Webb v. Martorana

454 So. 2d 1362, 1984 Ala. LEXIS 4353
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJuly 27, 1984
Docket82-1031
StatusPublished

This text of 454 So. 2d 1362 (Webb v. Martorana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Webb v. Martorana, 454 So. 2d 1362, 1984 Ala. LEXIS 4353 (Ala. 1984).

Opinion

ADAMS, Justice.

Two close friends and business associates found it necessary to bring their business disagreement to court. Rufus Webb, Jr., is an airplane pilot and Frank Martora-na is an entrepreneur. These men were accustomed to dealing in large sums— sometimes measured in cash and sometimes in gold. It is not unheard of in the world of high finance that deals are sometimes sealed with a mere handshake.

On October 7, 1980, Martorana wired Webb $20,000.00. The wire was from the Community Bank of Homestead, Florida, to be credited to the account of Rufus Webb, No. 14029, at the Eufaula Bank and Trust Company. There is nothing in the wire to indicate what was to be done with the money and it certainly was not signed by Webb, the party sought to be charged, but instead was signed by Frank Martorana. Martorana claims that he had an oral agreement with Webb that $15,000.00 of this money would be used to purchase an airplane which the parties would use to open a charter flight service in Eufaula.

On October 15, 1980, Webb purchased an airplane in his own name and filed an aircraft registration application. He also executed a note and security agreement on the airplane as president of his corporation, B.M. & R., and personally guaranteed payment of the indebtedness on the plane to Commercial Credit. The down payment on the airplane was $30,000.00 and the time balance was $155,000.00. Monthly payments were $3,213.67. According to Mar-torana, $5,000.00 of the $20,000.00 was to be used for operating capital. Webb claims that the $20,000.00 was payment to him by Martorana for work done by Webb in the Florida lime groves. Other witnesses testified that Webb had been paid for this work.

Martorana also testified that one of the principal incentives for the deal was the obtaining of tax write-offs. Webb was to obtain a tax write-off during the first year of the charter service and Martorana was [1364]*1364to obtain the tax write-off the second year, alternating as their needs required. There was undisputed evidence that Webb obtained a tax write-off of $42,000.00 during the first year of the business arrangement and Martorana claimed a bad debt of $20,-000.00 during the same period.

Martorana claims that the fact that the title was in the name of Webb, or his corporation, was not inconsistent with the deal. The first year Webb would take the tax deduction and then he would allow Mar-torana to buy all the stock of the corporation and then Martorana would write the airplane off for the second year. It is undisputed that Webb had possession and use of the airplane from October 1980 until June 1981; however, the parties dispute who was making the payments during that period. Webb claims that he made all the payments and introduced evidence in the form of cancelled checks to back up his statement. Martorana claims he made one-half the payments.

According to Martorana, Webb called him in October 1981, and stated that he could not keep up the payments on the airplane and wanted to sell his one-half interest therein. Martorana agreed to purchase the one-half interest for $15,000.00 and sent Webb $10,000.00 and immediately following receipt of the $10,000.00, Webb delivered the airplane to Martorana.

The parties dispute as to the exact time when the remaining $5,000.00 was to be paid. Martorana claims that it was to be paid as soon as he received the paperwork transferring the airplane into his name. Webb claims that he was waiting for the $5,000.00 before he would make the transfer. The parties do agree, however, that Martorana alone made the payments for June, July, and August in the amount of $3,213.67 each. Martorana claims that although he was making these payments, he kept asking Webb when he would produce the papers giving him title to the airplane. He states that he had no inkling that Webb was not going to perform his promise, until September 1981, when Webb, without the benefit of any security agreement and even though the sale agreement was not in default, went to the airport in Florida and took possession of the airplane by cutting the prop lock and flying it back to Alabama.

During the time that Martorana had possession of the airplane, he performed what is known in aviation terms as an “annual.” This means that the airplane was completely examined for its airworthiness and any defect in the airplane was repaired. This cost Martorana some $7,500.00. Webb claims that during the time Martorana had the airplane, he logged some 40 hours of flying time — and that at $300.00 an hour Martorana owes him $12,000.00 if, in fact, he had no equitable or legal title to the airplane.

After Webb secured the airplane by repossession, it was stolen from Webb and taken to Mexico. It was during the time that it was still located in Mexico and in the hands of the Mexican government that Martorana filed suit in assumpsit against Webb, asking for all monies paid to him as a result of the gentlemen’s agreement, as well as the second agreement, and punitive damages for fraud in obtaining money from him under the pretense that he was to have a one-half interest in the airplane when, in fact, Webb never intended for him to have any interest in the airplane. Webb counterclaimed, claiming conversion by Martorana of the airplane and claiming damages because Martorana refused to turn over to Webb the airplane logs and manuals, thus diminishing the value of the airplane by at least $100,000.00. After a two and one-half day trial, the circuit court entered a judgment for Martorana in the amount of $39,641.01. The court gave no relief to the plaintiff in his claim for damages for fraud. The $39,641.01 represented $20,000.00 paid by Martorana on October 7, 1980, $10,000.00 paid in June 1981 and three full payments of $3,213.67 each paid in June, July, and August 1981. The court denied relief to Webb on his counterclaim.

[1365]*1365Webb raises the following issues as grounds for reversal of the trial court’s judgment:

1. Was the original transaction of October 7,1980, between Mr. Webb and Mr. Martorana void and unenforceable because it violated the Statute of Frauds?
2. Did the statute of limitations, § 6-2-3, Code 1975, bar the plaintiffs cause of action for fraud?
3. Did the trial court err by ordering a refund of the money from Mr. Webb to Mr. Martorana for the second transaction entered into by said parties in June 1981?
4. Did the trial court err by failing to give Mr. Webb any relief on his counterclaim for detinue, conversion, and other relief?

We are of the opinion that this case is essentially a case governed by the ore ten-us rule and, therefore, that the trial court’s judgment in matters dealing with witnesses’ credibility is due to be affirmed.

Although Webb raises two serious legal claims, we are of the opinion that they have no applicability in this case, where the plaintiff has premised his theory of liability on common law assumpsit or money had and received.

Section 7-1-206, Code of Alabama 1975 (part of Alabama’s version of the Uniform Commercial Code), provides that:

“...

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454 So. 2d 1362, 1984 Ala. LEXIS 4353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webb-v-martorana-ala-1984.