Downey v. Peterson
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Downey v. Peterson
Opinion of the Court
A claim for the unpaid balance of the purchase price of certain cattle under written contract made by the claimant and decedent on December 1, 1931, was allowed by the probate court, from which an appeal was taken to the district court, where claimant had a verdict. The rather informal contract provides that decedent agreed to pay claimant for 104 heifers and steers which she had upon her farm in Traverse county, eight cents per pound net at the market at South St. Paul, Minnesota, on or before January 15, 1932; that the claimant was to care for and feed the cattle until that time; that the weight of the cattle was to be figured upon delivery at South St. Paul; that deceased was to pay all freight, commissions, and charges and that if the net proceeds of the cattle were over eight cents per pound according to the normal market at South St. Paul claimant Avas to receive one-fourth of such excess, but that in no event was she to stand any loss if the selling price was less than eight cents per pound. The defense is that the contract is illegal as a Avagering contract Avhereby it was intended that there be no actual sale or delivery of the cattle but only a speculation on the market price and a settlement on the difference between the market and the contract price.
We assume, as did counsel and the court below, that the rule against wagering contracts relates to cases where the seller actually owns and possesses the specific property Avhich is the subject of the contract as well as those Avhere the seller does not own the property at the time of making the contract. See First Nat. Bank v. Carroll, 80 Iowa, 11, 45 N. W. 304, 8 L. R. A. 275; 6 R. C. L. 782,
The burden of establishing that such a contract is a wager is upon the party who asserts the fact, Mohr v. Miesen, supra, and hence in the instant case is upon the defense. Whatever the form of such a transaction, it may be shown that the parties did not really intend that the goods contracted for be delivered. The inquiry in this case was to determine whether or not the parties intended actual delivery. There was no direct evidence that actual delivery was not intended. There was much direct and circumstantial evidence to show that the parties from the beginning really intended the actual delivery which was made in this case. The contract itself speaks such an intention. The circumstances and facts shown constitute evidence of the fact. Performance was postponed by agreement of the parties from January to February, 1932. The deceased, while under no obligation to do so, furnished commercial feed for the cattle. In February, 1932, 86 of the cattle, selected by
There was no error in failing to submit to the jury the issue of a wagering contract since there was no evidence to sustain such a finding by the jury.
The various assignments of error relating to rulings on the admission of evidence have been considered and found without merit.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE ESTATE OF ANDREW PETERSON. FLORENCE E. DOWNEY v. ALBERT S. PETERSON
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published