Ritchie v. Jensen
Ritchie v. Jensen
Concurring Opinion
(concurring specially). The judgment appealed from (omitting its formal parts) is as follows: “It is ordered and adjudged that the defendant Christian L. Jensen pay to the defendant People’s Telephone & Telegraph Company, a corporation, the sum of $183.33, for the use and benefit of said company, that the plaintiffs’ complaint herein be dismissed, except as to said recover}'- on the part of the plaintiffs from the defendant Jensen; and it is further ordered and adjudged that each party, plaintiffs and defendants, pay one-half of the costs of this action.” As to plaintiffs’ appeal, the record reads thus: “Thereafter and within the time allowed by law, the plaintiffs duly took and perfected an appeal from said judgment, except the portion thereof whereby it is adjudged that the defendant Christian L. Jensen pay to the defendant the People’s Telephone & Telegraph Company, a corporation, the sum of $183.33 f°r the use and benefit of said company by serving and filing a proper notice of appeal and undertaking on appeal duly approved by the judge of said court as to form and sufficiency of sureties.” Thus it appears that the plaintiffs did not appeal from the portion of the judgment which determined the amount of company funds which had been mis-^ appropriated by the defendant Christian E- Jensen, though contending such amount should have been $2,205.33, instead of $183.33, the amount adjudged to he due to the corporation. And it now is contended by respondents, in effect, that plaintiffs acquiesced in and consented to such adjudication by expressly excepting that portion of the judgment in their notice of appeal; that, by reason of such exception, they cannot be heard to question the correctness of such adjudication; and that this court is without authority to reverse or modify the same. I think respondents are right in this contention. Our statute provides as follows: “Upon an appeal from a judgment or order, or upon a writ of error, the Supreme Court may reverse, affirm or modify the judgment or order, and as to any or all of the parties; and may, if necessary,
Appellants concede that the portion of a judgment not appealed from cannot be reversed or modified, but they contend that the sum stated in the judgment in this case represents only one item in the accounting, and that the judgment is not conclusive as to other items claimed to be due the corporation. The contention is not tenable. It rests on a misconception of the legal effect of the judgment. The complaint stated only one cause of action. The object of the action was to compel the restoration to the corporation of certain sums alleged to have been misappropriated by defendant Christian L. Jensen. The principal issue was the amount of such misappropriations, if any. As means to effect the object of the action plaintiffs demanded an accounting, the issuing of a restraining order, and the appointment of a receiver. By its judgment the trial court determined (1) that the amount to be restored to the corporation was $183.33; (2) that a restraining order should not issue; (3) that a receiver should not be appointed; and (4) that the costs and disbursements should be divided. It was adjudged by the part of the judgment not appealed from that no sum in excess of the amount named had been misappropriated. Neither party having appealed from such adjudication, it must stand as the law of this case. It is as conclusive against the plaintiffs’ claim that a greater sum should be restored as it is against the defendants that the amount named is due the corporation. The amount to be restored being so small, there was no abuse of discretion in refusing h> issue a restraining order, nor any abuse of discretion in refusing to appoint a receiver. In view of the conclusion reached by the trial court regarding the amount of recovery, it did not err in dividing the costs and disbursements.
Therefore, adhering to the views expressed in the former decision of this court, upon the issues then considered, I concur in the conclusion that the judgment of the circuit court should be affirmed.
Opinion of the Court
This case is before us upon rehearing, and will be.found reported in 22 S. D. 598, 119 N. W. 990. When the former decision was rendered, there was no’ brief on file for respondents. Subsequently respondents petitioned for a rehearing, which was granted. One ground upon which such petition was based was that through inadvertence of their former counsel respondents were not informed of any proceeding in this court prior
No question is raised as to the sufficiency of the evidence to-support the finding’s of fact. From the finding's it appears that the People’s Telephone & Telegraph Company was a corporation organized under the laws of this state in the month of October, 1895; that the defendant Christian L. Jensen has at all times since been the president, general manager, and one of the directors thereof; and that the defendant Fillie M. Jensen, wife of Christian F. Jensen, was elected treasurer of said company in December, 1895, and has been such treasurer since that time; that the shares of stock owned by the plaintiffs were purchased from the defendant Christian D. Jensen subsequent to the organization of the corporation, upon Jensen’s representation that he was constructing a telephone plant at Hot Springs which was about completed; that the corporation was out of debt; that he would have the management thereof; and that he promised and represented to the plaintiffs that the cost of running and operating the plant would be no more than $50 per month, and that that -sum would cover all expenses, including his own compensation as manager. The ■court further finds that Jensen and his wife at all times have had entire control and management of the business of the defendant company; that no election of officers or directors has been held since the organization of the company; and that no notice of any regular or special meetings of the stockholders or directors has been given the plaintiffs; that only two- meetings of the directors have been held since December 1, 1895; that the by-laws require the treasurer of the company to furnish a bond in the sum of $2,000, which has never been furnished; that the funds of the defendant corporation have never been regularly deposited in any
The question upon this record is whether these plaintiffs as stockholders have any right in themselves to maintain this action, the purpose of which is to require the defendant Christian L-Jensen to return to the corporation all moneys alleged to have
Reference
- Full Case Name
- RITCHIE v. JENSEN
- Status
- Published