State v. Price

21 P.2d 1038, 173 Wash. 108, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 603
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMay 12, 1933
DocketNo. 24344. Department One.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 21 P.2d 1038 (State v. Price) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Price, 21 P.2d 1038, 173 Wash. 108, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 603 (Wash. 1933).

Opinion

Mitchell, J.

John Gr. Price was charged and convicted on each of eleven counts in one information of the crime of grand larceny. In one count, the charge was grand larceny by obtaining money by false pretenses, and in each of the other counts the charge was grand larceny by embezzlement. Judgment and sentence were imposed upon him, from which he has appealed.

The transactions out of which the charges arose occurred while the appellant was president of the Northern Bond & Mortgage Company (hereinafter called the Mortgage Co.), in Seattle, and in connection with the transaction of its business, which consisted, among other things, in loaning money on mortgages, buying and selling mortgages, making construction loans to contractors, and investing money generally for its clients. The transactions involved took place either shortly or just immediately before the-appointment of a receiver, on the application of the appellant, for the Mortgage Co., on the ground of insolvency, in December, 1927.

The first assignment of error complains of an order overruling a general demurrer to the information and each of the counts in it. The respective counts were based on Rem. Rev. Stat., § 2601, subd. (2) or (3), and were expressed substantially in the language of the statute. This is sufficient. Some of our cases so holding are State v. Turner, 10 Wash. 94, 38 Pac. *110 864; State v. Jakubowski, 77 Wash. 78, 137 Pac. 448; State v. Wray, 142 Wash. 530, 253 Pac. 801, and cases cited; State v. Stevenson, 161 Wash. 357, 296 Pac. 1052; State v. Linden, 171 Wash. 92, 17 P. (2d) 635.

In the next assignment of error, it is argued that the trustee in bankruptcy of the Mortgage Co. upon its insolvency should not have been permitted to testify upon the question of the insolvency of the Mortgage Co. at stated periods involved in the case. The trustee in bankruptcy was appointed and qualified some two months after a receiver was appointed for the Mortgage Co. by the state court, and had handled the bankrupt estate nearly two years at the date of the hearing in the present case. As trustee, he became the owner of the legal title to the property of the bankrupt estate, and, as the testimony shows, had familiarized himself with its financial standing at different times. His ownership and personal knowledge of the affairs of the bankrupt estate qualified him to testify on the subject. He was the owner, and, by personal acquaintance with the company’s affairs, possessed more than common knowledge of them. State v. Gregory, 198 Iowa 316, 198 N. W. 58. The weight of his testimony was for the jury, of course.

Further, it is assigned that prejudicial error was committed by the court in allowing one McLarty to testify concerning a certain financial statement of the Mortgage Co. made a few years before it became insolvent. Mr. McLarty, at the time the Mortgage Co. became insolvent, had for some time been its secretary and auditor, on account of which, together with considerable study preparing to testify at the trial of this case, he appeared to be well qualified to testify concerning the affairs of the company, as described by the financial statement in question, and was entitled to testify.

*111 Another objection to his testimony and the financial statement was that the same tended to prove other crimes than those with which the appellant was being tried. There is a rule, however, permitting evidence of this kind, within the judgment of the trial court and proper instructions thereon, in eases, such as this, of larceny by embezzlement running over a period of considerable time. We had a similar situation in the recent embezzlement case of State v. Linden, 171 Wash. 92, 17 P. (2d) 635, wherein we said:

“The fact that exhibit ‘IT’ showed or tended to show the commission of a crime or crimes prior to the ones with which the appellants were charged does not make it inadmissible, since intent was an element of the crime which must be established by evidence. When intent is a necessary element of the crime, evidence of other crimes than the one with which the accused is being tried, may be received as bearing upon that question. State v. Harkness, 136 Wash. 691, 241 Pac. 297; State v. Clamp, 164 Wash. 653, 3 P. (2d) 1096; 80 A. L. R. 1302; State v. Schultz, 168 Wash. 120, 10 P. (2d) 980.

“The facts stated in the trust agreement were not so remote in point of time as to have no substantial evidentiary value as bearing upon the question of intent. State v. Morgan, 146 Wash. 109, 261 Pac. 777; State v. Schultz, 168 Wash. 120, 10 P. (2d) 980.”

The next assignment is that the court erred in denying motions for directed verdicts and for orders of dismissal with respect to each and all of the counts in the information. The record shows, however, that there was strong, substantial, unimpeached and positive testimony introduced in support of each count upon which there was a conviction. There was testimony to the contrary, but the case was for the jury.

Next it is assigned that the attorney for the state committed reversible error in demanding that the appellant produce evidence against himself. We do not so understand the record. Appellant, in his *112 testimony in chief, referred to a written list of items prepared by him and his counsel from certain books of accounts. Then in cross-examination, after testifying that he could not testify fully where certain moneys had been deposited, other than those already enumerated, the following occurred:

“Q. Can’t you answer one particular item? A. I cannot. There are some of them on our list we went over Sunday. I cannot do it. Q. Have you that list in your possession? A. I think Mr. Eoss has it. Q. Have you any objection to my seeing it? Mr. Eoss: If counsel is calling upon the defendant to produce evidence against himself I except to it as misconduct of counsel. Mr. Leuthah: I am very careful not to. Mr. Eoss: Since the damage has been done so far as counsel is concerned, if he wants us to produce those books and the court orders it we will produce them. The Court : What are the books ? Mr. Lehihan : I am not going to ask Tour Honor over any objection for the defendant to produce anything. I merely asked him if he had any objection, the same as awhile ago when he handed me this folder containing the letters and the other papers I asked him if he had any objection to my looking at them. I am not asking him to produce anything that he does not desire to produce. The Court : Proceed.”

This assignment, in our opinion, is without substantial merit.

The giving of certain instructions constitute assignments of error; No. 7 is one of them. In the brief, it is referred to and identified by its subject-matter, but it is not argued. However, the instruction was correct. Price v. Northern Bond & Mortgage Co., 161 Wash. 690, 297 Pac. 786. Instruction No. 8 was proper. It was a correct statement of the law that the deprivation of property need not be permanent, but that criminal, temporary deprivation is sufficient to constitute larceny. State v. Linden, 171 Wash. 92, 17 P.

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Bluebook (online)
21 P.2d 1038, 173 Wash. 108, 1933 Wash. LEXIS 603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-price-wash-1933.