Vance v. Stout's Turkey Hatchery, Inc.

359 S.W.2d 247, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 688
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 11, 1962
DocketNo. 8072
StatusPublished

This text of 359 S.W.2d 247 (Vance v. Stout's Turkey Hatchery, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vance v. Stout's Turkey Hatchery, Inc., 359 S.W.2d 247, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 688 (Mo. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

McDowell, judge.

This is an action by plaintiffs against defendant to recover the balance due for turkey eggs sold and delivered to defendant during the turkey season beginning October 28, 1958, and ending March 1, 1959. Suit was filed in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Missouri, and thereafter transferred on change of venue to the Circuit Court of Laclede County where it was tried by the court (jury waived) and judgment rendered for plaintiffs in the sum of $3,531.75. From this judgment defendant appealed.

The petition alleged, inter alia, that plaintiffs sold and delivered to the defendant turkey eggs, as set out in paragraph 2, consisting of 32 items of sales. Each item bearing the date, number of eggs sold, delivered and accepted by defendant for the price agreed thereon, and prayed for the balance due on said sales in the sum of $4,833.84.

In paragraph 3, it is alleged that sales items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 25, 28, 30, 31, and 32, as contained in the schedule in paragraph 2, were paid for by defendant in full before suit was instituted; that defendant had paid part of the amount due for sales numbered 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 27, and alleged there is still due and unpaid $3,531.75 for sales items 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. It was further alleged that plaintiffs were paid in full for all eggs delivered through November 18th, and for eggs delivered November 29th, December 1, 1958, February 7th and February 16, 1959.

The answer admits the delivery of the eggs to defendant, as alleged in the petition, and the payment made thereon but denies that it has failed and refused to pay plaintiffs for any amount for eggs set forth in sales 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of the schedule in paragraph 2 of the petition and denies that there is any balance owed plaintiffs by the defendant for the value of said eggs in the sum of $3,531.75.

The only issue presented to this court is the value of the eggs described in the petition as items of sales numbered 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. On these items the trial court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiffs in the sum- of $3,531.75. The facts are not disputed that the eggs were delivered by plaintiffs to the defendant between November 25, 1958, and January 3, 1959.

Appellant states its position in its argument set out on page 18 of the brief as follows:

“ * * * It is the position of Appellant that witness Stanley Traw was an agent for Respondents and as such agent the agreement was consummated between Respondents and Appellant between Christmas, 1958, and New Year’s, 1959, which included the aforesaid sales items and under that agreement the price of the eggs included in said items was to be ascertained by the profit, if any, which might be realized from the birds produced from the eggs at their maturity. This agreement covered all of the eggs included in the [249]*249aforesaid items for which recovery was allowed by the trial court.

“This agreement provided for an arrangement referred to in the turkey industry as ‘consignment’ or ‘egg pool’, whereby Appellant was to hatch the eggs, grow the poults to broiler or market stage, market the mature poults, and if a profit was realized, Respondents were fo be paid for their eggs in proportion to the net profit realized from the sale of the birds. If no profit was realized, “Respondents were to receive nothing for their eggs. Under this arrangement, Respondents incurred no obligation for the feed and other expense incident to the hatching, rearing and sale of the poults. The only risk the Respondents incurred under such arrangement was the loss of their eggs. * * * The uncontradicted evidence reveals that Appellant sustained a substantial loss on the transaction.

“Therefore, we assume it will be conceded by Respondents that if the agreement consummated near the end of the year 1958 covered the sales items for which the trial court allowed recovery, the Respondents were not entitled to recover. In other words, we take it that the trial court must have found that an agreement was consummated by Stanley Traw, acting as agent for Respondents, near the end of 1958. But, apparently, the trial court found that this agreement applied only to eggs delivered after January 3, 1959.”

The evidence offered by the parties on the issues presented is very conflicting.

Plaintiffs, residents of Camden County, in March or April, 1957, purchased a flock of Beltsville (white) turkeys from defendant, Stout’s Turkey Hatchery, Inc., a corporation. At the time of the purchase it was agreed that plaintiffs would sell the eggs produced from this flock to defendant, only. Pursuant to this agreement the eggs produced by plaintiffs in the season of 1957 and 1958 were sold and delivered to the defendant at a price of fifteen cents each. On October 28, 1958, plaintiffs began delivery of eggs to the defendant for the season of 1958 and 1959. Prior to the first delivery it was agreed that defendant would pay plaintiffs for the eggs delivered in 1958 and 1959 the same price as was paid in the season of 1957 and 1958. Defendant did not state how long he would pay this price.

From October 28, 1958, to March, 1959, plaintiffs delivered to defendant 33,143 eggs at a claimed price of fifteen cents each and 32,458 eggs at ten cents each. Defendant admitted the delivery of the eggs, as described in the petition. The only reservation or exception was as to the value of the eggs.

The first six deliveries of eggs in the year 1958, beginning October 28th through November 18th, consisted of 9,598 eggs. Defendant paid for these eggs at fifteen cents each by check dated December 20, 1958, in the sum of $1439.70.

Items 8 and 9, dated 11-29-58, and 12 — 1— 59, a total of 3,575 eggs were paid for by defendant at ten cents each, as shown by defendant’s check dated March 2, 1959, in the sum of $357.50. Plaintiff, Francis Vance, testified that he accepted and cashed this check before he realized he was only being paid ten cents an egg.

28,883 eggs contained in deliveries described in items 19 through 32, both inclusive, at practically ten cents each, were paid for by the defendant in two checks, one for $1177.70 dated May 5, 1959, and one July 31, 1959, in the sum of $1018.56.

Deliveries from November 25, 1958, to January 3, 1959, inclusive, being items numbered 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, amounted to 23,545 eggs, are in controversy. It is plaintiffs’ contention that these eggs were delivered to the defendant for a price of fifteen cents each and that there is due and unpaid for them $3,531.75. The judgment of the court was in favor of plaintiffs for this amount so, as stated in the statement of facts of appel[250]*250lant, it is obvious the trial court found that appellant was indebted to respondent for these eggs.

It is the position of appellant that it is not liable to respondents for these eggs until the poults are grown out and marketed and then only if appellant realized a profit from the sale thereof; that the arrangement under which these eggs were delivered was known in the turkey world as “consignment” or “egg pool”. There is no contention that appellant realized any profit. So the question to be determined under the issues presented is whether or not the eggs delivered to appellant from November 25, 1958, to and including January 3, 1959, were under an agreement of “consignment” or “egg pool”.

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Bluebook (online)
359 S.W.2d 247, 1962 Mo. App. LEXIS 688, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vance-v-stouts-turkey-hatchery-inc-moctapp-1962.