Selz, Schwab & Co. v. Gullion

119 N.E. 209, 187 Ind. 328, 1918 Ind. LEXIS 35
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 1918
DocketNo. 23,302
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 119 N.E. 209 (Selz, Schwab & Co. v. Gullion) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Selz, Schwab & Co. v. Gullion, 119 N.E. 209, 187 Ind. 328, 1918 Ind. LEXIS 35 (Ind. 1918).

Opinion

Myers, J.

— Appellee brought this action against appellant for money had and received. Trial was had before a jury, resulting in a verdict and judgment for $573.75 in favor of appellee. Appellant’s motion for a hew trial was overruled, and this ruling is assigned as error. The only causes in support of this motion covered by appellant’s points and'authorities are: (1) That the verdict is not supported by sufficient evidence; (2) the court erred in giving instructions Nos. 5, 6 and 10 tendered by the plaintiff, and (3) in the admission of certain evidence over the objection of appellant.

1. First: Does the evidence support the verdict? Appellant has adroitly argued this question on the theory that all the evidence tends to a verdict in its favor. But when this argument is analyzed, it is found to rest upon the weight of the evidence instead of pointing out an essential issue unsupported by the evidence. The evidence in this case covers 677 pages of the record, and it will answer no good purpose for us to take the space necessary to set out a synopsis of it. Two jury trials.of the issues before us resulted in like verdicts, and the ruling of the trial court on the present motion for a new trial was in effect a ruling upon a resubmission of the evidence on the question of evidence to support the verdict. The finding of the jury and ruling of the trial court foreclose this question in so far as this court is concerned, when, upon a consideration of the evidence most favorable to appellee, we can say the verdict in this respect is sustained. After a careful consideration of the evidence before us, eliminating the question of its weight, we must conclude that appellant’s insistence cannot be granted. Portland, etc., Mach. Co. v. Gibson (1915), 184 Ind. 342, 346, 111 N. E. 184; Southern Product Co. v. Franklin Coil Hoop [330]*330Co. (1914), 183 Ind. 123, 106 N. E. 872; Caldwell v. Ulsh (1915), 184 Ind. 725, 112 N. E. 518; Marietta Glass Mfg. Co. v. Pruitt (1913), 180 Ind. 434, 439, 102 N. E. 369.

Our attention is next called to instruction No. 5, which reads as follows: “If you find from the evidence that any of the witnesses have made statements out of court, or in former trials of this case in other courts at variance with their statements made as witnesses in this case such facts may be considered by you in determining the credibility of such witnesses.” Appellant, to maintain its insistence that the use of the word “may” instead of “should” or “must” rendered this instruction erroneous, cites Southern R. Co. v. State (1905), 165 Ind. 613, 75 N. E. 272; Fifer v. Ritter (1902), 159 Ind. 8, 64 N. E. 463; Strebin v. Lavengood (1904), 163 Ind. 478, 71 N. E. 494; Indianapolis St. R. Co. v. Johnson (1904), 163 Ind. 518, 72 N. E. 571. In the first case the trial court modified an instruction tendered by the complaining party by changing the word “should” to “may” and.this court held, owing to the peculiar facts of that case, that the party tendering the instruction was entitled to have it given as tendered, and the court’s refusal was error. In the second case it was held that the word “must” was employed in the sense of duty, that it was the duty of the jury to consider certain matters in determining credibility, and the word thus used was not therefore an encroachment upon the jury’s province. The third case had to do with the word “should” in a like instruction, which was 'held to be correct on the theory that it referred to the duty of the jury to consider the interest of the witness, if any, etc., on the question of credibility and weight of his evidence. In the last case it was held that the words “shall” and “should” were covered by the ruling in the case of Strebin v. Lavengood, supra, and was not an invasion of [331]*331the province of the jury. The ruling in Southern R. Co. v. State, supra, has caused renewed activity in the way of assault upon instructions to the jury employing words other than “should” when referring to its duty to consider certain enumerated particulars in determining the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony. In Orient Ins. Co. v. Kaptur (1911) , 176 Ind. 308, 95 N. E. 230, the trial court struck out the word “should” in a tendered instruction, and substituted the word “may,” and, as thus modified, gave it. Held, that as the witness did not testify to any fact controverted by appellant, the instruction, if erroneous, was harmless. In Crawfordsville Trust Co. v. Ramsey (1912) , 178 Ind. 258, 98 N. E. 177, an instruction was given on the subject of weighing evidence: “You may take into consideration the interest, if any, that any of the witnesses have in the result of this trial,” etc. In that case it was vigorously insisted that by the use of the word “may” instead of “should” the court committed reversible error. Held: “It is' a sufficient answer to appellant’s contention to say that if a party desires a fuller instruction than the one given, it is his duty to make the appropriate request. The charge, as far as it went at least, was correct, and appellants having failed to request any instruction on the subject, cannot be heard to complain.”

2. [332]*3323. [331]*331An examination of the record in this case discloses the fact that appellant did tender and the court refused an instruction to the effect that if the jury believed that any witness had made statements or written representations prior to the trial in conflict with his testimony as to material features of the transactions had between him and appellant, they must take that into consideration in determining what credit should be given his testimony. No point is made on the refusal of the court to give this instruction, and conse[332]*332quently such refusal cannot be successfully used by way of argument as a reason for this court to hold another instruction erroneous, or as a basis upon which to reverse the judgment. Kaufman v. Alexander (1913), 180 Ind. 670, 103 N. E. 481. This court may search the record to affirm a judgment, but not to reverse it. Dunham v. Jones (1915), 184 Ind. 46, 51, 110 N. E. 203; Sanger v. Bacon (1913), 180 Ind. 322, 333, 101 N. E. 1001. It may be the word “should” ought to have been used instead of the word “may,” yet from the entire record in this case the error “complained of would not serve to require us to reverse the judgment and send the case back for a new trial.” White v. State (1912), 178 Ind. 317, 319, 99 N. E. 417.

4. Instruction No. 6 told the jury that if it found from the evidence that any witnesses wilfully testified falsely upon any matter material to the issues, then it had the right to disregard the testimony of such witnesses in other respects, “unless they are corroborated by other evidence satisfactory to you.” Appellant insists that by the words “satisfactory to you” the jury were, in effect, told that they must believe the corroborative evidence, or find it to be true, before they could consider it in connection with the testimony of the witness they believed to be wilfully swearing falsely, when the instruction should have stated that such testimony might be disregarded if it was not corroborated by other credible evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
119 N.E. 209, 187 Ind. 328, 1918 Ind. LEXIS 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/selz-schwab-co-v-gullion-ind-1918.