Graves v. Bonness
Graves v. Bonness
Opinion of the Court
' This is the second appeal in this action. 97 Minn. 278, 107 N. W. 163. On the trial of the action in the district court of the county of Hennepin the plaintiff had a verdict for $37,837.33, and the defendant appealed from an order denying his motion for a new trial on the grounds of errors in -law and that the verdict was not supported by the evidence. The order was affirmed by this court, and the cause remanded.- Thereafter the defendant made a motion for a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence and for leave to file an amended and supplemental answer herein. The motion was denied, and the defendant appealed from the order denying it.
If that part of the order which denied the motion for a new trial was correct, it follows that the whole of the order was correct; for
A decision of this question depends very largely upon the issues made by the pleadings as to the second cause of action alleged in the complaint, which were litigated by the parties and settled by the verdict. Counsel do not agree as to such issues and the relation of the parties to each other. The allegations of the second cause of action are, briefly stated, fi> the effect that the parties hereto entered into a contract whereby they agreed that the plaintiff should deliver certain logs to the defendant to be sold by him for the plaintiff, the proceeds thereof to be paid to him, less all advancements of money and equipment for procuring, cutting, and delivering the logs, made by defendant to the plaintiff, and less one dollar for each thousand feet of logs sold by him for the plaintiff; that the plaintiff, pursuant to the contract, delivered to the defendant the logs, which he sold and received the full purchase price therefor; and, further, that the defendant had paid to the plaintiff only a portion of the money so received for him. Judgment was demanded for the balance unpaid. The answer denied the alleged agreement, and alleged, in effect, that the parties entered into a contract whereby the defendant purchased the logs which were delivered to him by the plaintiff at eight dollars per thousand feet, and that he had paid to the defendant the full purchase price for all logs delivered to him, less the amount of advances made by him to the plaintiff. On the trial the main issue related to the nature of the contract and the relation of the parties created by it. The verdict established that the contract was, as the plaintiff claimed, one of agency, and not of sale, as claimed by the defendant.
No claim is made that the alleged newly discovered evidence is relevant to the issue as to the terms of the contract and the relation of the parties, and in considering the merits of the defendant’s motion for a new trial we assume, as we must, that the contract was one of agency, and that this action, in legal effect, is one by a principal against his, agent for money received by him for his principal. The record herein and affidavits used on the motion strongly tend to show that the quan
It is quite obvious from such facts that, as stated by the learned trial judge, the, only right the defendant can in good conscience claim is that he be protected in paying the money received by him, which is now represented by the verdict against him, to the persons who may show themselves entitled to it, and that this right is conserved by the stay of proceedings in this action until the question is determined.
Order affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CARLTON GRAVES v. FREDERICK W. BONNESS
- Status
- Published