Shank Fireproof Warehouse Co. v. Harlan

29 N.E.2d 1003, 108 Ind. App. 592, 1940 Ind. App. LEXIS 79
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided December 2, 1940·No. No. 16,423.·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

Stevenson, J.

This action was brought by the appellee against the appellant to recover damages that resulted from certain transactions involved in the storage of the appellee’s household furnishings with the appellant. Her complaint was in one paragraph and reads as follows:

“Plaintiff complains of defendant and says: That at all times mentioned herein, since and now, said defendant was a corporation duly organized and existing under and pursuant to the laws of the State of Indiana, and engaged in the City of Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, in the business of storing, warehousing, forwarding and shipping household goods and other personal property.
“That on or about the 1st day of July, 1936, said plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement whereby and under which said defendant agreed to store at its warehouse or storage building at Indianapolis, Indiana, certain household goods and other personal property then and since owned by the plaintiff; and that on or about said date said defendant received from said plaintiff said personal property.
“That on or about the 17th day of September, 1936, without the authority or consent of said plaintiff, said defendant shipped or caused to be shipped and forwarded by freight all of the said household goods and personal property from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Los Angeles, California.
“That plaintiff has been compelled to pay, or has incurred, expenses and indebtedness of said unauthorized shipping and forwarding of said property from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Los Angeles, California, the sum of Three Hundred Twenty-Five Dollars ($325.00) and has incurred indebtedness in the sum of Three Hundred ($300.00) Dollars to *596 return said property from Los Angeles, California, to Indianapolis, Indiana.
“That by reason of the premises said plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of Six Hundred Twenty-Five ($625.00) Dollars.
“WHEREFORE, plaintiff prays judgment against said defendant in the sum of Seven Hundred Fifty ($750.00) Dollars, costs, and for all other further and proper relief.”

To this complaint the appellant filed a motion to make more specific. In support of this motion, the appellant contends that the complaint seeks to recover for breach of contract and should therefore set out the terms and conditions of the contract, or a copy thereof if in writing, together with an averment as to the consideration for the agreement alleged to have been breached. The court overruled this motion and this ruling is the first error assigned on appeal.

The appellant then filed a demurrer to the complaint on the grounds that the complaint was insufficient in that no consideration was shown for the contract alleged to have been breached. The court overruled this demurrer and this ruling is the second error assigned and relied upon for reversal in this court.

An answer in general denial was then filed and the case was submitted to a jury for trial, which returned a verdict for the appellee in the sum of $500.00. Judgment was rendered upon the verdict, a motion for new trial was filed and overruled and this appeal has been perfected. The third error assigned is the overruling of the motion for new trial.

Under the first and second assignments of error the appellant contends that the complaint is upon the theory of a breach of contract, and that it was therefore necessary to plead the consideration supporting such contract. We cannot agree with *597 this contention. A reading of the complaint discloses that the act about which the appellee complains is the unauthorized shipping of the appellee’s property to Los Angeles, California. She alleges that because of said “unauthorized shipping and forwarding of said property from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Los Angeles, California” she has been compelled to pay out and expend $625.00 to procure a return of said property to her possession. If this complaint contains sufficient facts to constitute an action in tort and is sufficient to advise the appellant of the precise nature of the charge he is called upon to meet and defend, then there was no error in overruling the motion to make this complaint more specific. American Carloading Corporation v. Voight (1939), 107 Ind. App. 267, 21 N. E. (2d) 453.

It clearly appears that the wrongful act about which the appellee complains is the unauthorized shipping of her property to Los Angeles, California. This wrongful act is sufficiently pleaded and we believe the appellant was in no way harmed by the refusal of the court to require the appellee to make her complaint more specific. No reversible error was committed in overruling such motion. Baltimore & Ohio S. W. R. R. Co. v. Beach (1930), 99 Ind. App. 672, 168 N. E. 204.

The demurrer addressed to the complaint raises the question as to whether or not such facts so pleaded are sufficient to constitute a cause of action in tort. It is our opinion that such question must be answered in the affirmative. This court has frequently had occasion to recite the elements which constitute conversion. “Conversion, as a tort, consists either in the appropriation of the personal property of another to the party’s own use and benefit, or in its destruction, or in exercising dominion over it, in exclu *598 si on and defiance of the rights of the owner or lawful possessor, or in withholding it from his possession, under a claim and title inconsistent with the owner’s.” Prudential Ins. Co. v. Thatcher (1937), 104 Ind. App. 14, 20, 4 N. E. (2d) 574. “The essence of every conversion is the wrongful invasion of the right to, and absolute dominion over,” the property of another. C. I. & L. R. R. Co. v. Pope (1934), 99 Ind. App. 280, 188 N. E. 594.

Clearly, the acts involved in taking the appellee’s household furnishings out of storage in Indianapolis, Indiana, and shipping them to Los Angeles, California, without the order or approval of the appellee, was the exercise of an unauthorized dominion and control over such property. This, in our opinion, amounts to a conversion. Salvation Army v. Ellerbush (1928), 87 Ind. App. 682, 161 N. E. 638.

The evidence in this case discloses that the appellant shipped the appellee’s furniture to Berkins Van & Storage Company, Los Angeles, California, and notified the appellee that it was there. There was evidence from which the jury could find that this shipment was made without the authority, knowledge, or consent of the appellee. The reason for such shipment is not entirely clear but, as this court has said:

“If after the goods were transported and stored, and while the appellant had toward them the relation of a warehouseman, they were delivered by the appellant to a wrong person through the appellant’s negligence, it might be required to respond in damages as for a conversion to the owner who had delivered the goods for transportation to himself, either under or without special contract.

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

Shank Fireproof Warehouse Co. v. Harlan, 29 N.E.2d 1003, 108 Ind. App. 592, 1940 Ind. App. LEXIS 79 (Ind. Ct. App. 1940).

29 N.E.2d 1003 (Shank Fireproof Warehouse Co. v. Harlan) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Computers Unlimited, Inc. v. Midwest Data Systems, Inc.
657 N.E.2d 165 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1995)
David Crystal, Inc. v. Cunard Steam-Ship Company
223 F. Supp. 273 (S.D. New York, 1963)
Loehr v. Meuser
93 N.E.2d 363 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1950)
Rosenmeier v. Krauss
75 N.E.2d 798 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1947)
David v. David
66 N.E.2d 284 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1946)
Hooper v. Preuss
37 N.E.2d 687 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1941)