Taffe v. Smyth

125 P. 308, 62 Or. 227, 1912 Ore. LEXIS 135
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 9, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 125 P. 308 (Taffe v. Smyth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taffe v. Smyth, 125 P. 308, 62 Or. 227, 1912 Ore. LEXIS 135 (Or. 1912).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Moore

delivered the opinion of the court.

1. It is maintained by plaintiff’s counsel that no evidence was received tending to support several findings of fact as made, and, such being the case, errors were committed in these respects. When an action is tried by stipulation without the intervention of a jury, and from the evidence received findings of fact are made upon all the disputed questions to which the parties in the pleadings have narrowed their respective allegations, such conclusions will not be disturbed on appeal unless it satisfactorily appears, from an inspection of the bill of exceptions, that application was made to the trial court for further or different findings, and the request therefor denied. Hicklin v. McClear, 18 Or. 126 (22 Pac. 1057) ; Umatilla Irrigation Co. v. Barnhart, 22 Or. 389 (30 Pac. 37) ; McClung v. McPherson, 47 Or. 73 (81 Pac. 567: 82 Pac. 13).

In the case at bar no exception was taken to any of the findings, or motion made to set either of .them aside, nor was any other finding submitted with a request that it [230]*230be adopted in lieu of any conclusion of fact that was reached. If any error was committed as alleged, the action of the trial court in that respect is unavailing.

2. The defendant Jones on direct examination was asked by his counsel if he had ever made any objection to a written statement of account submitted by the plaintiff, and replied:

“No, I never did. Q. Why not?”

An objection to the inquiry, on the ground that it was incompetent, having been overruled and an exception allowed, the witness answered:

“When we first went to Celilo we were told that we would have trouble with Mr. Taffe before we got out of there.”

Plaintiff’s counsel, interrupting, moved to strike out the answer, whereupon defendant’s counsel stated:

“I want to show that he was warned, which is the reason why he did not object to this bill.”

The court thereupon remarked:

“Well, I will admit the evidence and consider it on the motion to strike.”

To this ruling an exception was taken. The witness, continuing, said:

“It was represented to us that Mr. Taffe loved a lawsuit ; and had them all the time, and of course we wanted to avoid a lawsuit as long as possible, and for that reason we did not object to what I considered his preposterous charges until after we had finished work up there.”

The testimony thus1 quoted, the objections interposed, the statements of respective counsel relating to the matter, and the exceptions noted, are practically repeated in respect to the testimony of the defendant Smyth on the same subject. In ruling on objections to questions submitted to Smyth, the court observed:

[231]*231“I do not believe that testimony is competent. * * I admitted it on the part of the other witness, and I will admit it now, although I have my doubts about it. It would seem to me rather it should be a reason why they should object to it at once” — referring to plaintiff’s bill of items which had been tendered to the defendants.

In the trial of an action without a jury, the admission, over objection and exception, of immaterial evidence cannot injure a party unless he is prejudiced thereby. The court having stated that the testimony, the receipt of which is complained of, was not considered competent, such comment rebuts any inference that the sworn declarations of the witnesses tended in any manner to induce the findings of fact that were made. The plaintiff was evidently not prejudiced in any manner by the admission of such testimony.

It' will be remembered that no findings of fact’ was made on the issue involved in the fifth cause of action. The complaint relating thereto avers in effect that, at the special instance and request of the defendants, the plaintiff permitted them to lay and maintain on his premises water pipes and to use in connection therewith his water tank from November 25, 1907, to September 10, 1908, at $2.50 per day, amounting to $715, no part of which had been paid except $678.50 hereinbefore referred to as the sum to be credited on the entire account. The answer to this part of the complaint admitted that, during the time specified, defendants had some pipes buried on plaintiff’s land, but denied that his tank was used for any part of such time, or that they agreed to give $2.50 per day or any other sum, or promised to pay $715 or any other amount for the privilege alleged. For a further defense to such cause of action, the answer stated in substance that the pipes under ground do not interfere with plaintiff’s use of the premises, and that such conduits are the pipes referred to in paragraph 2 of [232]*232the fourth separate cause of action; and denied that no other payments have been made than as alleged, but averred that defendants had fully paid plaintiff for such use prior to the commencement of this action. The paragraph thus adverted to charges a use by the defendants of the same property from November 25, 1906, to November 25, 1907, at the agreed price of $365; no part of which had been paid except the sum stated as a credit on the entire account. The reply denied the allegations of new matter contained in this part of the answer.

3. No finding of fact having been made upon the material issue involving the sum of $715 as set forth in the fifth cause of action, the failure in this respect, under the rule formerly prevailing, would not only have necessitated a reversal of the judgment, but required the cause to be remanded for a new trial. Henderson v. Reynolds, 57 Or. 186. (110 Pac. 979) ; Darling v. Miles, 57 Or. 593 (111 Pac. 702: 112 Pac. 1084). Section 3 of Article 7 of the constitution was amended November 8, 1910, and, as far as material herein, reads as follows:

“Until otherwise provided by law, upon appeal of any case, to the Supreme Court, either party may have attached to the bill of exceptions the whole testimony, the instructions of the court to the jury, and any other matter material to the decision of the appeal. If the Supreme Court shall be of the opinion, after consideration of all the matters thus submitted, that the judgment of the court appealed from was such as should have been rendered in the case, such judgment shall be affirmed notwithstanding any error committed during the trial or, if, in any respect, the judgment appealed from should be changed, and the Supreme Court shall be of the opinion that it can determine what judgment should have been entered in the court below, it shall direct such judgment to be entered in the same manner and with like effect as decrees are now entered in equity cases on appeal to the Supreme Court.” 1 L. O. L. p. xxiv.

[233]*233It has not been “otherwise provided by law” that any change in the practice on appeal should be inaugurated, differing from that prescribed in the amendment quoted.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
125 P. 308, 62 Or. 227, 1912 Ore. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taffe-v-smyth-or-1912.