Fossali v. Gardella
Fossali v. Gardella
Opinion of the Court
In this action plaintiff seeks a judgment decreeing him to be the owner of an undivided one-half interest in certain real property located in Salt Lake City the title to which is in the name of defendant. The allegations of the complaint upon which relief is sought are all denied.
It appears that plaintiff and the defendant first met in the state of Wyoming about the year 1902. At that time defendant was engaged in conducting a rooming house. Plaintiff was engaged in selling trinkets, and subsequent to that time for a short period operated a bakery in the same town where defendant resided. Plaintiff was unmarried. Defendant was a widow with two children. About the year 1905 both removed to Salt Lake City, and after that time it seems they lived together as husband and wife, notwithstanding the
The court found that both plaintiff and defendant were interested in the saloon business, and that the initial payment on the land in controversy was made from money received in that business. Plaintiff was therefore given a judgment against the property for one-half of that amount,
The defendant took no appeal from that part of the findings that the initial payment was made from the proceeds of the saloon in which both parties were interested; consequently that question is not before us for review except so far as that part of the judgment might be affected by a reversal.
On the main issue the court found all the facts against plaintiff, appellant here. It is the claim and contention of appellant that the payments made upon the property were from the joint earnings of both plaintiff and defendant, and that by reason of such fact he is the owner of and entitled to an undivided one-half of the property. That the evidence does not support, but the weight thereof is contrary to, the findings in this regard, constitutes the principal error assigned and is the determining question on this appeal'. It 'would subserve no good purpose to attempt to review the testimony in detail. ¥e are satisfied from an examination of the record that the court’s findings are all abundantly supported by the testimony. In fact, we do not hesitate to say that any finding to the contrary, under the testimony as found in the record, would not have been supported by, but would have been contrary to, the weight of the testimony.
Having determined that the court’s findings on the question of fact are right and abundantly supported, the legal questions discussed became immaterial, or, rather, cease to be. The necessary result, therefore, is an affirmance of the judgment.
Respondent has filed a brief containing 46 printed pages, and has quoted extensively from the testimony found in the abstract. In our judgment a brief of 20 pages would have been ample in which to make a statement of the issues of fact and discuss the legal question involved. For that reason we
It follows that the judgment of the district court should be, and it accordingly is, affirmed, with costs as indicated.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FOSSALI v. GARDELLA
- Status
- Published