Sinks v. Green

32 Ohio C.C. Dec. 515, 19 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 445, 1912 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 257
CourtCuyahoga Circuit Court
DecidedFebruary 6, 1912
StatusPublished

This text of 32 Ohio C.C. Dec. 515 (Sinks v. Green) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sinks v. Green, 32 Ohio C.C. Dec. 515, 19 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 445, 1912 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 257 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1912).

Opinion

MARVIN, J.

Green was the plaintiff below and will be so spoken of in this opinion. Sinks and others were defendants below and will-be so spoken of in this opinion.

The plaintiff recovered a judgment against the defendants in an action brought by him to recover the amount he says the [516]*516■defendants’ owed to Mm upon a contract for the sale of certain stock in the Williams & Rogers Co., a corporation, or perhaps more properly stated, for damages for refusing to carry out the contract which he says the defendants made for the purchase of such stock.

The case in the court of common pleas was reférred to Hon. John G. Hale, a former member of this court, who found the facts and his conclusions of law and reported the same to the court of common pleas. It is agreed here that the facts found by the referee are the real facts and the only facts necessary to be considered in the case. It is objected, however, that his conclusions ef law from the facts are not justified, and the court of common pleas- so found,- the conclusions found by the referee being such as to deny to‘the plaintiff any right to recover. The court allowed a recovery. So then, we know the facts upon which the plaintiff is entitled to recover, if he is entitled to recover at all.

The contract which the plaintiff says the defendants refused to carry out, and because of which refusal he claims to be entitled to recover here, was entered into between Thomas Rogers, acting on behalf of himself and certain other persons associated with him in thé ownership of the stock of the Williams & Rogers Co., on the one part, and William C. Roberts, acting upon behalf of himself and the defendants in this action on the other part. Several contracts were entered into by these parties, each supplementing a prior contract. It is sufficient to say in regard to .them that the parties originally represented by Rogers in the sale proposed to sell, and did sell, 1,400 shares of the. stock of this corporation, there being in all 2,000 shares of such stock. A price was agreed upon in the original contract, based upon an inventory of the assets of the corporation. By supplements made to this contract, the price was to be varied according as it should turn out that there was an over-valuation of certain parts of the assets. The final contract as agreed upon contained this clause:

“It is further hereby agreed that if at any time within two years from the date hereof the owners of said 600 shares or of any 100 shares shall elect to sell their said stock to second party [517]*517at the price aforesaid, upon the terms of payment of the par value thereof -in equal semi-annual installments, payable in six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four months respectively, evidenced by four promissory notes bearing interest at six per cent, per annum payable semi-annually, and the balance of said purchase price in cash at the time of purchase, the said party of the second part will, within thirty days after written notice of the election to him, accept, and pay for the said stock in the manner aforesaid, and said party of the second part hereby gives to said party of the first part, or the holders of said shares the privilege and option to sell same to him upon the terms hereinbefore in this paragraph set forth. ■ The promissory notes to be given as aforesaid to be signed by satisfactory responsible parties to the approval of the president of the Central National Bank of Cleveland.”

The plaintiff was the owner of 100 shares of this stock. He claims that he tendered the stock to the defendants and demanded of them that they carry out the provisions contained in that part of the contract hereinbefore quoted. What he did was, on August 12, 1908, he sent a letter' to the -several defendants in this suit, except Aaron Skall, in which he said:

“The undersigned * * * hereby gives you (who were represented by William C. Boberts in the making of said contract) formal notice that he hereby takes advantage of, and exercises the option therein given him, to sell his said one hundred shares of stock in said company, to you at the price provided1 for in said contract, and upon the terms therein set forth, to wit: the same price per share as was agreed by said contract to be paid for the other fourteen hundred shares mentioned therein, and upon the terms hereinbefore set forth. * * * The undersigned is ready, and hereby offers to deliver to you the said one hundred shares of said- stock upon delivery to him of -four notes sighed as aforesaid.”

The referee found that this was not a tender of the stock. In this we think the referee was'clearly right. Nor was it necessary that he should then tender the stock, nor was it probably intended by him as a tender. It will be noticed that- the contract provides that the party of the second part “will, within thirty days after written notice to him of such election, accept and pay for the said stock in the manner aforesaid. ’ ’ The letter of August 12, 1908, was such notice, and if followed up by a tender of the stock after thirty days from the giving of. such [518]*518notice and within two years from the date of the contract, the plaintiff would have complied with the contract and would have been entitled to recover the price agreed upon to be paid therefor, unless it be that the plaintiff was not entitled to the benefit of this contract, though made for his benefit and made between the parties who made it. As we view this case, it is not necessary to consider that question because, however, we should hold upon it, we should reach the result which we do reach in deciding the case.

On June 3, 1909, which was within two years of the date of the contract, and more than thirty days after the notice hereinbefore spoken of, the plaintiff wrote to each of the defendants the following letter:

1 ‘ Cleveland, Ohio, June 2, 1909.
“Mr. B. H. Sinks,
‘1 City.
“Dear Sir: Pursuant to my written notice served upon you, bearing date of August 12, 1908, in which I notified you of my election to sell my stock to you upon the terms set forth in the contract of June 28th, 1907, therein referred to, tendered you my said stock and demanded payment therefor in accordance with the provisions of said contract, I hereby renew my tender of said stock, preliminary to the commencement of suit, and offer to deliver same to you on the payment to me in cash of the sum of $3,801.55 and the delivery to me of four notes as follows: one for $2,500 payable in 8 months after date; one for $2,500 payable in 12 months after date; one for $2,500 payable in 18 months after date; and one for $2,500 payable in 2'é months after date. Said notes to bear interest at six per cent, per annum, payable semi-annually, and to be signed by satisfactorily responsible persons to the approval of the president of the Central National Bank of Cleveland, Ohio.
“I herewith make the actual tender to you of certificate No. 52 for 100 shares in the capital stock of the Williams & Rogers Company, standing in my name, and duly endorsed for transfer. Upon failure by you to deliver me said cash and notes, signed as aforesaid, and to accept said stock, I shall at once begin suit against you to recover the amount due me.
“Very truly yours,
“Hugh M. Green.”

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Bluebook (online)
32 Ohio C.C. Dec. 515, 19 Ohio C.C. (n.s.) 445, 1912 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sinks-v-green-ohcirctcuyahoga-1912.