Chipley v. Green
Chipley v. Green
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This litigation grew out of a real estate transaction which originated in Pueblo. Dr. Hull and his wife held property in that city, in a locality where Chipley was interested, or in which he was dealing at the time of this occurrence. Chipley entered into negotiations with Mrs. Hull and the doctor looking to the purchase of the lots. Almost concurrently with the commencement of his negotiations, he approached Green with reference to the trade. The principal issue concerns the initiation of the transaction. Chipley insists he
Only three errors are relied on by the plaintiff in error to reverse the case. The chief one concerns the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict. Counsel seeks to avoid the force and effect of the well recognized rule concerning the conclusiveness of the verdict of the jury on all matters of fact involved in the case on the ground that there was no evidence on which the jury could predicate their finding that Chipley was in reality the agent of the plaintiffs in negotiating the sale. We cannot assent to this contention. There was very much evidence on both sides concerning this proposition and all the parties gave their different versions of the transaction. However unsatisfactory'the testimony may be, so long as the parties took issue on this one vital question and supported their affirmations and denials by proof, we must accept the finding of the jury. It was the only issue tried, — the only one towards which any testimony was directed. The evidence is in hopeless conflict on the question, and the juiy was the arbiter between the parties. We cannot but accept their verdict, and in accepting it, hold the error based on the insufficiency of the evidence to be not well laid.
The defect in the deposition would of necessity be fatal, since there was a failure to comply with the absolute requirement of the statute, but for the stipulation. This was sufficiently broad to cure this formal defect when the paper is examined in the light of the certificate of the notary, to the effect that the questions and answers were read and sworn to by the witness. The necessity for a signature is statutory and it was entirely within the province of counsel to waive any of the statutory prerequisites. We think this matter was within the contemplation of counsel when' they signed their agreement and we must hold them bound by its terms. We are expressly inclined to this conclusion because the case
The only other question discussed in the brief of counsel is based on one of the instructions which the court gave respecting Chipley’s alleged agency. Taken by itself it might be the subject of criticism. Its apparent inaccuracy is insufficient to justify a reversal. It would be profitless to set out the instruction criticised and justifjr it by a reference to the other parts of the charge. We could not deduce therefrom any general principle which would be useful to the profession, and it would unnecessarily prolong the opinion, because it would require a statement of the entire charge or the substance of it to disclose the basis of our conclusion. The jury were very carefully instructed respecting the issue between the parties, and taken as a whole the charge is an accurate, fair and well considered statement of the law which controls the case. We discover nothing in it which compels us to disturb the judgment.
Finding no errors in the record of sufficient gravity to necessitate the reversal of the judgment, it will be affirmed.
. Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.