Ballard v. Thompson
Ballard v. Thompson
Opinion of the Court
Defendant prosecutes this appeal from a judgment condemning him to pay plaintiff $4,192.50, with interest, and sustaining a writ of. attachment which plaintiff had caused to be issued.
The cause of action set forth1 by plaintiff is as follows: That in 1906, defendant, being then about to acquire a certain interest in a newspaper called the Daily Item, entered into a contract whereby he agreed, in consideration of plaintiff assuming the duties of managing editor of said paper, to pay him 6% per cent, of the stock which defendant then held and should thereafter acquire in the Item Company, it being understood, however, that for defendant’s convenience the stock should be carried in his name; that plaintiff accordingly entered at once upon the discharge of the duties of managing editor, and has continued to discharge them up to the present time; that on May 21, 1910, defendant sold his entire interest in said paper to James M. Thompson for $76,500, and that
On an exception of vagueness, plaintiff amended his original petition by alleging that the contract sued on was verbal.
Defendant at first filed a general denial, and then an amended answer, alleging as follows, (quoting in part):
“He admits that plaintiff was to receive 10 per cent, of 65 per cent, of the capital stock of the Item Company, held by said Frederick I. Thompson and James M. Thompson; half from defendant and half from James M. Thompson.”
Further answering, he alleges:
“That on the balance sheet of the said Item Company from January 1, 1909, to December 31, 1909, * * * plaintiff drew from the said company five per cent, of the profits, and the item appears on said balance sheet in the language following, to wit:
“ ‘Marshall Ballard, bonus account,
to Jan. 1, 1910.................$3,349.40’
“That the said amount was illegally withdrawn; that half of it was the property of defendant, and the withdrawal was protested against by said defendant at the time. Defendant specially pleads, as compensation or set-off to whatever amount may be found [due] by defendant to plaintiff, for [the] half of said sum, or $1,674.70.”
' On th'e trial of the case, defendant gave the following, with other, testimony concerning the foregoing admissions:
“Q. You have made, in your answer, an admission that he was to have 10 per cent, of 65 per cent, of the stock? A. He wras to have a percentage of stock. * * *
“Mr. Marr (counsel for plaintiff): Of course, it is no use to go back into this, Mr. Thompson. You have admitted it in your answer, what the contract between you and Mr. Ballard was; so it is ño use to go beyond that. We consider that absolutely settled.
“Mr. Parkerson (counsel for defendant): We stand on that.
“Mr. Marr: You stand on that; I stand on it.”
Then, after some • further testimony, we find this apparently superfluous admission:
“It is admitted that the answer filed by Mr. Frederick I. Thompson admits that the plaintiff was to receive 10 per cent, of 65 per cent, of the capital stock of the Item Company, held by said Frederick I. Thompson and James M. Thompson, half from Frederick I. Thompson and half from James M. Thompson.”
Defendant, somewhat later, was asked how it happened that he made the foregoing admission in his answer, when he had taken a different position in the correspondence between him and plaintiff which preceded the bringing of the suit, and he testified as follows:
“I think that is very easily answered; because I have neglected to give to Mr. Parkerson, prior to the filing of his brief, the full information in my possession, already gone into. Q. You mean to say that the answer was filed by you under a misapprehension of facts? A. Yes, sir.
“Mr. Parkerson: Q. But you stand on your answer? A. Yes, sir.
“Mr. Marr: Q. Now, under date of Feb-
ruary 5, 1910 [about nine months before the institution of this suit] you appear to have written to Mr. Ballard as follows: ‘I have no desire to be precipitated into litigation, as any litigation involving the affairs of the Item Company would be far-reaching. I deny, without equivocation, any promise on my part to give any stock in the Item Company, or authorizing any one to make such a promise for me,’ etc. A. That is true. Q. How does it come about that this statement was made to Mr. Ballard on the 5th of February, 1910, when he was trying to get a settlement? A. Because I had never promised to give Mr. Ballard any stock in the Item Company.”
The judgment appealed from is therefore affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BALLARD v. THOMPSON
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by the Court.j 1. Set-Oef and Counterclaim A defendant, sued for a debt due by him, cannot, plead, in compensation thereof, a debt alleged to be due by the suing creditor to a corporation of which he (defendant) is a stockholder, since compensation takes place only “when it happens that both plaintiff and defendant are indebted to each other.” [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Set-Off and Counterclaim, Cent. Dig. §§ 76-79, 81; Dec. Dig. 41.] 2. Corporations 399(4) — Opbtcers — Authority. Where the board of directors of a business corporation elects a president and authorizes him “to appoint any and all managers, clerks, and other employés deemed necessary by Mm for the work of the corporation, and to fix salaries and compensation of all parties so employed,” the president has the power, under the authority so conferred, to fix the compensation of any officer, within such reasonable limit as his judgment may suggest, and, unless the circumstances be unusual, if he and one other person own all the stock of the corporation, such other person would have no reason to complain, since the compensation so fixed would be paid from a fund that would otherwise inure to the president and him, share and share alike. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Corporations, Cent. Dig. § 1588; Dec. Dig. &wkey;399(4).]