McCormick Harvesting Mach. Co. v. Hovey

• Decision Date: 11 December 1899
• Citation: 36 Or. 259,59 P. 189
• Parties: McCORMICK HARVESTING MACH. CO. v. HOVEY.
• Court: Oregon Supreme Court

59 P. 189

36 Or. 259

McCORMICK HARVESTING MACH. CO. v. HOVEY.

Supreme Court of Oregon

December 11, 1899

Appeal from circuit court, Lane county; J.C. Fullerton, Judge.

Action by McCormick Harvesting Machine Company against Emily Hovey substituted for A.G. Hovey, deceased, formerly doing business under the firm name of the Lane County Bank. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendant appeals. Affirmed.

A.C Woodcock, for appellant.

E.O Potter and L.T. Harris, for respondent.

WOLVERTON C.J.

This is an action for money had and received. Judgment was for plaintiff, and defendant appeals.

The complaint alleges, among other things, "that the plaintiff is, and was during all the dates and times herein mentioned, a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Illinois." The answer "denies any information sufficient to form a belief as to whether or not plaintiff is, or was during all or any of the dates or times mentioned, a corporation duly or at all, organized under or by virtue of the laws of the state of Illinois." No proof was offered at the trial tending to establish the fact of plaintiff's incorporation. After verdict, the defendant moved to set the same aside, and for a new trial, upon the ground that the evidence was insufficient to justify it. Appellant contends that the motion should have been allowed, for two reasons: (1) That plaintiff failed to establish its corporate capacity; and (2) the evidence was otherwise insufficient to support the verdict.

The reason first assigned is met by the contention that the answer admits plaintiff's corporate existence. The denial being that plaintiff was a corporation organized and existing "under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Illinois," it is pregnant with the admission that the defendant is nevertheless a corporation. Such a denial merely amounts to a contradiction that plaintiff was organized under the laws of Illinois. This doctrine has been so enunciated in Wright v. Insurance Co., 12 Mont. 474, 31 P. 87, 19 L.R.A. 211,--a case in quatuor pedibus with the one at bar. Upon the same principle, it has been held by this court that a conjunctive denial was insufficient to raise an issue. Moser v. Jenkins, 5 Or. 447. See, also, Bliss, Code Pl. § 332. The fact of plaintiff's corporate capacity was therefore admitted by the pleadings, and it was unnecessary to offer any proof upon the subject.

The...