Walsh v. Hooker & Fay

212 Cal. App. 2d 450, 28 Cal. Rptr. 16, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2864
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 29, 1963
DocketCiv. 20228
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 212 Cal. App. 2d 450 (Walsh v. Hooker & Fay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walsh v. Hooker & Fay, 212 Cal. App. 2d 450, 28 Cal. Rptr. 16, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2864 (Cal. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

AGEE, J.

Plaintiff was induced by false representations, made to him by defendant Scannell, to buy 4,000 shares of stock in Sastex Oil & Gas Co. Scannell was employed as an “account executive” or salesman by defendant Hooker & Pay, a stock brokerage firm.

Plaintiff purchased the stock in two lots, on November 7, 1956, and November 9, 1956, respectively, at a total cost of $3,606.17. He discovered the falsity of Scannell’s representations on November 6, 1957, at which time the stock had a reasonable market value of $180. (Plaintiff does not object to the cut-off date of November 6, 1957, although he later sold the stock at a net to him of only $111.16.) Damages of $3,426.17 were awarded to plaintiff against both defendants, each of whom filed an appeal from the judgment. Scannell’s appeal has been dismissed for failure to file an opening brief, leaving Hooker and Pay as the only appellant.

The pertinent findings of the trial court may be summarized *452 as follows: On or about November 1, 1956, Seannell suggested and recommended to plaintiff that he purchase stock in Sastex Oil and Gas; that for the purpose of inducing plaintiff to do so, Seannell represented to plaintiff that Sastex was backed by the Doheny interests and that they were drilling for oil in Southern California, that he had some of the stock himself, and that he had talked with one of the partners of Hooker and Fay who said (with reference to the stock), “Yes, it’s all right”; that these representations were false, were known by Seannell to be untrue, and were made by him with the intent to induce the plaintiff to act in reliance thereon; that plaintiff had no knowledge or information on said stock; that he believed the representations made by Seannell and, in reliance thereon, ordered him to purchase for his account (with Hooker and Fay) 4,000 shares of Sastex stock; that Seannell, without the knowledge or consent of Hooker and Fay authorized General American and Canadian Securities, Inc., a securities brokerage firm, to make such purchase; that this firm purchased said stock (on the Calgary Stock Exchange) from an undisclosed vendor at a total cost to plaintiff of $3,606.17, of which $80 was for its commission; that Hooker and Fay paid this amount to said firm upon plaintiff’s authorization; that on November 6, 1957, plaintiff discovered the falsity of the representations made by Seannell; that as the result of said false representations plaintiff was damaged in the sum of $3,426.17, that being the difference between the cost to plaintiff and the value of the stock as of the date of the discovery of the fraud; that all of the acts of Seannell above specified were done in the course of his employment by Hooker and Fay as its agent; that neither Seannell nor Hooker and Fay was the vendor or owner of said stock but instead each acted as the agent of plaintiff in connection with said stock purchase; that at all times involved herein, a fiduciary relationship existed between the plaintiff and the defendants. (1 Witkin, Summary of California Law 404, Agency and Employment § 26; Webb v. Saunders, 79 Cal.App.2d 863, 870 [181 P.2d 43]; Kinert, v. Wright, 81 Cal.App.2d 919, 925 [185 P.2d 364].)

Amendment of complaint to conform to proof. Plaintiff’s original complaint contained the following paragraph: 11 That on or about the 1st day of November, 1956, defendant, JOSEPH SCANNELL, as such agent [of Hooker and Fay] and in the course of his employment for defendant, HOOKER & FAY, offered to sell to plaintiff 4000 shares of stock of Sastex Oil and Gas Co. at a price of $3,606.00.” (Emphasis ours.) Thus, the *453 relationship between plaintiff and the defendants was alleged to have been that of vendee-vendor.

In a memorandum opinion, filed on March 9, 1961, the trial judge stated that the evidence established that the relationship was not that of vendee-vendor but rather was that of principal and agent and was fiduciary in character; “that the measure of damages for a violation of such a fiduciary duty is that applied to contract cases generally, i.e., the amount which will compensate the principal for all the detriment proximately caused by the breach”; that the complaint did not plead such a fiduciary relationship and, therefore, a finding to this effect could not be made; that, in the absence of such a finding, the measure of damages would be controlled by section 3343 of the Civil Code.

This section provides, generally, that one defrauded in the purchase of property is entitled to recover the difference between the actual value of that with which he parted and the actual value of that which he received.

In its original findings and conclusions, which were filed on the same day as the foregoing memorandum opinion, the trial court found that the value of the stock at the time plaintiff received it was $3,526.17, this being the quoted price of the stock on the Calgary Stock Exchange at the time it was purchased for him. The court accordingly limited damages to $80, the amount of the commission.

On March 16, 1961, plaintiff filed a motion to amend his complaint to conform to the proof. These amendments reflected the court’s findings previously made and the memorandum opinion referred to above. The principal amendment requested was that the allegation, “offered to sell to plaintiff,” be changed to the allegation, “suggested and recommended to plaintiff that he purchase.”

Plaintiff’s affidavit in support of his motion alleged that it was not until the trial of the action that the full and accurate relationship of the parties was determined; that the facts as to this relationship were established at the trial and were uncontroverted; that no objection was interjected by defendants when this proof of relationship was developed at the trial. This affidavit was not controverted.

On April 6, 1961, the trial court granted the motion to amend the complaint and, on the same date, amended paragraphs I and XI of its findings and ■ paragraph I of its conclusions by adding the following: “I. That at all times herein mentioned, defendant, Joseph Scanned, was an agent *454 of defendant, Hooker and Fay, a copartnership, and all of the acts hereinafter specified and done by said Joseph Scannell were done in the course of his employment for defendant, Hooker and Fay. That at all times herein mentioned, defendants, Joseph Scannell and Hooker and Fay, a copartnership, were the agents of plaintiff, and all of the acts hereinafter specified and done by said defendants, respectively, were done in the course of their employment for said plaintiff. . . . XI. That as a result of said representations plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of $3,426.17. ... I. [Conclusions] That at all times mentioned herein a fiduciary relationship existed between the plaintiff and the defendants and that accordingly plaintiff is entitled to recover from defendants, Joseph Scannell and Hooker and Fay, the sum of $3,426.17, together with his costs of suit." Judgment was entered accordingly on April 11, 1961.

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Bluebook (online)
212 Cal. App. 2d 450, 28 Cal. Rptr. 16, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2864, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walsh-v-hooker-fay-calctapp-1963.