Hartman v. Gorrel
Hartman v. Gorrel
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff in error here was plaintiff below. Several amended petitions were filed in the case, and the question here is raised by the demurrer to .the sixth amended petition. The demurrer was sustained' in the common pleas court.
This allegation is material only as bearing upon the averment in the petition that within “several months” after this change in stock was made the plaintiff decided to exercise his option and thereupon tendered to the defendant Gorrel the stock which he had received, and demanded the return to himself of the $1,000 which he had paid for it, and that afterwards, in December, 1913, he made a second demand for the return of the money he had paid and a second tender of the stock. Both were refused.- It is averred, also, that the defendant Powell could not be served with summons in this case.
The agreement set out in the petition was signed only by the defendants, Gorrel and Powell.
We do not think this position is tenable. When the plaintiff' purchased the stock, and as part of the agreement of purchase, the defendants agreed to give the plaintiff an option to return the stock, and in the event that he did so to pay him back the amount paid therefor, the agreement was clearly mutual, and the transfer of the stock and payment of the money furnished a sufficient consideration. In The Davis Laundry & Cleaning Co. v. Whitmore, 92 Ohio St., 44, where the action was based upon a contract for the sale of 126 shares of stock at a certain price and 124 shares at another price, it is said:
“That, upon acceptance, the obligations became mutual, and the promise of one furnished a consideration for the promise of the other.”
We think that is the case here.
Was the option exercised within a reasonable time? It is urged that the demand made within “several months” after the expiration of the year from the date of the purchase, and the subsequent demand in December, 1913, were not made within a reasonable time and hence the defendants were justified in refusing to comply with the demand.
The latter action was upon an indorsement, and the question was whether or not the note had been presented to the indorser within a reasonable time. The third proposition of the syllabus reads:
“What is a reasonable Lime is generally a mixed question of law and fact. Where the facts are in dispute, it should be submitted to the jury for its determination under proper instructions from the court; but where the material facts are admitted, or not in dispute, it is a'-question for the court, and can not properly be submitted to the jury.”
On the issue made by the petition in this case, whether or not the demand and tender were made within a reasonable time, the court is not able to say as a matter of law upon the facts stated that the time was unreasonable, and we think the question should be submitted to a jury,
Judgment' sustaining the demurrer reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.