White v. Gunn
White v. Gunn
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The complaint of John Gunn, the appellant, is that the jury were allowed to determine the character of the sale of the brickyard plant by his father, Charles B. Gunn, to Lemuel A. White, the appellee. He insists it was a fraud in fact as well as in law, and that the court should have sustained each of these positions and directed a finding in his favor. The learned trial judge was clearly of the opinion that the sale was in fact fraudulent, and, incautiously, perhaps, though of this the ap
The appellee testified that, on February 26, 1900, a year before the appellant obtained a decree against Charles B. Gunn, he had purchased the personal property which was the subject of the feigned issue; that a day or two before he purchased it Charles B. Gunn came to his office and told him he was “ hard up ” and would like to have some money. A receipt of Charles B. Gunn to the appellee was produced, acknowledging the latter’s check for flOO and his note for $2,400, payable four months after date, in payment of the purchase money for the property purchased, which the appellee says he paid. Evidence was submitted that the price paid for the property was a fair one. In the face of this the good faith of the transaction between the vendor and vendee was for the jury alone, no matter how persuasively the learned counsel for the appellant contend that other features of the case, to which we need not call attention, made it the duty of the court to declare the transfer a fraud in fact.
The jury having found that the sale was in fact honest, was it constructively fraudulent ? When we said in Keystone
On the cross-examination of the plaintiff and his witnesses, and from the testimony offered by the defendants, it is true, facts were developed which fully warranted the contention that there ought to have been a finding that there had not been a sufficient change of possession ; on the other hand, if the jury believed what was offered by the plaintiff to prove that he had taken and retained possession of the property he had purchased, their verdict was fairly for him and cannot be disturbed. The property purchased was a brick plant, including brick machinery, two engines and boilers, drier, blower, five kilns, trucks and tracking, horses, carts, wagons, harness, shedding and other appliances which were upon the premises and needful in manufacturing. drying, burning and delivering 82,000 bricks per day. The vendee had an option to purchase the yard itself. He testified that, after he purchased the property, he took immediate possession of it; that he manufactured bricks, hauling clay from other grounds to the yard ; that, though he employed Charles JB. Gunn and his son, Frank, to manage the brickyard for him, he went there five days out of six to look after the business, and furnished the money to pay the hands ; that he built a sixth kiln on the premises; that lie advertised the plant for sale; that the insurance was taken out in his name. He further stated that three days after he purchased the property, and more than a year before John Gunn obtained his decree, he told the latter he had purchased it and offered to sell it to him for $8,000. This statement was admitted to be true by the appellant. Charles Horner, a witness called by the plaintiff, testified that he knew the brickyard had been sold to the appellant, who had taken possession of it in February, 1900, and some weeks had been in the yard ten or twelve times. Frank Gunn testified that the appellee had taken possession of the place and continued in possession until the trial of the feigned issue; that he was there looking after the business four or five days a week. John E. White, another witness, testified that his brother, the appellee, had taken possession of the plant and that he went up to look after the business for him from time to time and to see that things were going right. One of the witnesses called by the defendant testified that he had received
Reference
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- Contract — Sale—Personal property — Delivery of possession. If a purchaser pays the price for goods purchased by him without taking possession oí them, he takes the risk oí the integrity and solvency of his vendor when the rights of a subsequent bona fide purchaser or an execution creditor arise. Delivery of possession of personal property is indispensable to transfer a title by the act of the owner that shall be valid against creditors. In passing upon the sufficiency of possession taken by the purchaser there must be taken into consideration the character of the property, the use to be made of it, the nature and object of the transaction, the position of the parties and the usages of trade or business. When a purchase of personal property is made in good faith the fair and honest purpose of the vendor and vendee will not be defeated, if the conduct of the parties shows that there was an intention to transfer the possession as well as the title, and the vendee assumed such control of the properly as ought reasonably to indicate a change of ownership. On an issue to determine the ownership of a brick plant including machinery, engines, wagons, horses and other property necessary for the manufacturing of brick, the evidence showed that the former owner came to the office of the plaintiff in the issue, told him that he was “ hard up” and would like to have some money. A receipt of the owner to the plaintiff was produced acknowledging the latter’s check for $100, and his note for $2,400 payable four months after date in payment of the purchase money for the property purchased, which note plaintiff testified he paid. Evidence was submitted that the price paid for the property was a fair one. The plaintiff testified that he took possession of the property immediately after the purchase, that though he employed the former owner to manage the brickyard for him, he wont there five days out of six to look after the business ; that he furnished money to pay the hands, built an additional kiln on the premises, took out the insurance in his own name, advertised the plant for sale, and offered to sell the plant to the defendant in the issue, a fact acknowledged by the latter. Other witnesses corroborated plaintiff’s testimony, and testified to additional facts showing his possession. Held, that the questions both of the good faith of the transaction, and of the sufficiency of the possession, were for the jury, and that a verdict and judgment for plaintiff should be sustained.