Yager v. Ajax Chemical & Surgical Commodities, Inc.

122 Misc. 561
CourtCity of New York Municipal Court
DecidedFebruary 15, 1924
StatusPublished

This text of 122 Misc. 561 (Yager v. Ajax Chemical & Surgical Commodities, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering City of New York Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yager v. Ajax Chemical & Surgical Commodities, Inc., 122 Misc. 561 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

Finelite, J.

This is an action brought by the plaintiff against the defendant Ajax Chemical and Surgical Commodities, Inc., and George D. Orlove, its president, to recover the sum of $1,500 and to foreclose a chattel mortgage. The action was tried before the court without a jury. Said sum of $1,500 is evidenced by a certain promissory note made by said defendant corporation. The chattel mortgage was delivered upon condition that in the event of the failure of said defendants to pay said sum of $1,500, with interest thereon, on or before August 17, 1923, then the said plaintiff was to be entitled to the possession of the property mentioned in such chattel mortgage. The defendants also executed on behalf of the corporation a certificate of the secretary thereof, duly acknowledged, and a consent of the stockholders of said corporation providing that the corporation was to hold said property until said 17th day of August, 1923, and in the event of the default in the payment of the indebtedness secured by said chattel mortgage the property was to be turned over to the plaintiff herein, so that the said mortgage may be foreclosed against said property for the purpose of satisfying the indebtedness represented by said note. It appears that said mortgage was thereafter duly filed in the office of the register of the county of New York, in which city the said corporation had its principal place of business at the date of the execution of said mortgage; that on the 17th day of May, 1923, said note became due and the said defendants refused to turn over the chattels mentioned in said mortgage to the plaintiff after demand had been made. The defendant contended upon the trial hereof that it had received, through its president, the said sum of $1,500; that said note on behalf of the defendants had been duly executed by said George D. Orlove, its president, also the certificate of the secretary, the consent of the stockholders and the affidavit setting forth the loan to said corporation, but that one Regensberg was desirous of going into business with the defendant Orlove, who was dealing in wines, bottles and corks, which said business was to be conducted by him and Regensberg; that the said wines, bottled and corked, were to be delivered to the latter at his residence, and that when this was done the obligation should be canceled. It appears from the testimony that the said Regensberg is the son-in-law of the plaintiff herein. It further appears from the evidence herein that the said Orlove, on behalf of the corporation which he represented and of which he was the president, was desirous of obtaining a loan in the sum of $1,500 from the plaintiff, and he claims that he was unable to obtain it from the plaintiff but obtained it from Regensberg, who he claims is the real party in interest in this case. This contention is denied by the plaintiff, with the exception that the, [563]*563plaintiff admits that the said Regensberg is the son-in-law of the plaintiff herein. It further appears from the evidence herein that the plaintiff did advance to the defendant the said moneys through Regensberg, who represented the plaintiff herein as to the execution of the instruments aforesaid in the name of the plaintiff herein, and that no conversation was had between the said plaintiff and the defendants in reference to the purchase of wines, corks and bottles, or that Regensberg should represent him in the purchase of the same from the said Orlove, the president of the defendant corporation. It is not denied, from the facts adduced upon the trial hereof, that the defendants did execute the chattel mortgage, secretary’s certificate, stockholders’ consent and the necessary affidavit herein-before mentioned to secure the payment of the sum of $1,500, all in the name of the plaintiff herein. It is also not disputed that the said Regensberg was merely acting as the agent for the plaintiff in connection with having the necessary instruments to secure the payment of said indebtedness executed by the defendants to the order of and in the name of the plaintiff herein. It appears further from the evidence that the said Orlove, as president of the defendant corporation, upon receipt of the check cashed the same and deposited the proceeds thereof to the credit of the account of the defendant corporation. As this case was tried without a jury the court granted to the defendant a great deal of latitude to explain, if it could, in what manner the said Regensberg entered into the agreement with it for the purchase of wines, bottles and corks in order, if possible, to ascertain whether or not he was the real party in interest instead of the plaintiff herein. Unfortunately for the defendants the courts of this state have repeatedly held that parol testimony is inadmissible to vary or contradict an instrument delivered and complete upon its face. Chamberlayne in bis Handbook on Evidence, page 862, says: “ Parol evidence is inadmissible to vary, alter, control or contradict the terms of a written instrument in an action founded upon such writing between the parties or privies thereto. This is what is known as the parol evidence rule, long recognized and applied at common law and one which has proved to be full of many difficulties in its applications by the court. Whether it is a rule of evidence or one of substantive law has been the subject of some discussion.” And again, at page 867, the same author said: Thus evidence has been rejected when offered for the purpose of showing where an instrument was valid and enforcible upon its face that there was an agreement that it should become void upon the happening of a certain event. To permit such evidence would render written instruments relied upon as the embodiment of the undertaking entered into as of little [564]*564value.” And again, at page 869: “ So where a party executes and delivers an instrument such as a note, for instance, and receives a valuable consideration therefor, he will not be permitted to show an agreement to the effect that payment should never be enforced or demanded.” Again, at page 872: “ In all cases, however, the presiding judge will be "guided by the principles of the substantive law which decrees that the instrument is to be regarded as the final embodiment of the agreement of the parties and will be careful to exclude all evidence which, offered under the guise of an aid in the interpretation or explanation of a writing, in reality tends to contradict, vary or alter an instrument which is clearly expressed.” As this question is no longer a mooted one the Court of Errors and Appeals of New Jersey has recently held in the case of Childs v. South Jersey Amusement Co., 122 Atl. Rep. 803, that a parol collateral agreement made at the time when the giving of a mortgage was being arranged for that the mortgage though in terms payable in one year should run for two years, will not preclude foreclosure when the mortgage fell due and was payable according to its written terms. And the court therein held that parol evidence cannot be given in the state of New Jersey of such an agreement made before or at the time of the delivery of the bond and mortgage in contradiction of the writing. Martin v. Rapelye, 3 Edw. Ch. 243; Thomas Mort. (3d ed.) § 216, p. 174. The reason for this rule is because the written provision being clear and unambiguous cannot under the parol evidence rule be altered or varied by any prior or contemporaneous oral agreement. Parker v. Jameson, 32 N. J. Eq. 222.

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Bluebook (online)
122 Misc. 561, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yager-v-ajax-chemical-surgical-commodities-inc-nynyccityct-1924.