Cornner v. Kloehr
Cornner v. Kloehr
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This action was for an accounting of a partnership business. The trial court made findings of fact and rendered judgment in harmony therewith. The plaintiff and two defendants have appealed, and complain that they did not have a fair trial, that there is no competent, substantial evidence to support some of the material findings and the judgment based thereon, and that the court erred in its rulings on the admission and exclusion of evidence, in holding the real property in controversy to be a part of the assets of the partnership, and in finding appellants to be indebted to the partnership in specific sums.
In the early ’70’s Joseph Kloehr came from Germany to Coffey-ville and opened a livery-stable business, which he conducted successfully until his death in 1903. By his will all his property passed to his widow, who,' with her sons, continued to operate the business, which gradually changed into a garage and oil station business, until her death, intestate, in 1924. She left as her heirs five children— three sons, John J., Charles, and Joseph V., and two daughters, Mary and Frances. In addition to the garage her estate consisted of several business houses in Coffeyville, and farm land. Her estate was not administered upon. The five adult children agreed among themselves upon a division of the property, which was accomplished by an exchange of deeds. In this division each of them took, as individual owner, a business, house or a farm; and the three boys, John, Charley and Joe, bought the interest of their two sisters, Mary and Frances, in the garage property and business. Thereafter, and until the death of John in 1927, the three brothers conducted the garage business as partners, under the firm name of Kloehr Brothers, and to the garage they gave the name, “The Southern Garage.” There appears to have been no written partnership agreement, but each owned an undivided one third of the business and in the real and personal property used in conducting the business; each devoted his entire time to the business, and each was entitled to one third of the profits and liable for one third of the losses of the business. Apparently the partners were industrious, fair-minded men; each had full confidence in the integrity of the
John J. Kloehr died intestate March 20, 1927, leaving as his heirs his widow, Kate Kloehr; his daughter, Jessie K. Bertell, both of whom were defendants in this action and are appellants here; his daughter, then Frances Brown, now Frances Cornner, plaintiff in this action and appellant here; and a son, Russell J. Kloehr, all of whom were adults. Soon thereafter the heirs of John J. Kloehr, and Charles and Joseph V. Kloehr, entered into an oral agreement by which a new partnership was formed for the continuation of the garage business. There is some conflict in the evidence as to just what that agreement was. The trial court found the agreement was that the partnership should continue the garage business as it had been conducted, that the heirs of John J. Kloehr should retain the interest which passed to them by his death, and that Ben Brown, then the husband of Frances Brown, should take the place of John J. Kloehr in the partnership as the representative of the heirs of John J. Kloehr, and that Ben Brown, Charles Kloehr and Joseph V. Kloehr should manage and conduct the partnership business and that each should receive a salary of $150 per month. Ben Brown did go into the business and continued there about three months, when he quit and Russell J. Kloehr took his place, and continued until his death, July 30,1933. During this time, from the latter part of March, 1927, until the last of July, 1933, the business was conducted much as it had been previously. Charley and Joseph V. Kloehr, and Ben Brown for a few months, and Russell J. Kloehr for the remainder of the time, devoted all their time to the work and management of the business. Their personal relations appear to have been harmonious. However, it appears the business did not prosper in those years, partly for the reason that numerous other garages and oil stations had been put in near by, and their business had dwindled. Russell J. Kloehr died intestate, leaving as his heirs his widow, Ollie Mayme Kloehr, and two children, all of whom were defendants in the trial court, and are appellees here. After his death Charles and Joseph Y. Kloehr continued the garage business, without anyone representing the heirs of John J. Kloehr participating actively therein.
This action involves an accounting of the business, since the death of John J. Kloehr in March, 1927. The petition was filed February
On the trial there was a controversy as to the capacity in which Ben Brown and Russell J. Kloehr went into the business. Appellants contended they simply worked there as employees, while appellees contended they went into the business as representatives of the heirs of John J. Kloehr and assisted in the management and conduct of the business as John had done previously. On conflicting evidence the court found as contended by appellees. The finding is supported by competent, substantial evidence.
There was also a controversy at the trial as to whether the real property in which the garage business was conducted was a part of the assets of the partnership. The evidence disclosed the partnership never paid rent to the individual owners for the use of the property; that the building had two stories, the first floor being used for the garage and filling station; the second floor was rented out to tenants, and that the rents so received were always treated as partnership income; that the taxes, insurance and repair of the property, including a remodeling of the building at a cost of more than $4,600, were paid from partnership moneys; that in making the partnership income report to the federal government the rents received from the second floor were reported as partnership income, and the taxes, insurance, repairs and depreciation on the building were reported as partnership expenditures and credits. In addition to that there was oral testimony that the parties intended the property to be a part of the partnership assets. It was not error for the court to find this real estate was partnership assets.
Appellants complain of the manner in which the trial was conducted, and especially of the proof of receipts and disbursements of the partnership business and the findings and judgment predicated thereon. The evidence disclosed that while some record was made of all business transactions, what we may call a modern bookkeeping system was not used; also, that many individual transactions of the respective partners were handled through the partnership account. Instead of the partnership paying to each of the partners $150 per month, or any definite sum, which he would put in his in
Sometime in the fall of 1933 Charles and Joseph V. Kloehr employed a competent accountant to audit the accounts of the partnership and make a report thereon. He went through all these books and records, classified all of the items of expenditures, as to whether they pertained to the partnership business or to the individual partners, and made a written report to them in November, 1933. A copy of this report was furnished to the husband of plaintiff, who was active in the controversy on her behalf, and also to a young man who was, or had been, in the office of the attorney for plaintiff. This report, among other things, showed the amount the accountant found to have been paid for the partnership, or for the use and benefit of the individual partners, respectively, by years, from the time of the death of John J. Kloehr in 1927 to September 1, 1933, but the details making up the respective sums found to have been so paid were not set out. After this action was filed in February, 1934, and a receiver was appointed, the accountant made a supplemental audit of the business covering the time from September 1, 1933, to the date of the appointment of the receiver. All the books and records of the business used by the accountant in making his audit, were
From a legal point of view we had the identical question before
“It was not error for the court to receive in evidence, as informative but not conclusive, a summary made by accountants from the partnership books.” (Syl.)
It was also held that the evidence supported the findings and judgment of the court.
What was done here differs only in detail from what was done and approved in Clark v. Moffett, supra. We think no error was committed by the court in this respect.
The evidence disclosed that when John J. Kloehr died in 1927, and the new partnership was formed, it had to its credit in its account at the bank more than $9,000. The accountant’s report of the business up to September 1,1933, made no mention of that item. Appellants complain of that and say it was omitted. But that is inaccurate. The accountant was interrogated as to that item and testified that he was familiar with it at the time he made his report, and stated the reason it was not shown in his report was that he began his accounting as of the date of September 1, 1933, and worked back to the beginning of the partnership in 1927; that he did this for the reason that, from an appraisal of the property and an examination
Other matters discussed in the briefs need not be specially treated. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Frances Cornner v. Charles Kloehr, Joseph V. Kloehr (Kate Kloehr, Jessie K. Bertell, Appellants), Ollie Mayme Kloehr, Sam Brown Kloehr and J. B. Kloehr, a Minor
- Status
- Published