Berwyn Mercantile Co. v. Ardmore Flour & Feed Co.

• Decision Date: 16 September 1924
• Docket Number: 13563.
• Citation: 229 P. 244,100 Okla. 245,1924 OK 692
• Parties: BERWYN MERCANTILE CO. v. ARDMORE FLOUR & FEED CO.
• Court: Oklahoma Supreme Court

229 P. 244

100 Okla. 245, 1924 OK 692

BERWYN MERCANTILE CO. v. ARDMORE FLOUR & FEED CO.

No. 13563.

Supreme Court of Oklahoma

September 16, 1924

Syllabus by the Court.

Where the plaintiff in error has filed his brief, as required by rule 7 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, and the defendant in error had wholly failed to file answer briefs as required by the rule and has advanced no reason or excuse for his failure so to do, this court may continue or dismiss the cause, or reverse or affirm the judgment, at its discretion.

In an action of purely legal cognizance, the jury is the exclusive judge of the facts, and their verdict will not be disturbed upon appeal, if there is any competent evidence tending to support the verdict, but, where the conclusion of the jury is not sustained by any reasonable hypothesis that can be based upon the proved and uncontroverted facts of the record, the verdict of the jury cannot be sustained, and this court will reverse any judgment based thereon, and will remand for a new trial.

The defendant in error has failed to file briefs, and an examination of the brief of plaintiff in error reasonably sustains the assignments of error therein set forth.

Commissioners' Opinion, Division No. 3.

Appeal from County Court, Carter County; W. F. Winfoey, Judge.

Action by the Ardmore Flour & Feed Company against the Berwyn Mercantile Company. From a judgment for plaintiff, defendant appeals. Reversed for new trial.

Potter & Gray and J. M. Poindexter, all of Ardmore, for plaintiff in error.

Dolman & Dyer, of Ardmore, for defendant in error.

RUTH C.

The defendant in error being plaintiff below, and plaintiff in error being defendant below, they will be so designated in this opinion.

This action was originally filed in the justice of the peace court, and the plaintiff sought to recover of the defendant the sum of $61.50, for 1,000 pounds of flour alleged to have been delivered by plaintiff to defendant. The cause was appealed to the county court of Carter county by the defendant, the cause tried to a jury, and a verdict returned for plaintiff for the sum of $30.75, and the costs to be equally divided between plaintiff and defendant. After motion for a new trial was overruled, this cause was brought here regularly for review.

The plaintiff in error filed its brief as required by rule 7 of the rules of this court, but the defendant has neither filed answer briefs or assigned any reason or excuse for its failure so to do. The rule provides:

"In case of failure to comply with the requirements of this rule, the court may continue or dismiss the cause, or reverse or affirm the judgment, at its discretion."

We have carefully considered the brief herein filed, and it discloses the following. Plaintiff, in October, 1920, received a phone message purporting to be from Charley Thomas, then in the employ of defendant at Berwyn, Okl., requesting plaintiff to ship from Ardmore, a distance of 13 to 15 miles, 1,000 lbs of Pride of Perry flour, at the agreed price of $61.50; that plaintiff delivered the flour to Tom Reed, who ran a truck line from Ardmore to Berwyn, the flour was consigned to defendant, but Reed did not remember whether he delivered it or not. For defendant Charley Thomas testified he did not order any Pride of Perry flour from plaintiff, on that date or any other date. The manager, bookkeeper, and clerks at defendant's store testified they never received any Pride of Perry flour never had any in stock, had an exclusive line of Lily White and afterwards a line of Gilt Edge.

With the facts we are not concerned in this opinion. There was a sharp conflict of evidence, and the questions of fact and the inferences to be drawn therefrom are exclusively for the jury. There was no controverted question as to the number of pounds of flour shipped or the price thereof. If the defendant ordered the flour and received it, the defendant owed plaintiff $61.50, and this should have been the verdict of the jury and the cost taxed against the defendant. If the defendant never ordered the flour and never...