Zoharopulos v. Hamilton

216 P. 184, 108 Or. 201, 1923 Ore. LEXIS 47
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJune 26, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 216 P. 184 (Zoharopulos v. Hamilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zoharopulos v. Hamilton, 216 P. 184, 108 Or. 201, 1923 Ore. LEXIS 47 (Or. 1923).

Opinion

BURNETT, J.

By agreement of counsel and parties these three suits were heard together, both in, the Circuit Court and in this court. They arise out of the following circumstances:

The First National Bank of Scappoose, which we will call Scappoose Bank for convenience and the First National Bank of Linnton to be called Linnton Bank, were owned largely by the same stockholders and operated together in the transactions here involved. E. E. Wist was the cashier of the Scappoose Bank and its general managing agent. He represented not only the Scappoose Bank but also the Linnton Bank in all those transactions. For convenience of pronunciation, Gust Zoharopulos will be called the Greek. He was a dairyman residing upon [203]*203leased premises near St. Johns. His tenure was to expire about February 20, 1921. He owned a herd of dairy cows and other livestock together with various farm implements, milk machines, feed, and other personal property useful in conducting his business of dairyman, all on the place near St. Johns. J. D. Hamilton was likewise a dairyman living on property near Scappoose, which he had leased from one Pomeroy for a term of years. Hamilton was indebted to the two banks and had given a chattel mortgage on his herd of dairy cattle and other property to secure the indebtedness amounting, at the time of the transactions involved in these suits, to $6,256.90. C. K. Mageske was a real estate broker with offices in Portland.

As the Greek’s lease was about to expire, he employed Mageske to find a place for him where he could continue his dairy business and Mageske had discovered Hamilton who was desirous of either selling out his business or taking in a partner with additional capital. Hamilton was in arrears of rent and of payments due on his obligations to the banks. After considerable fruitless negotiation, the transaction appears by the testimony to have been dropped so far as carried on between Hamilton and the Greek through the efforts of Mageske. This situation came to the knowledge of Wist who thereupon urged Mageske to renew his efforts and bring the deal to a successful conclusion, involving the transfer of Hamilton’s interests and property to the Greek who would assume the indebtedness of Hamilton and secure the same by a chattel mortgage upon his own personal property and that which he would acquire from Hamilton. The Greek maintained that his own cattle were free from tuberculosis as shown by official tests, and demanded that the Hamilton cattle should be tested [204]*204and their freedom from that disease demonstrated before he would conclude the purchase. At length, on February 14, 1921, the Greek, attended by a friend of his nationality named Tom Givas, as interpreter, Mageske, and Wist, the latter representing the two banks, together with Pomeroy, the landlord, met in the latter’s office in Portland. Two chattel mortgages were prepared, one to the two banks covering and securing two separate notes to the extent to which they each were allowed to make a single loan, and the other for $550 to Hamilton, the sum of the three notes being the purchase price to be paid by the Greek for the property he acquired from Hamilton, in addition to $500 earnest money advanced by the Greek.

There is some dispute in the testimony about whether the mortgages and notes were executed in Pomeroy’s office on the evening of February 14, or at the Seappoose Bank during the following day. The weight of the testimony however, is to the effect that they were signed by the Greek the evening of the 14th and acknowledged by him at Seappoose the following day. The bone of contention between the parties is a writing introduced in evidence marked “Plaintiff’s Exhibit A” partly typewritten and partly in pen and ink. As typewritten it reads as follows:

“Portland, Oregon.
“Feb. 14, 1921
“I, E. E. Wist, Banker of First National Bank of Seappoose and Linnton do hereby agree not to turn over to J. D. Hamilton any of the money derived from the sale of live-stock and equipment until his stock is tested by state veterinary without charge of same to Gust Zahrapulos.’’
The Greek contends that it was submitted by Wist to him in its typewritten form as above set forth and that he and his friend Givas objected to it and that [205]*205Mageske, in the presence of Wist and before signature, added pen and ink writing so as to make the instrument read thus:
“Portland, Oregon
“Feb. 14, 1921
“I, E. E. Wist, Banker of First National Bank of Scappoose and Linnton do hereby agree not to turn over to J. D. Hamilton or others, any of the money derived from the sale of live-stock and equipment until his stock is tested by state veterinary without charge of same to Gust Zahrapulos, and the mortgage and money to be held by the above bank in ashkroft. this is a part of contract dated Feb. 11th 1921, & signed J. D. Hamilton.”

For greater clarity, we italicize the manuscript amendment.

Wist contends on behalf of the banks that the only addition to the typewritten instrument was made by himself before signing, and consisted of these words written after ‘Zahrapulos5; “Except a Mortgage to the Banks.55 The Greek maintains that this amendment was written by Wist on both typewritten copies but was erased by Mageske in the presence of Wist on Exhibit “A55 and the pen and ink manuscript put there before signing. This is denied by the defendants.

The Hamilton cattle were inspected and found to be infected with tuberculosis. Eighteen head were slaughtered by the state authorities and the remainder of the herd was sequestered and put into quarantine. Zoharopulos thereupon demanded the return of his notes and mortgages, which was refused by the bank which had meanwhile put them on record. At this juncture the Greek began suit to cancel the notes and mortgages and for return to him of $500 he had advanced as earnest money. The banks began suit to foreclose the mortgage given to secure the notes of [206]*206the Greek to the two banks and the Scappoose Bank to which had been assigned the $550-dollar note and mortgage running to Hamilton sued to foreclose that obligation. The decree of the Circuit Court was in favor of the Greek and against the banks to the effect that the notes and mortgages be canceled and satisfied of record and that the Greek recover from the banks $500 and interest together with costs and disbursements. The Circuit Court also dismissed the suits to foreclose the mortgages and the banks and Wist appealed jointly although there was no decree against Wist.

The Greek maintains that the notes and mortgages were executed and put into the hands of Wist in escrow, not to be delivered or to have any effect unless it should be disclosed by the veterinarian test that the Hamilton cattle were free from tuberculosis and that if the cattle were discovered to be thus infected, the money, notes and mortgages should be returned to him. On the part of the banks, the contention is that the escrow agreement was evidenced exclusively by Exhibit “A” in its original form with the pencil clause, “Except a mortgage to the banks” added; and, without mincing words, that the pen and ink addition to the instrument as offered by the plaintiff as Plaintiff’s Exhibit “A” was a forgery.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
216 P. 184, 108 Or. 201, 1923 Ore. LEXIS 47, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zoharopulos-v-hamilton-or-1923.