Iona Warehouse Co. v. Van Buren
Iona Warehouse Co. v. Van Buren
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff, Iona Warehouse Company, a corporation, has been engaged in the business of buying, selling, and shipping wheat prior to, and during the years 1905 and 1906, at Iona, in Adams county. Early in the year 1905, it employed the defendant, Otto Van Burén, as its managing agent to conduct its business, which he did until February, 1906. He purchased and sold wheat, transacted all business of the corporation, made collections, deposited its funds in the Pioneer State Bank at Bitzville, drew and signed its checks, conducted its correspondence, kept its books of account, and in fact was, under the authority of the hoard of directors, in' full and complete charge of all of plaintiff’s business affairs. He, from time to time, purchased wheat in large quantities from various persons, some of whcrn were stockholders, directors, and officers of the plainliff eorpora
The controlling question before us is whether the respondent, Van Burén, acted in excess or violation of his authority in holding the wheat so that the same might be sold at an advance on a rising market. Upon this issue, the evidence was in sharp conflict. A number of appellant’s officers and stockholders testified that the respondent was instructed to make sales of all wheat purchased on the respective dates of purchase, but that he had violated such instructions. This the respondent denied. By stipulation all the bank books, check books, bank statements, letters, books of account, and other documents pertaining to appellant’s business were introduced in evidence as exhibits, and the originals are now before us for our consideration.
The respondent not only contends that he was authorized by the appellant to conduct its business in the manner in which it was conducted, but that the stockholders, directors, and officers had actual knowledge of his acts, and by their acquiescence ratified the same. This contention was rightfully sustained by the trial court. The evidence shows that the appellant had conducted the same business during preceding years, and that respondent had previously represented
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Iona Warehouse Company v. Otto Van Buren
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Corporations — Representations—Authority of Manager — Ratification. Upon conflicting evidence of witnesses as to the authority of a managing agent of a corporation to purchase wheat and hold the same for an advance price, his authority so to do is established where it appears from bank books and other documents that he had continually been doing business in that way for two years, to the knowledge of the stockholders and officers, and that no complaint was made until it was found that a loss would be sustained through a fall in the market.