May v. Cahn
May v. Cahn
Opinion of the Court
This suit was brought by appellant against .appellee for an accounting between them as partners. Defendant denies the existence of a partnership and alleges that plaintiff was employed solely as clerk in his store, at a stipulated compensation; that plaintiff has received in part payment for his services goods of the value of $160, and that he is ready and willing to pay plaintiff the balance due him. Upon the trial the court found that no partnership existed between the parties, and that there was due plaintiff $185, for which sum judgment was rendered against defendant.
May is and has been a resident of Hastings for many years, and Cahn lives in the city of New York. Each had had large experience in the mercantile business. The former had no means, and the latter was wealthy. In January, 1889, a large stock of goods in the city of Hastings, formerly owned by one John Stich, which was then in the hands of a receiver, was about to be offered for sale. May entered into negotiations with Cahn to induce him to purchase the goods, which resulted in Cahn going to Hastings and buying the entire stock, for which at Hastings he paid $25,000. Subsequently goods were sold therefrom to the amount of about $20,000, and the remainder of the stock was removed to the city of Lincoln, where it was placed upon the market. May assisted in the purchase from the receiver, as well as in the sale of the goods at Hastings.
The testimony of plaintiff tends to show that, prior to the purchase from the receiver, plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement, by the terms of which Cahn was to furnish all the money with which to buy the stock and May was to assist in making the purchase and in the resale of the goods. He was to receive as his part of the venture ten per cent of the net profits, together with $20 per week
The defendant in his testimony denies the existence of a partnership. He further testified that prior to buying the goods he went to plaintiff’s house and in presence of Ed. Cerf had a conversation with May, in which Cahn promised, in case he bought the stock, to give plaintiff ten per cent of the net profits which might be realized from the investment; that nothing was then said about plaintiff recovering $20 per week; that shortly thereafter, and prior to the opening of said stock for sale to the public, defendant agreed in lieu of the ten per cent net profits to employ plaintiff in the store as clerk at $20 per week and the further sum of $250 in cash, which proposition plaintiff accepted; that in pursuance of said agreement he clerked for defendant for four weeks and then voluntarily quit said employment; that plaintiff received in payment goods out of the store to the amount of $160.
The plaintiff on rebuttal testified that he never agreed with defendant at any time to accept $250 in lieu of the ten per cent profits.
There is considerable conflict in the testimony, not only as to the terms of the agreement by the parties, but upon the question whether the contract was changed by them. Plaintiff affirms, by the arrangement made at his house with Cahn, that he was to receive $20 a week for his work, in addition to ten per cent of the net profits. This Cahn denies. In our view, it matters not whether the contract was as testified to by plaintiff, or whether it was as defendant contends, for in either case it possessed all the elements necessary to constitute a copartnership agreement. Cahn was to furnish the funds, and May was to contribute his services to the project, for which he was to be remunerated by a portion of the profits. He was to participate in the profits as such. Each was to have a certain per cent of the net profits, which implies that the losses were to be borne between them, although there was no express stipulation in the contract to that effect. (1 Lindley on Partnership, 13.)
The next and the most important inquiry is, was the business carried on under the partnership agreement, or under a new and different contract ? It is observable that upon this branch of the case the testimony is conflicting. Appellee insists that a second contract was entered into before the goods were offered for sale, by which appellant agreed to accept $250 and the further sum of $20 per week for
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Aaron May v. Isaac Cahn
- Status
- Published