Gurtman v. Harris
Gurtman v. Harris
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff entered into a contract with the Roman Realty and Construction Company for the furnishing of labor and material required for the installation of certain galvanized doors, copper vent hoods for gas ranges, galvanized pipes for the same, copper leaders from the roof together with copper gutters, galvanized skylights and other fixtures recited in the agreement. These fixtures were to be installed according to plans designed by one Clark, and the Roman Realty and Construction Company, the owner of the building, agreed to pay for the labor and material the sum of $2,200. This payment was guaranteed by the defendant, Martin D. Harris. The
The first ground upon which 'we are asked to make this rule to show cause absolute is that the verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence. We think there is no merit in this contention. The sole finding of the jury, by necessary implication, was-that the contract of guaranty had been revoked by the parties, and, in our opinion, the weight of the evidence upon that phase of the case supported the jury’s finding.
The next contention is that the verdict is the result of mistake, passion or prejudice on the part of the jury. What has already been stated disposes of this point.
Next it is said that the court' erred in admitting in evidence the letter written by the agent of the owner to-which reference has already been made. The argument is that there was no proof that this letter was properly addressed to the defendant, nor that it was ever received by him. According to the testimony submitted by the defendant, after the writing and mailing of the letter the plaintiff and the agent of the owner had a conversation, in the course of which the plaintiff asked the agent, “what was meant by this letter,” which was the letter admitted in evidence. In view of this question it is manifest, if the testimony was true, that the plaintiff had received the letter, and that being so, the question of whether or not it was properly addressed is immaterial. He received the letter, according to the testimony submitted by the defendant, and then agreed to act and did act in accordance with the instructions contained therein.
Next, it is urged that the court erred in refusing to allow the following question, put to the agent of the owner of the building, on cross-examination: “Were any other contracts guaranteed by Mr. Harris?” It seems to us very plain that this question called for an answer which had no relevancy to the subject-matter in litigation, and that for this reason it was properly excluded.
Lastly, it is contended that the court erred in charging the jury that the notice contained in the letter already referred to, if sent, constituted a revocation of the guaranty; but a reading of the charge shows that no such instruction was submitted. The charge of the court, in effect, was that if the notice of the cancellation of the guaranty was received by the plaintiff and he acquiesced in Such cancellation, the jury should return a verdict of no cause of action. This instruction was entirely justified by the proofs submitted on the part of the defendant.
We conclude that the rule to show cause should be discharged.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.