Walker v. McCaull

83 N.W. 578, 13 S.D. 512, 1900 S.D. LEXIS 178
South Dakota Supreme Court·Decided August 29, 1900·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Fuller, P. J.

This action to recover damages arising from the conduct of defendants with reference to a consignment of wheat was tried to a jury, and some of the facts pertinent to the points presented on this appeal from a judgment in favor of plaintiff are these: Respondent, a grain buyer resid-' ing at Eureka, in this state, shipped a car load of wheat from that point to appellants, who are engaged in the business of selling grain on commission in the city of Minneapolis, Minn. Although the car, containing 625 bushels, reached appellants promptly on the 5th day of June, they made no final disposition of the grain until the 18th day of July, when they disposed of 565 bushels at 98i cents per bushel, and on the 8th day of August following sold the balance at 52-J- cents per bushel. At the time the car reached its destination, and for a day or two thereafter, No. 2 Northern spring wheat was worth $1.23 per bushel, and upon the evidence offered in support of the charge of negligence on the part of appellants in the management and sale of the wheat the jury gave plaintiff a yerdict for $178.28, being the difference between what the grain actually brought [516] and what it would have brought had appellants performed their duty with reference thereto. In the absence of a demurrer or objection upon the record that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, such pleading is held sufficient as against the contention of counsel in this court. The pleader, after alleging facts showing a relation between respondent and appellants that entitles the former to the exercise of care by the latter, states in the following manner acts characterized as negligent, and which resulted in injury to respondent: “That the defendants, wholly disregarding the instructions of the plaintiff to sell immediately, and wholly disregarding their obligations and duty to the plaintiff, and disregarding the interest and rights of the plaintiff, did carelessly and negligently permit said grain to remain undisposed of for more than thirty days, to-wit, until July 18, 1898, when they sold 565 bushels thereof at ninety-eight and one-half cents per bushel, and still later sold sixty bushels thereof at fifty-two and one-half cents per bushel; that, had it not been for the unskillful and negligent manner in which the defendants managed said six hundred and twenty-five bushels of wheat, and thesale thereof, the plaintiff would have received the sum of at least one dollar and twenty-three cents per bushel therefor, or the total sum of seven hundred sixty-two dollars and sixty cents, less defendants’ commission and charges, whereas the plaintiff only received therefor the sum of five hundred thirty-six dollars and fifty cents, less charges and a commission of one cent per bushel, retained by defendants, to the damage of the plaintiff in the sum of two hundred twenty six dollars and ten cents.” While the complaint may be subject to criticism on the ground of uncertainty, it contains a general allegation [517] of damages caused by a want of requisite care, and alleges that certain of appellants’ acts and omissions in the management and sale of the wheat were negligent, and resulted in injury to respondent in an amount stated. Under the Code system a general allegation that the injury specified was caused by the negligence of the defendant is sufficient to authorize evidence of the particular acts constituting such neglect or misconduct on his part, and a recovery may be had of all damages that necessarily result from such acts or omissions. In this instance, however, we go only to the extent of holding the complaint sufficient under the liberal rule of construction that prevails when there is no formal demurrer, motion to make more specific, or objection to the introduction of evidence upon the ground that facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action are not stated. Jenkinson v. City of Vermillion, 3 S. D. 238, 52 N. W. 1066; Anderson v. Alseth, 6 S. D. 566, 62 N. W. 435; Sherwood v. City of Sioux Falls, 10 S. D. 405, 73 N. W. 913.

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Walker v. McCaull, 83 N.W. 578, 13 S.D. 512, 1900 S.D. LEXIS 178 (S.D. 1900).

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