Griscom-Spencer Co. v. Bernier
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought to recover upon a contract of emplojunent by which, the plaintiff alleges, the defendant agreed to pay him $100 a week and $20,000 worth of stock of the James Reilly Repair & Supply Company (the predecessor of the defendant), which stock was to be assigned to him at the rate of $3,000 per year, the contract to remain in force until the entire $20,000 worth of stock had been acquired by the plaintiff. He asserts that he performed the contract in good faith until June 15, 1907, when he was wrongfully discharged by the defendant, who refused to transfer to him any part of the $20,000 worth of stock and he demands judgment for $3,000 worth of stock for each of the three years he was in the defendant’s employ.
“Tlie first thing you will take up, in considering tlie ease, is the question its to whether tIlls letter was written hy Mr. Bowman in his official capacity, or whether It was written by Mm individually and personally, and if you find that it was written by him in his official capacity you will then come to the question as to whether, if it was so written, it was binding upon the company. It'would be observed that the letter is signed by Mir. Bowman without Ms official title and is written on the official letter head of, apparently, the first lieiliy corporation, which did not have file word ‘The’ in its name. Now, it is apparent from this letter, that some one was promising stock to the plaintiff and the first question to consider is who made the promise? The corporation, through Mr. Bowman, its manager and treasurer, or Bowman individually? Unless yon find that Bowman, in making the agreement, was acting for the corporation, your verdict must he for the defendant.”
We think this states the question as fairly for the defendant as the facts justified. There was sufficient testimony to warrant the jury in finding 1hat, as to the third year of the plaintiff’s employment, there was an agreement between him and the defendant: that he should remain in the company’s employ on the terms stated in the letter of April 18, 1906. See, as hearing upon the questions involved, our decisions in Crichfield v. Julia, 147 Fed. 65, 77 C. C. A. 297, and Westinghouse v. Carlton (C. C. A.) 202 Fed. 129, decided January 13, 1913.
The judgment is affirmed with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GRISCOM-SPENCER CO. v. BERNIER
- Status
- Published