Laster v. Cox
Laster v. Cox
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiff sued on four causes of action. A demurrer to the evidence was sustained as to the first three. The foux-th cause of action was to recover $375 which, it was alleged, had been obtained from the plaintiff by the defendant thx’ough fx-audulent misrepresentations. Judgment for that amount was rendered on a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, and the defendant appeals.
The plaintiff at the conclusion of his evidence, while the demux-rer thex*eto was being considered by the court, asked and obtained leave to amend the fourth cause of action by alleging that
1. The defendant argues “the facts stated in the petition touching the fourth cause of action are insufficient in law to constitute a cause of action in favor of the appellee and against the appellant.” This compels an examination of the petition. It alleged that the defendant had instituted a suit in Jackson county, Missouri, against the Mid-Continent Milling Company to recover money due the defendant for wood which the plaintiff had cut which had been delivered by the defendant to that company. The petition further alleged that the “defendant falsely and fraudulently represented to the plaintiff:
“1. That it was necessary for the recovery of said money that said plaintiff and said defendant should bring an action against said Mid-Continent Milling Company.
“2. That said Mid-Continent Milling Company was holding back money that belonged to said plaintiff without cause.
“3. That said Mid-Continent Milling Company had repudiated its contract with the defendant and had refused to pay the balance that was due on said wood.
“4. That they should employ an attorney to institute a suit against said Mid-Continent Milling Company for the recovery of said money and that plaintiff should pay to said defendant one-half of said attorney’s fees in the sum of three hundred and seventy-five dollars, and that as soon as said plaintiff had paid the same to him said suit would be instituted against said Mid-Continent Milling Company in the circuit court of Jackson county, Missouri, and defendant would pay the other one-half of said attorney’s fees.”
The petition also alleged — •
“That plaintiff, relying and believing in said false and fraudulent representations and statements made by the said C. B. Cox to said plaintiff, and being deceived thereby, said plaintiff paid to said C. B. Cox as attorney’s fees said sum of three hundred and seventy-five dollars.”
The petition further alleged that the representations were made by the defendant who knew them to be false, fraudulent, and untrue. The argument that the fourth cause of action set out in the petition did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action cannot be sustained.
2. Another matter urged is'that “there is a total failure of proof of the allegations set out in said fourth cause of action.” The defendant argues that the representations made concerned matters of opinion, concerned facts of which the plaintiff had full knowledge, or concerned matters in which the plaintiff was not interested.
3. The defendant contends that “there is a total failure of proof that appellee discovered anything within two years next prior to the filing of the petition that he had not known for more than two years, hence the supposed cause of action was barred by the statute of limitations, and that what he did discover was immaterial.” The representations were made in 1920. This action was commenced in
The judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.