Lincoln Reserve Life Ins. Co. v. Armes

• Decision Date: 26 November 1926
• Docket Number: 6 Div. 520
• Citation: 110 So. 818,215 Ala. 407
• Parties: LINCOLN RESERVE LIFE INS. CO. v. ARMES.
• Court: Alabama Supreme Court

110 So. 818

215 Ala. 407

LINCOLN RESERVE LIFE INS. CO. v. ARMES.

6 Div. 520

Supreme Court of Alabama

November 26, 1926

Rehearing Denied Jan. 6, 1927

Appeal from Circuit Court, Jefferson County; Richard V. Evans Judge.

Action by Ethel Armes against the Lincoln Reserve Life Insurance Company. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendant appeals. Reversed and remanded.

W.B Harrison and Thos. J. Judge, both of Birmingham, for appellant.

Lange Simpson & Brantley, of Birmingham, for appellee.

MILLER J.

This is a suit by Ethel Armes against Lincoln Reserve Life Insurance Company, a corporation, for damages for the conversion by it of about 1,400 books, entitled "The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama," the property of the plaintiff.

This cause was tried on count 2 for the conversion of this property. It was in code form. Defendant's plea was not guilty.

There was a judgment for the plaintiff on the verdict in her favor by a jury, and, from that judgment, this appeal is prosecuted by the defendant.

The plaintiff was owner and author of these books. They were stored in the basement of the Chamber of Commerce Building in Birmingham, prior to 1915. The book was written, compiled, and published in 1910 or 1911. There were originally 5,000 volumes. They were all sold except those involved in this suit and a few others. The defendant became the owner of this building in October, 1922, and took possession of it, and these books were still in the basement. They remained there in boxes until some time in February, 1924. There was evidence that they were injured while there by dampness caused from leaks, and there was evidence to the contrary.

The inspector of the city fire department came to the building, went into the basement, and informed the janitor of the defendant's building that this rubbish there, including these books in the boxes and other things therein, had to be cleaned out. The janitor of the defendant informed the president of the defendant of the instructions of the city inspector. The president told Mr. Roberts, the janitor, as testified to by the janitor, this:

"Mr. Stallings said go ahead and clean it out, and see if I could find out who these books belonged to, and, if I couldn't, just to throw them out."

"Some two or three weeks after Mr. Stallings told the witness to move the books, they were moved, that was right along about the time Mr. Stallings went to Gulfport. Mr. Stallings was not there when the books were thrown out. The janitor and two or three others were there. The books were sold for 40 cents per hundred pounds by the witness along with other stuff. Everything he had in the basement was sold for $8.40. Witness kept the money and did not turn it over to the Lincoln Reserve or to Mr. Stallings, nor did Mr. Stallings ask for it."

The president testified as follows on this subject:

"After the fire department spoke to me about the condition of this basement, I told Mr. Roberts that he would have to get in there and clean that all out and tear the chicken fence out. I didn't say the books specially, but clean it all out, iron and stuff that was there and papers and all that."

"The witness did not tell Mr. Roberts to sell the books or give them away, and did not know anything about it, and never heard that they were sold until this suit was brought. When witness told Mr. Armes that he would have to get the stuff out of the basement in 30 days, no consideration was paid to let the books stay in there 30 days."

The evidence of the defendant tended to show that prior to this, in October, 1923, the president of the defendant was informed by the brother of the plaintiff that these books belonged to her. The president of defendant testified on this subject:

"That to his best recollection, when Mr. Armes walked into the office, he said he wanted to see about some books there, and the witness told him that there were a lot of old books down in the basement and witness had been trying to find out for over a year to whom they belonged, and that he understood that they belonged to the Confederate soldiers. Mr. Armes said, 'No; they belong to my sister;' and the witness said, 'I want them out of there; they are in our way;' and he asked how long he would have to get them out in, and the witness inquired if he could get them out in 30 days, and he said he would."

E.C. Armes, brother of the plaintiff, testified on this subject that this conversation with Mr. Stallings was in January or February, 1924, and that he said to Mr. Stallings:

"Mr. Stallings, I have come to see you about the books of my sister, called 'The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama.' They are stored in the basement of your building, and I wanted to know if it would be agreeable to continue them in the basement. He said, 'No,' he wanted to get them out, and the witness replied, 'All right, Mr. Stallings, I will make arrangements to get them out.' That Mr. Stallings then walked into his office away from the witness, and the witness had nothing else to say. Col. Stallings did not converse or make any inquiries of the witness, but did say he wanted to use the space down there and then turned around and left the witness. Such conversation occurred the latter part of January or the first part of February, 1924. When the witness went back to get the books, they were not there; they had been sold for junk."

Under our statute (section 7656 of the Code of 1923), direct testimony as to market value is in the nature of opinion evidence. One need not be an expert or dealer in the article, but may testify as to value, if he has had an opportunity for forming a correct opinion.

All of the witnesses who testified to the value of the books were shown to have had an opportunity for forming a correct opinion as to the market value of them. The court did not err in permitting these witnesses to testify that the reasonable market value of the books was $4 each wholesale; that retail price was $5 per volume, and how many were sold at that price; that, when an advertisement was on about them soon after they were published, many volumes were sold at retail for $5 each; that when they were not advertised only a few were sold annually; and that there was a demand for the books in February, 1924.

All of this tended to show to the jury the reasonable market value of the books at the time they were sold by the janitor of the defendant to the junk dealer at 40 cents per hundred pounds; and there was proof that the weight of the 1,300 books sold by the janitor was about 2,600 pounds. There was evidence tending to show these books were worth on the market, as junk, from 40 to 90 cents per hundred pounds.

This is an action for damages for conversion of the books, and the measure of damages recoverable under that count is the reasonable cash market value of the books at the time of the conversion, or at any time thereafter prior to the trial with interest. Sharpe v. Barney, 114 Ala. 361, 21 So. 490...