Hillert v. Harned
Hillert v. Harned
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Coubt by
Reversing.
Appellants insist that the court arced to their prejudice in failing to award them a peremptory instruction. The consideration of this question will make it necessary to review the evidence at some length.
Appellee was the owner of fifty-two' head of cattle. .About three weeks prior to the transaction out of which this controversy 'arises, Russell, in company with J, K. Fowler, a neighbor of appellee, inspected appellee’s cattle. Russell and Fowler agreed to buy the cattle if they could secure them on satisfactory terms. Fowler approached appellee on the subject. The latter priced the cattle at 6 cents per pound, but, before closing the trade, required that Fowler and Russell should put up $10.00 per head. Fowler communicated the price and condition to- Russell, who, not being satisfied with the requirement' to put up $10.00 per head,-told Fowler to inform Harned that he would not take the cattle. Some few days later certain riegotations took place between appellee and. one Kennedy, representing Swift & Company, with reference to the purchase of the cattle at $6.3Q per hundred. These negotiations fell through. Russell and Fowler knew of this fact. On June 26, 1908, Fowler called appellee over the ’-phone and, representing that he was acting at the instance of Russell, offered to buy appellee’s cattle at 6% cents per pound, the delivery to take place at appellee’s scale, between July 15th and August 1st of that year. Appellee, having some doubt as to Fowler’s authority to act in the premises, suggested that he call up Russell and state definitely the terms of the sale. This Fowler did, and reported to appellee that he had talked to Russell and the cattle were sold on the terms above set out. After reflecting upon the matter.
Appellant Russell testified that he was a hired cattle salesman for W. R. Crawford & Company at the Bourbon Stock Yards in Louisville. He was employed solely for the purpose of selling cattle. He occasionally bought cattle on his own account, and W. B. Crawford & Company would guarantee in writing the loss thereon. They were, however, in no sense partners, and Crawford & Company would not share in the profits and losses, but got only their commissions when the cattle were sold. When he bought the cattle, Crawford & Company got the same commission on his cattle as they did on other cattle consigned to their stock yard. He had no authority to buy cattle for Crawford & Company. H'e claims that when Fowler called him up with reference to the cattle in question, and stated that appellee wanted to sell them at 6 % cents, he asked Fowler what about the $10.00 per head, and Fowler replied that he had not said anything to appellee about that: He then heard no more about the matter until next day, when appellee called him over the 'phone and asked if Fowler had told him anything about the $10.00 per head that had to be put up on the cattle. He said no; that Fowler had not mentioned it, and that he did not propose to put up $10.00 per head on-appellee’s cattle or anybody else’s cattle. Appellee said something about a contract, and he told him that he might give him
Appellant Hillert testified that he was a member of the firm of W. R. Crawford & Company; that Russell was employed by his firm as cattle salesman, and was hired for that purpose and no other; that he had no authority to purchase the cattle in question and no general authority to purchase cattle for the firm.; that W. ,R. Crawford & Company never participated in the profits or losses on any cattle purchased by Russell, and the latter was in no sense a partner of theirs. Sometimes, for the purpose of having cattle consigned to their yards, they would, in writing, guarantee the payment for cattle which Russell or other cattle buyers purchased. In each instance the firm of W. R. Crawford & Company would receive only their usual commissions. He was in .the office on the morning when appellee called Russell over the ’phone. Russell told appellee that he had not bought his cattle; that he would not put up $10.00 on any man’s cattle. He did not have any conversation with appellee wherein he stated that they would remit for the cattle. He had the conversation with appellee, in the presence of Russell, when appellee asked him, “What about this cattle business?” and he told appellee that he did not know anything about it. Appellee then asked him if he was going
From the foregoing evidence it will be seen that the question, whether or not Russell bought the cattle in question, depends altogether upon which version of the conversation that took place between him and appellee on June 27th is correct. If appellee’s version is true, Russell was bound on the contract; if Russell’s version be true, then he was not bound. Where one witness testifies to one state of facts, and another witness testifies to an entirely different state of facts, it cannot be said that there is no evidence upon which to submit the case to the jury, or that the finding of the jury is flagrantly against the evidence.
As to Hillert, however, a different question is presented. There is absolutely no evidence in the record tending to show that Russell and W. R. Crawford & Company were partners in the transaction in question, or that the cattle were purchased for their joint account. Nor is there any testimony from which it could be inferred that Russell was authorized by W. R. Crawford & Company to purchase the cattle for them, or that he had general authority as agent to purchase cattle for "rhem. Appellee bases his whole case against appellant Hillert on the expression, “And he said he would remit for the cattle, or we would remit for the -cattle.” As ■Russell was not a partner of the firm of W. R. Crawford & Company, and as he was employed only as a cattle ’salesman and had no authority to purchase cattle for them, the foregoing expression can not be construed in any other light than a promise of Hillert to pay the debt of Russell. The promise, not being in writing, is within the Statute of Frauds and, therefore, not 'binding upon Hillert. (Kentucky Statutes, section 470, subsection 4.) We, therefore, conclude that there was no evidence, so far as Hillert is concerned, to justify the submission of the case to the jury, and that the court erred in failing to award him a peremptory instruction.
The jury stated in their verdict that they found for plaintiff under instruction two, thus basing their conclusion on the idea that Russell made the purchase as the agent of Crawford & Company, without disclosing his agency to plaintiff and without plaintiff’s knowledge of such agency. Having held that there was. no evidence of Russell’s agency or of partnership between Russell and W. R. Crawford & Company to justify the submission of the case as to Hillert, and the case having been tried and decided'upon the theory of Russell’s undisclosed agency, we conclude that the judgment against Russell alone should not stand. Notwithstanding the fact that the jury may have believed Russell’s account of the transaction, their verdict may have been induced by the promise of Hillert to remit for the cattle. As this promise was- not made in- Russell’s presence, and Hillert was without authority from Russell to bind him by such promise, it necessarily follows that the alleged statement of Hillert is not binding on Russell. On the next trial this statement of Hillert’s will be excluded from the consideration of the jury, and the court will submit the case to the jury as to Russell alone, giving him the benefit of an instruction to the effect that, if plaintiff made as a condition precedent to the sale that Russell should pay plaintiff $10.00
Judgment reversed and cause remanded for a new trial consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.