Kahlotus Grain & Supply Co. v. Blair
Kahlotus Grain & Supply Co. v. Blair
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff company seeks recovery of damages from the defendant, Blair, which it claims as the result of his failure to furnish and deliver wheat to it in compliance with a written memorandum of contract for the sale thereof, which memorandum with the signature thereto, the plaintiff claims, reads as follows:
“8/5/16
“Bot from John Blair 1000 sax early Bart Wheat at 1.02 sacked per bushel 1916, October Delivery to Kahlotus Grain & Supply Co.
“ (Signed) John Blair,
“Kahlotus Grain & Supply Co.,
“Filed 8-10-16 A. F. Phillipay, Mgr.”
Trial in the superior court for Franklin county, sitting with a jury, resulted in verdict and judgment in favor of the defendant, from which the plaintiff has appealed to this court.
The plaintiff, in its complaint, having pleaded by-copy the contract as above quoted, respondent demurred to the complaint upon the ground, among others, that the written memorandum pleaded is void and unenforcible as a contract, in that it does not comply with our statute of frauds. The demurrer being-by the court overruled, respondent answered, denying, in effect, that the contract pleaded was ever executed or entered into by the parties purporting to have signed it, and affirmatively alleged:
“(1) That no note or memorandum in writing of the alleged bargain for the sale of said wheat was made or signed by the defendant herein or by any person by him thereunto lawfully authorized.
“(2) That said alleged contract evidenced by said ‘Exhibit A’ is void and not binding upon said defendant. ’ ’
While it is conceded that, on August 5, 1916, the respondent signed the memorandum above quoted, it
The contentions of counsel for appellant are directed almost wholly to their claims that the trial court erred in refusing to strike out all evidence received upon the trial other than that relating to the difference between the contract price of the wheat, as shown by the memorandum, and its market value on October 31, 1916, which would determine the amount of appellant’s recovery, if any, it being conceded that no wheat was delivered by respondent to appellant; and that the trial court erred in refusing to direct the jury to find in appellant’s favor, leaving only the amount of its recovery to be determined by the jury. The argument is, in substance, that all of this evidence was, in effect, evidence tending to vary and contradict the terms of the written memorandum of contract of sale. A critical statement of the evidence might show that some of it could possi
It might well be argued that there could, in no event, be any recovery upon this memorandum as a contract because it fails to name a purchaser, especially when read apart from the signature of appellant, which was
The judgment is affirmed.
Ellis, C. J., Fullerton, Main, and Webster, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kahlotus Grain & Supply Company v. John Blair
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published
- Syllabus
- Evidence—Paeol Evidence—Execution of Conteact. Oral evidence tending to show that no contract was in fact entered into by defendant is not inadmissible as tending to vary .the terms of a memorandum of sale purporting to be signed by defendant’s agent, the issue being whether the agent was acting for defendant or a third person. Kbauds, Statute of — Memobandum of Sale-—Designation of Pasties. A memorandum of the sale of wheat signed by the seller, must designate the purchaser, in order to satisfy the statute of frauds.