Woolner v. Levy
Woolner v. Levy
Opinion of the Court
The nature of this controversy may be understood by a recital of the more prominent facts. Wurmser sold to Levy the necessary furniture to equip a large boarding house in Kansas City; and to secure the balance due, to-wit, about $3,760, Levy made to Wurmser a chattel mortgage covering the entire furniture, etc.,-of the house. By the terms of the note and mortgage Levy was to pay Wurmser in monthly installments of $100 for the first three months, and $200 monthly thereafter on the fifteenth of each month.
The issues were tried by a jury, but the court at the conclusion of the evidence practically instructed the jury that plaintiff had made no case. The instruction to the jury was as follows: “Under the pleading and evidence you will find a verdict for the defendant, A. C. Wurmser, for a return of the property mentioned and described in his mortgage except that levied on by defendant Clary, and assess his damages at the value of said property, not exceeding the debt, to said A. C. Wurmser, and you will assess the damages of defendant Clary at the market value of the property levied on by defendant Clary, not exceeding the amount of his execution, with costs and interest.”
A verdict in accordance with this instruction was returned, judgment followed, and plaintiff has appealed. Other facts will be mentioned in the course of the opinion. ,
First. Now, was the court correct in telling the jury that Wurmser’s right and title to possession of the goods he held was superior to that of Woolner? Both claimed as mortgagees from Levy, but Wurmser’s mortgage was nearly a year prior in point of time. Hence, then, apparently Wurmser’s claim was paramount to Woolner’s. But plaintiff contends that under the facts, as disclosed in the evidence, Wurmser lost the lien of his mortgage ; that by reason of an alleged tender of the amount due from Levy to Wurmser the mortgage lien was extinguished. • This contention arises out of the following:
It seems that the next day after Clary’s levy of the Winn execution plaintiff’s agent went to Wurmser’s place of business, and, failing' to find Wurmser, the agent made some kind of an offer to pay Wurmser’s claim. The party in charge of Wurmser’s store declined the responsibility of such a settlement and .insisted the matter should await Wurmser’s- return. Much talk
Again, plaintiff contends that Wurmser abandoned his mortgage lien on the Levy goods, because he, Wurmser, requested Clary, the, constable, to levy thereon the Winn execution. There is no merit in this position. To the extent of the goods thus seized by the constable (at the request of Wurmser) it would seem that Wurmser did waive his mortgage lien ; but for the goods covered by Wurmser’s mortgage, and which Clary did not levy on, there was clearly no abandonment; or waiver of lien by Wurmser. And so was the matter treated by Clary and Wurmser, since in this action Wurmser only makes claim for the goods included in his mortgage which were not seized by Clary.
So, then, we conclude, on this branch of the case, that clearly Wurmser was the owner and entitled to the possession of all the goods included in his mortgage, excepting only those seized by Clary, the constable, to satisfy the Winn execution.
It would seem, from the nature of the court’s instruction to the jury, that Woolner’s claim against Levy was indubitably regarded as a fraud and a mere pretense. And this is where we think the trial judge erred. As to whether or not Woolner’s mortgage was for an honest tona jlde claim against Levy was, under the evidence, a matter for the jury’s determination. If the evidence was all one way, then the court would be justified in declaring the fact; but, if there was a conflict, then it was for the jury, and not the court, to settle it. We have read this voluminous record, and while there are many suspicions attached to the alleged good faith of Woolner’s mortgage claim, yet there is positive testimony of its genuineness. Indeed, from a review of the evidence contained in the bill of exceptions, we ' must say that a jury would be sustained if they found either way on that issue. We conclude then that error was committed in arbitrarily instructing the jury to find a verdict for defendant Clary.
Third. Much of plaintiff’s brief is taken up with discussion of alleged error of the trial court in excluding
It follows then from what is here said, that we affirm the judgment as to defendant Wurmser, but reverse the judgment as to defendant Clary, and remand the cause for a new trial, in so far only as to the issues between plaintiff and said Clary.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Samuel Woolner v. Marcus Levy
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published