.”

Plaintiff thereupon files his motion for a new trial, solely upon the ground of “error of law occurring at the trial and excepted to by the plaintiff.” Upon motion being overruled, plaintiff brings this cause to this court for review and plaintiff’s petition in error contains but three specifications of error, to wit: (1) That the court erred in overruling motion of plaintiff in error for a new trial. (2) The court erred in permitting O. Robinette, one of the defendants in error, to testify with reference to whether the Thomas Milling Compaq of Weatherford notified the defendants that they contemplated a resale of the flour. (3) The court erred in ruling out an answer of S. D. Haworth, a witness for the plaintiff, whereby it was sought to prove the reason for changes in specifications of shipments of flour in cars of minimum weight of 30,000 pounds was in compliance with the rule of the United States Government of America, which had assumed and was in control of the railway system of the United States, etc.

The only question for this court to determine under the record is whether or not the court erred in admitting certain testimony of 0. Robinette, one of fhe defendants, and striking out certain answers of S. D. Ha-worth, a witness for the plaintiff.

When an action at law is tried to the court by consent, both parties having waived a jury, objections of the character above *125 named are not looked upon favorably by appellate courts, as tbe presumption is that tbe trained mind of tbe court is so balanced as to enable tbe court to separate tbe wheat from tbe chaff, to segregate tbe material from the immaterial and determine the cause fairly and impartially without bias or prejudice and in accordance with the law and tbe relevant material facts, and particularly is this true when tbe evidence introduced and proposed to be introduced and tbe answers stricken are in no manner within the issues presented to the court in tbe pleadings. Tbe objectionable testimony of O. Robinette is set out by the plaintiff in his brief as follows:

"Q. Did the Thomas Milling Company ever at any time notify you that they were going to have a sale of those two cars to some one else? Mr. .Tones: We object to that for the reason it is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. Tbe Court: Overruled. Mr. Tones: Exception. Q. You may answer that. A. They never did.”

It appears from the testimony that after this contract was made, tbe Dnited States Government, as a war measure, took over tile railroads of the United States and raised tbe minimum of the weights to be placed in cars, and Mr. Haworth was asked tbe question :

“Q. Mr. Haworth, may I ask if the in-, crease, which was invoked by the railway company or the federal 'government as to the minimum weight which might be placed in a car for shipment, would have necessarily increased the quantity of flour which the People’s Exchange had purchased from you as a lot of five cars? Mr. Brown: Objected to as incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. The Court: Overruled. Mr. Brown: Exception. A. No, sir.”

This was decided by the court in favor of the plaintiff and he, of course, does not complain of this, but it is necessary to set it forth as explanatory of the objection following:

“Q.

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Related

United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. State Ex Rel. Shull
1932 OK 65 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1932)
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1927 OK 385 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1927)
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1926 OK 291 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 646, 218 P. 808, 92 Okla. 123, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 796, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rock-v-robinette-okla-1923.