Gorsline v. Gore
Gorsline v. Gore
Opinion of the Court
The defendant argues that the reply is a departure from the complaint. We shall assume, however, without deciding, that the pleadings are sufficient to enable the plaintiff to correct any mistakes that may have been made by the defendant and her father in their settlement; and we shall therefore inquire into the merits of the controversy.
“When a settlement of accounts has been deliberately made and a note voluntarily given for an ascer*392 tamed balance, it will not re-examine such accounts and grant relief except on precise allegations of such errors or mistakes, and clear and satisfactory proof of the same. * * The presumption is in favor of the correctness of the settlement, and that the note given for the balance ascertained on such settlement expresses the truth. Hence, the general rule that a settled account will not be opened on mere conflicting evidence.”
See, also, Matasce v. Hughes, 7 Or. 39, 42 (33 Am. Rep. 696); Williams v. Culver, 30 Or. 375, 377 (48 Pac. 365); Casner v. Hoskins, 64 Or. 254, 266 (128 Pac. 841, 130 Pac. 55).
i‘some time in Feb. 1910,1 received from W. M. Gorsline $1000.00. Said money used thus: 600.00 in a mortgage, given by Geo. Kalahan & Vina his wife to W. M. Gorsline and the ballance put in Co. Warrants drawing 8 per cent int. the original receipt being mislaid or lost this sum being the only money received by me during Feb. 1910.”
This duplicate receipt occupies an important place in the controversy between the litigants. The. defendant contends that the duplicate receipt represents an item of $1,000 which was received by her on January 27, 1909, and that the date 1910 appearing in the duplicate receipt was simply the result of a mistake on her part. The plaintiff insists that the defendant should be charged with the amount stated in the duplicate receipt in addition to the several amounts represented by the remaining receipts. Nine receipts, including the duplicate, were produced at the trial. The plaintiff says that his father had only eight receipts when the settlement was made on February 7, 1913. At the time of
“Well, now, I will tell you, I think there was a mistake in the date of that receipt that day. You see, that is October, but no date, and I think they agreed upon a date. I have November 1st.”
The receipt itself reads thus: “Kalama, Oct., 1908,” and immediately beneath “Oct., 1908,” appears “Nov. 1st, 1908,” written with an indelible pencil. Exhibit “C” shows that “Oct — 08” was first set down; but “Oct.” is marked out and “Nov. 1-08” inserted. The whole of Exhibit “ C ” is written with an indelible pencil. Two other pieces of paper, which were originally used as envelopes, were used in making the calculations. One of these papers is marked Exhibit" “D” and the other Exhibit “E.”
The plaintiff testified that immediately after the settlement was agreed upon he made a memorandum of the credits and debits, and when referring to his memorandum he said “that’s the figures I taken from
“Feb. 1st, 1000; Sept. 19-08, 500; Dec. 06-07, 250; Nov. 16-07, 500; Sept. 20-09, 500; Dec. 4-07, 250; Jan. 26-12,1000; Nov. 1-08, 500.”
The interest was calculated on each of these principal items and the interest due on each respective item was set down in the upper right-hand comer of Exhibit “C.” The interest aggregated $1,098.96.
The plaintiff testified that he talked with his father “a good many times” about the settlement and that his father “always claimed that there was more money back. ” It is significant, however, that the plaintiff admits that there was “no private talk; we was all there together” on the day of the settlement; and the plaintiff also admits that his father agreed to the settlement ‘ ‘ and took the note. ’ ’ There is no evidence whatever to indicate that W. M. Gorsline ever claimed to the defendant that any moneys had been omitted from the accounting; and she testified that her father never claimed that any item was omitted from the settlement. The plaintiff testified, however, that his father told him, about two months before his death, “that he had found that other receipt of a thousand dollars”; and that about three days before his death when “telling me some business to look after” his father said, “That other receipt that I found; Delmar, you look after that, too. ’ ’ The plaintiff says that the parties had but eight receipts, including the duplicate, on the day of the accounting; that he retained possession of these eight
Exhibit “C” contains eight items which make up the principal sum of $4,500 and among these eight items is the one for January 26, 1912, for $1,000. The eight items are set down in a column in the upper left-hand comer of Exhibit “C.” Interest was computed at the rate of 7 per cent per annum; and written after each of the eight items is the time for which interest was charged and the amount of interest found to be due on each such item. Interest was computed from the dates of the respective receipts, with the exception of the duplicate receipt. Regardless of whether the parties had the January 26,1912, receipt with them on the day of the settlement, it incontrovertibly appears that this item for $1,000 was included in the settlement. The significance of the appearance of the January 26, 19Í2, item is especially emphasized when we remind ourselves- that the elimination of this item from the account would necessarily and irremediably change the balance which the parties struck; and in this connection we must remember, too, that the memorandum which D. D. Gorsline made of the debits and credits, agrees with the debits and credits shown on Exhibits “C,” “D” and “E.” Most of the figures on Exhibit “D” were made with an indelible pencil and appear to have been written by the defendant. A few figures on Exhibit “E” were made with an indelible pencil and appear to have been written by the defendant; but the remaining figures on Exhibit “E” were made with an ordinary lead pencil and were written by D. D. Gorsline or by his father, probably the latter.
Among the nine receipts produced at the trial is one for $1,000 under date of January 27, 1909. This item
The. defendant testified as follows:
“Before'we started in with the receipts; when we first' bégan the business,_ I said to my father, I said, ‘You remember the duplicate receipt,’ I said, ‘I don’t*399 want to pay a thousand dollars twice.’ He says, ‘I will never make you pay a thousand dollars twice.’ ”
In further explanation the defendant stated that their conversation occurred before she had looked at the receipts and before she knew that her father “had such a duplicate receipt present”; that her father “said he didn’t have it [the original receipt]”; and that “he said he didn’t have the two receipts,” and “he said he didn’t have the original.” D. D. Gorsline corroborated the defendant when he testified that:
‘ ‘ There was a conversation there that there might be two receipts out for the same amount of money, but as I read those receipts off she looked at every one of them and acknowledged every receipt before they was figured on.”
All agree that the parties had the duplicate receipt on the day of the settlement; but, for' the reasons already stated, our conclusion is that the parties did not have with them the receipt dated January 27,1909, when they had their accounting and settlement. If we now direct attention to Exhibit “ O ” we shall there find some evidence corroborating the direct testimony of the defendant. The first of the eight items making up the principal sum of $4,500 is written thus: “Feb. 1st, 1000.” This undoubtedly refers to the duplicate receipt; for all agree that the duplicate receipt was among the eight receipts which the parties considered on the day of the settlement. Immediately after the item just quoted is the figure “7,” signifying that the interest was calculated at the rate of 7 per cent per annum; and immediately after the “7” we find written ‘ ‘ 3 yrs., ’ ’ indicating that interest is to be computed for a period of three years. If February, 1910, the date given in the duplicate receipt, is the true date, then the interest period was exactly three years and
If we now apply the rule announced in Hoyt v. Clarkson, 23 Or. 51, 55 (31 Pac. 198), it is manifest that we are driven to the conclusion that the settlement-made by the defendant and her father must remain undisturbed, because the plaintiff has failed to produce “clear and satisfactory proof” of any errors or mistakes. In addition to the circumstances previously narrated it may be of interest to relate that W. M(xorsline “kept his newspapers and other papers” in a box on the clock shelf. Shortly after the death of W. M. Gorsline, within an hour according to the testimony of the plaintiff and within ten minutes according*, to the testimony of the defendant, Mrs. Pledge “grabbed up all the papers there was and threw them right in the stove before we could stop her.” The defendant testified that “we didn’t grab hold of her, for we didn’t have time. We told her not to burn, them.” D. D. Gorsline corroborated the defendant and explained that just as he came into the room he heard the defendant say, “What are you burning them papers for?” Although the evidence does not dis
It is not without propriety to say, in passing, that on account of the attitude of some of the heirs the executor was obliged to bring this suit in order to shield himself against criticism and for the further purpose of clearing up all doubts about the rights of the estate; and hence it is peculiarly appropriate that the costs and disbursements of this litigation should be charged against the estate.
The decree is reversed and the suit is dismissed.
Reversed and Dismissed.
Reference
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- GORSLINE v. GORE
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