Stossel v. Van De Vanter
Stossel v. Van De Vanter
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action for the conversion of a quantity of saw logs which the appellants caused to be levied upon and sold under an execution issued upon a judgment recovered by them against one Duvall. The appeal was taken from a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiffs.
One of the defenses pleaded was that the plaintiffs were estopped from prosecuting the action on the ground that after the logs had been seized under the execution, Stossel, one of the plaintiffs, and one Faulds, with the knowledge and consent of Fraser and Ross, served upon the defendant Van De Vanter, the sheriff who had served the execution, a joint claim as owners of said logs, notifying the defendants that they would be held responsible to said Stossel and Faulds for all damages resulting from the sale thereof, said claim being supported by the affidavit of Stossel and Faulds. The paragraphs relating to this defense were stricken
It is next contended that the complaint did not state a cause of action. It appears that the plaintiffs were partners in said logging business and that the plaintiffs Fraser and Ross had executed and delivered to said Faulds an instrument in writing in the form of a bill of sale, which, the complaint alleged and the parties testified, was intended as a mortgage to secure him for advances made to Fraser and Ross to enable them to conduct said business. Under this allegation, the title to the property was still in the plaintiffs and they could maintain the action.
It is next contended that the court erred in refusing to grant the motion for a non-suit, on the ground of the insufficiency of the evidence, but there was no error in this under the proofs introduced.
It is also contended that the court erred in sustaining an objection to a question asked one of the witnesses. This witness had testified that he had a conversation with Mr. Stossel concerning his possession of “ certain personal property,” which he stated was Duvall’s, and that Stossel said he was holding the “stuff” there for Duvall, to keep Duvall’s creditors from taking it, as Duvall was indebted and could not
There was no error in permitting the plaintiffs to cross-examine one of the witnesses for the defendants as to the state of feeling existing between himself and Duvall, as the ill-feeling existing between them was a matter that the plaintiffs had a right to have before the jury for the purpose of considering the credit to be given to the testimony of the witness. The appellants were attempting to show a fraudulent scheme upon the part of Duvall and the plaintiffs to cover up his property.
It is urged that it was error to refuse to give certain instructions requested by the defendants, but
Affirmed.
Dunbar, Anders and Gordon, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Frank Stossel v. A. T. Van De Vanter
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- ESTOPPEL BY CONDUCT—CONVEBSION—TITLE OF PLAINTIFF — WITNESS — SCOPE OF EXAMINATION. Estoppel cannot be pleaded as a defense, when it does not appear that the defendants were misled by the conduct of plaintiffs, nor that they were induced thereby to act differently than they would have done. In an action of conversion, the right of plaintiffs to maintain the action is not affected by the fact that the plaintiffs had delivered to a third person an instrument in the form of a bill of sale of the property in issue, which was intended merely as a mortgage to secure advances made. Where a witness has already testified as to the entire conversation between himself and another respecting certain personal property referred to as “ stuff,” it is not error for the court to exclude a question calling for the witness’s conclusion as to what property was referred to. Where it is sought by the defendants to show a fraudulent scheme on the part of plaintiffs and a third person, the state of feeling existing between a witness and such third person is a proper subject of examination for the purpose of estimating the credit to be given to the testimony of the witness.