Stapleton Motor Sales Co. v. Coley

1924 OK 1114, 232 P. 28, 107 Okla. 269, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 686
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 9, 1924
Docket13153
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1924 OK 1114 (Stapleton Motor Sales Co. v. Coley) 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
Stapleton Motor Sales Co. v. Coley, 1924 OK 1114, 232 P. 28, 107 Okla. 269, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 686 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

MASON, J.

This was an action brought in the district court of Greer county by the defendant in error, J. M. Coley, against the plaintiffs in error, to recover damages alleged to have been sustained on account of an alleged breach of a contract.

*270 Plaintiff alleged that the defendants R. B. Henderson and W. A. Crowley were members of- a general partnership engaged in the business of selling Reo automobiles in Greer county, Okla.; that the Stapleton Motor Sales Company was the distributor of said cars for the state of Oklahoma, with its principal place of business in Oklahoma City; that one H. Wharton was an agent of said company with authority to establish agencies for the said cars in Greer and Harmon counties; that on the 23d day of March, 1917, said Wharton, as the agent of said Motor Sales Company and Mr. Henderson of the partnership of Henderson and Crowley, came to the plaintiff, in Hollis, Okla., and offered- him a subagency for said cars in that county; that a contract was entered into between the plaintiff and said parties whereby he was to have a subagency for the said cars in Harmon county, and that Henderson and Crowley were to have one-half of his commission on all cars sold by him.

Plaintiff further alleged that, as a part of the same transaction, he purchased of said defendants one new Reo automobile at the price of $1,335, the defendants agreeing to accept his old Velie automobile as part payment in the sum of $835. The Reo automobile was to be delivered by April 1, 1917, and the plaintiff was to pay the balance of $500 at that time.

Plaintiff further alleged that the Velie car was delivered to said defendants at the time said contract was entered into, but that the defendants failed to deliver said new Reo automobile and never returned or paid plaintiff for his Velie automobile. He further alleged that at the time said contract was entered into the defendants knew what business he was engaged in and the use to which he would place said Reo ear, and to what use he had been placing his old Velie car, and' that the defendants knew he would suffer damages unless the new 'car was delivered according to contract.

For his first cause of action, he asked judgment in the sum of $845, by reason of the loss of the Velie car, and for a second cause of action, he asked judgment for $300, for the loss of the use of an automobile for a period of 60 days, alleging that the reasonable value of the use of said car was $5 per day.

The Stapleton Motor Sales Company filed a general denial and admitted that said Wharton was in the employ of said company, but specifically denied that he had authority to enter into a contract as alleged in plaintiff’s petition. The defendant Henderson filed a general denial and admitted that the plaintiff parted with one Velie ear and traded the same in on a new Reo car at a value of $835. He further alleged that on or about the 20th day of March, 1917, he was in Oklahoma City and entered into a contract with the Stapleton Motor Sales Company, by which he was to have the agency for Reo cars in Harmon county; that said Motor Car Company sent the said WTiarton to Harmon county to cancel the existing agency in that county, and on the 22d day of March Wharton and Henderson went to Hollis in .Harmon county, where they entered into the trade as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, but that the Stapleton Motor Sales Company would not permit Henderson to deliver said Reo car to the plaintiff.

The defendant Crowley, in addition to filing a general denial, expressly denied “that he was associated with the said defendant R. B. Henderson as a partner or otherwise iri the proposed sale of a car as charged in the plaintiff’s petition.”

Upon the issues thus joined, the cause was tried to a jury and a verdict rendered in favor of the plaintiff for the full amount prayed for in each of said causes of action, for which amount the court rendered judgment. Motions for a new trial were filed in due time by the Stapleton Motor Sales Company and by Crowley, which were overruled, exceptions saved, and the cause brought here for review.

For reversal, it is first contended by the Stapleton Motor Sales Company that the trial court erred in overruling its motion to quash the summons served on said company, on the grounds that the same was not issued, served, and returned as provided by law, but we deem it unnecessary to pass on this question, for the reason that we have concluded that the next assignment of error must be sustained.

It is next urged, on behalf of the Staple-ton Motor Sales Company, that there was not sufficient evidence to establish Wharton as the agent of said company in said transaction, and that the evidence of his acts was not binding on said company, and that the demurrer of said company to plaintiff’s evidence should have been sustained.

Plaintiff contended that the Stapleton Motor Sales Company was liable to plaintiff by reason of the acts of Wharton, who was alleged to be the “authorized agent for said company, with full power and authority to procure dealers and sell cars.” This allegation was denied under oath by the company in its answer. The testimony of *271 the general manager of the company and also that of Wharton, which was uncontra-dicted, was to the contrary. The defendant Henderson, as a witness, testified that the company offered the agency for Harmon county to Henderson and Orowley, who had the agency for Oreer county, if they would purchase a carload of new Reo automobiles, and agreed to send Wharton ‘‘to start them off and help them sell cars”; that they purchased said cars and Wharton was sent down by the company as agreed, and that he and Wharton went to Hollis, Harmon county, and made said trade with the plaintiff. He further testified that Wharton practically made the deal with the plaintiff, but that he (Henderson) accepted it and signed the name of Henderson and Orowley to the contract.

The plaintiff testified that sometime prior to that, while he was in Oklahoma City, Wharton attempted to sell him a Reo chassis, and that later he purchased the same from the Stapleton Motor Sales Company. He also testified that, at the time of the transaction referred to in plaintiff’s petition, Wharton stated he was representing said company. Mr. Gardner, who had the agency for Reo cars in Harmon county, and whom i.t is contended the company was endeavoring to remove, testified for the plaintiff that he had a conversation with Wharton the day of said transaction referred to in plaintiff’s petition, and that Wharton had informed him that he was there as the representative of the Stapleton Motor Sales Company.

This evidence was improperly admitted over the objection of the Stapleton Motor Sales Company. The rule is well established that agency cannot be proved against another by evidence of the declarations of an agent, and where one purports to act as agent for another, that fact of itself is not sufficient evidence upon which to submit the question of agency to the jury. Oklahoma Automobile Co. v. Benner, 70 Okla. 261, 171 Pac. 567; Chickasha Cotton Oil Co. v. Lamb & Tyner, 28 Okla. 275, 114 Pac. 333. There being no other competent evidence sufficient to support the judgment against the defendant Stapleton Motor Sales Company. we must conclude that the trial court erred in not siistaining said company’s demurrer to the plaintiff’s evidence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 1114, 232 P. 28, 107 Okla. 269, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stapleton-motor-sales-co-v-coley-okla-1924.