Ryan v. Robert Ryan Hotels, Inc.

255 P.2d 130, 198 Or. 133, 1953 Ore. LEXIS 200
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 25, 1953
StatusPublished

This text of 255 P.2d 130 (Ryan v. Robert Ryan Hotels, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ryan v. Robert Ryan Hotels, Inc., 255 P.2d 130, 198 Or. 133, 1953 Ore. LEXIS 200 (Or. 1953).

Opinion

TOOZE, J.

This proceeding was originally commenced as an action at law to recover money. It was brought by Jean Ryan (now Howes), as plaintiff, against Robert Ryan Hotels, Inc., an Oregon corporation, as defendant. In its answer to plaintiff’s amended complaint, defendant affirmatively alleged grounds for an accounting and prayed .for a decree and judgment against plaintiff. By stipulation of the parties, the case was tried to the court as a suit in equity. A decree and judgment in favor of plaintiff for the sum of $1,530.84 was entered by the court. Plaintiff appeals, and defendant cross-appeals.

Plaintiff’s amended complaint alleged three separate causes of action against defendant: (1) for the [136]*136sum of $26,699.69, alleged to have been loaned and advanced to defendant by plaintiff; (2) for the sum of $4,085, alleged to be due plaintiff from defendant on account of services rendered by plaintiff as manager of the Tioga Hotel at Coos Bay, operated by defendant; (3) for the sum of $4,500, for and on account of a bank loan obtained for defendant’s sole use and benefit, which plaintiff was compelled to pay.

By its answer defendant denied all the material allegations of plaintiff’s complaint, except that it admitted that plaintiff was for a time employed as manager of the Tioga Hotel, operated by defendant. By way of cross-complaint against plaintiff, defendant specifically alleged as follows:

“I.
“That on or about the 20th day of May, 1947, the Plaintiff herein was elected and qualified as Secretary and Treasurer, and a member of the Board of Directors, of said corporation, and that her husband, J. R. Ryan, was elected and qualified as President, and a member of the Board of Directors, of said corporation, and that from said 20th day of May, 1947, down to and including the 31st day of August, 1948, the Plaintiff herein and the said J. R. Ryan did manage and control said corporation, and the moneys and funds thereof, and its operations referred to in Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint and known as the Tioga Hotel, Coos Bay, Oregon; that during all of said time, Plaintiff herein acted as Secretary and Treasurer and Director of said corporation; that on said 31st day of August, 1948, the said J. R. Ryan resigned as President, Director and manager of said corporation, and the Plaintiff herein did thereafter, and to and including the 31st day of December, 1948, continue to act as Secretary and Treasurer of said corporation, and did act as the manager thereof, including the said Tioga Hotel operations.
[137]*137“II.
“That during all the times herein mentioned, from the said 20th day of May, 1947, to and including the 31st day of December, 1948, the Plaintiff and the said J. R. Ryan did receive and disburse the funds of said corporation, and that the said Plaintiff and the said J. R. Ryan have never accounted to said corporation for the funds and moneys received and expended by them as officers and directors of said corporation; that the said corporation now has in its possession certain records of said corporation but that said records are not complete in that they do not show how certain of the moneys and funds of said corporation were expended, and that the Plaintiff herein should be required by the above entitled Court to account for all the funds and moneys of said corporation coming into her hands and expended by her, and to pay over to the Defendant herein such sum as may be found due said Defendant from the Plaintiff on such account; that demand has been made upon the Plaintiff for said accounting and that she has failed, neglected and refused to render said accounting.”

Defendant then alleged that plaintiff was entitled to a credit of $2,835 for work performed by her, but as against such credit there should be charged to her certain items aggregating the sum of $4,655.26. These several charges were itemized. The only charges with which we are particularly concerned on this appeal are listed as follows: “the sum of $1,300.00, which sum was used for the purchase * * * of one diamond ring for plaintiff; personal withdrawals by plaintiff in the sum of $281.81, as set forth on Tioga Hotel withdrawal cards Nos. 8677 and 9202; withdrawals for living expenses for the said plaintiff and J. R. Ryan, including food and dry cleaning, from the 20th day of May, 1947, to and including August 31, 1948, in the [138]*138sum. of $1,377.29; payment on the 4th day of May, 1948, to The First National Bank of Portland from corporation funds on personal note of plaintiff in the sum of $102.00.”

Defendant further alleged that one Carlo DePetris claimed to have paid to said corporation on or about August 15, 1947, the sum of $20,000, for which he received a note of the corporation, executed by plaintiff, as secretary, and J. R. Ryan, as president, of defendant, and which promissory note is in the principal sum of $20,000 and repayable in annual installments of $2,000 each; that demand had been made upon plaintiff to account for the expenditure of said sum of $20,000, and that she had failed and neglected to do so; that plaintiff should be required to account for said sum of $20,000, and upon her failure to do so, she should be required to pay defendant the said sum, with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from August 15,1947, until paid.

It also is averred in the answer that on or about June 23, 1947, the plaintiff, as secretary, and J. R. Ryan, as president, of the corporation issued and delivered to J. R. Ryan 1,000 shares of stock in said corporation for an agreed price of $10,000; defendant asked that plaintiff be required to account for this sum of $10,000, and upon her failure so to do, that she be required to pay defendant said sum, with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from June-23, 1947, until paid.

Allegations similar to those last referred to are then set forth regarding 500 shares of stock of the corporation issued to plaintiff on or about June 23, 1947, of the agreed value of $5,000.

Defendant then asserts the claim that because of [139]*139plaintiff’s failure and refusal to account, it had been compelled to employ auditors and accountants and incur additional expenses, for the purpose of determining how the funds of the corporation received by plaintiff and J. E. Eyan were disbursed; it is then claimed that such costs and expenses in the sum of $3,000 should be charged against plaintiff upon the accounting.

By her reply, plaintiff denied all the material allegations of defendant’s cross-complaint inconsistent with or contradictory to the allegations of her amended complaint.

The record discloses that J. E. Eyan is a San Francisco business man who has specialized in buying, selling, and operating hotel and similar properties.

In August, 1946, plaintiff and J. E. Eyan were married. They lived together as husband and wife until August 31, 1948, when they separated. A few months later plaintiff obtained a divorce from Eyan, the decree of divorce restoring to her her former name of Jean Howes.

Before and at the time of the marriage between plaintiff and Eyan, the said Eyan had associated with him in some of his business enterprises in California, one Jessie Titus and one Carlo DePetris.

Between September 10, 1946, and January 1, 1947, plaintiff advanced and paid to J. E. Eyan in cash the sum of $17,000; on June 6, 1947, she advanced to her husband the further sum of $2,000.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
255 P.2d 130, 198 Or. 133, 1953 Ore. LEXIS 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ryan-v-robert-ryan-hotels-inc-or-1953.