Van Pelt v. Park

55 P. 381, 18 Utah 141, 1898 Utah LEXIS 107
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 12, 1898
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 55 P. 381 (Van Pelt v. Park) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Pelt v. Park, 55 P. 381, 18 Utah 141, 1898 Utah LEXIS 107 (Utah 1898).

Opinion

Miner, J.

On the 13th day of February, 1896, Andrew Howat, [144]*144trustee, and Myn Mattschappy, Utah, a corporation, as parties of the first part, and Percy S. Sowers, John G. Logan (now deceased), and the appellant John F. Woodman, as parties of the secqnd part, entered into a contract by which the first parties agreed to sell, and the second parties agreed to purchase the Winnemuck group of mining claims for $30,000, of which $10,000 was to be paid on or before April 12, 1896, and the remainder on or before February 15, 1899. The second parties were to have possession during the interim, with the privilege of mining therein, disposing of the ores, and paying twenty-five per cent, of the sales as rental or royalties. The $10,000 payment falling due April 12, 1896, was paid by appellant Woodman, and the second parties took possession of the mines and have ever since been mining therein.

This action was originally commenced by plaintiff against Logan, who, after its commencement died intestate, and Park, his administrator, was substituted as defendant. In August, 1896, appellant Woodman, having purchased from Logan all his interest in the Winna-muck group of mines, was also made defendant in the action, so that at the time the action was commenced, the title to one-fourth of the property was held by defendant Logan (one-half of this one-fourth interest was claimed by plaintiff.)

During the pendency of the action Logan conveyed the one-fourth interest held in his name to Woodman, who took it with actual notice of plaintiff’s claim and interest therein. The interest of the plaintiff to one-eighth of the property, (one-half of. Logan’s one-fourth interest,) arises out of his claim that he and Logan were co-partners in the transaction which resulted in negotiating, procuring and acquiring the one-fourth interest in the mines by Logan.

[145]*145This action was brought to establish a trust in favor of. the plaintiff Van Pelt, to the extent of an undivided one-eighth interest, named in the contract, the title of which at the time of the commencement of the action was held by Logan, but at the time of the trial was held by appellant Woodman.

The court found from the evidence that plaintiff Van Pelt and Logan entered into an equal contract for the purpose of negotiating a purchase and resale of the mining-property in question; that the contract referred to was obtained as a result of the negotiations, time, efforts, and labor expended by plaintiff and Logan and others, and that the one-fourth interest in the mine conveyed to Logan under such contract, was held by him for himself and plaintiff jointly; that Van Pelt was the owner and entitled to a one-eighth interest in the mines, and that appellant Woodman knew of the relation between these parties, with respect to plaintiff’s interest in the mines, and that he took from Logan, during his life-time, a deed for a one-fourth interest, charged with the equity in favor of the plaintiff, for a one-half of the one-fourth interest. Appellant Woodman is the only party who appeals. The appeal is made upon both questions of law and fact.

The appellant presents exceptions to the findings of fact and conclusions of law which are objected to because the same are not sufficiently specific, and no attempt is made to set out the particulars wherein the evidence is insufficient to support the findings, conclusions of law, and decree. This is an equity case. It comes to this court upon appeal, upon questions of both law and fact.

In the case of Whittaker v. Ferguson, 51 Pac. Rep. 981, this court held that under the provisions of Sec. 9, Art. 8 of the Constitution, “In equity cases the appeal [146]*146may be on questions of both law and fact; in cases at law the appeal shall be on questions of law alone. Under this provision, it will be observed, an appeal may be taken in equity cases on questions of fact as well as of law. The appellate court therefore, by necessary intendment and implication, has the same jurisdiction and power in equity cases to determine questions of fact as of law, and may go behind the findings and decree of the trial court, consider all the evidence, decide on which side the preponderance thereof is, ascertain whether or not the proof j ustifies the findings and decree, and enter or direct such findings and decree to be entered as the evidence, in the judgment of the appellate tribunal, may justify. ■ The constitutional provision, however, confers no such jurisdiction and power upon the appellate court in cases at law, for in such cases the appeal is expressly limited to ‘ questions of law alone,5 and hence the jurisdiction and power in law cases are limited to the determination of questions of law.” North Point Cons. Irr. Co. v. Utah Canal Cos. et al, 52 Pac. Rep. 168.

Notwithstanding the rule laid down in these cases, it is necessary that the appellant in equity cases should comply with Secs. 3393, 3402, C. L. U. 1888, (being Secs. 3284, 3296 R. S.) when the grounds of the exception are the insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict, decision or findings. The objection must specify the particulars in which such evidence is alleged to be insufficient, so that the attention of the court and counsel may be directed to the particular matter relied upon by the moving party as affecting the questions raised, and the particular errors upon which the party relies should be stated. The statute applies to appeals in equity cases as well as to appeals in cases at law. A' disapproval of the findings and conclusions, merely, is not an exception for [147]*147insufficiency of the evidence, to justify it. Canal Co. v. Edwards, 9 Utah, 477; Sterling v. Parsons, 9 Utah, 81; Gill v. Hecht, 15 Utah, 161; Treat v. Forsyth, 40 Cal. 488; Eddelbuttel v. Durrell, et al., 55 Cal. 279; Parker v. Reay, 76 Cal. 105; Haight v. Taylor, 112 Cal. 4; Smith v. Christian, 47 Cal. 19.

The exceptions relied upon consist of a mere statement that the evidence is insufficient to justify or support the findings, conclusions, and the allegations in the complaint; that the findings and conclusions are not supported by the evidence, and that the conclusions of law are not the law of the case, without attempting to set out the particulars wherein the evidence is insufficient.

But treating the exceptions and assignment of errors as if made in compliance with the statute, we fail to find the testimony insufficient to justify the findings and decree.

The testimony tends to show that at times Logan made his home with Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 P. 381, 18 Utah 141, 1898 Utah LEXIS 107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-pelt-v-park-utah-1898.