Case Title: White v. White

Citation: 183 Kan. 162, 326 P.2d 306

Docket Number: 40,841

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1958-06-07T00:00:00Z

Document:
183 Kan. 162 (1958)
326 P.2d 306
KENNETH B. WHITE, Appellant,
v.
FRED WHITE, Appellee.
No. 40,841

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed June 7, 1958.
Don W. Noah, of Beloit, argued the cause, and Ralph H. Noah, of Beloit, was with him on the briefs for the appellant.
Eugene H. Linville and C.L. Clark, both of Salina, argued the cause, and James P. Mize and Thomas M. Lillard, Jr., both of Salina, and Lemoin A. Willett, of Beloit, were with them on the briefs for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
PARKER, C.J.:
This was an action between son (Kenneth B. White) and father (Fred White) for the dissolution of an alleged partnership. After a full and complete trial, submitted solely on the issue of partnership by stipulation, the district court found that the defendant father was the sole and separate owner of the involved business, that no partnership business had ever been carried on between the plaintiff son and the defendant and rendered judgment accordingly. The plaintiff appeals from that judgment.
The pleadings are not in question and for that reason require little attention.
It suffices to say that, for purposes here involved, the petition alleges that plaintiff had worked at the father's place of business continuously after 1920; that on August 1, 1936, plaintiff and defendant entered into an oral partnership arrangement; that subsequently and on February 4, 1938, such parties reduced part of their partnership arrangement to writing, and contains extended recitals setting forth plaintiff's version of the relationship existing between the parties under and by virtue of the alleged agreements.
All that need be said respecting the answer, which was duly verified, is that it denies the existence of any partnership arrangement whatsoever and, by other allegations, joins issue on all claims made by the plaintiff in the petition respecting the creation of any such business relationship by either oral or written agreement.
At the close of a spirited trial the court, as the parties had previously stipulated, proceeded to determine the sole issue submitted on the basis of findings of fact and conclusions of law determinative *164 of whether or not plaintiff and defendant were partners. Such findings and conclusions are so comprehensive and in such form that they can be used to serve the dual purpose of giving a bird's-eye view of the complicated factual picture, disclosed by a long and tedious record, as well as the trial court's version of the essential facts established by the evidence and for that reason should be quoted at length. They read:
"FINDINGS OF FACT
*167 "CONCLUSION OF LAW.
Following return of the foregoing findings and conclusions plaintiff filed a motion for judgment, a motion to set aside such findings and conclusions and a motion for a new trial. When these motions were overruled the court, as heretofore indicated, rendered judgment against plaintiff in accord with its findings and conclusions. Hence this appeal.
In approaching the appellate issues involved it should be stated at the outset the court below tried this case on the theory that under the issues as joined by the pleadings parol or extrinsic evidence was admissible in its determination of whether a partnership existed between the parties; and added that many of the foregoing findings are based on such evidence.
Mindful that appellant based his claim on an oral as well as a written agreement; that it is admitted that no rights of third parties had intervened; and that in his case in chief he relied extensively on parol and extrinsic evidence in his efforts to establish such claim, we are inclined to the view there is little merit to contentions that the trial court committed error in permitting the appellee to introduce evidence of like character in defense of such claim or in relying on that evidence in making its findings and conclusions. Even so, we shall treat and dispose of claims of error made with respect to the propriety of its action in those particulars.
Ignoring all matters mentioned in the preceding paragraph and relying exclusively upon the written instrument described in Finding No. 8, heretofore quoted, appellant's principal claim of error in this case is that the trial court erred in admitting evidence tending to contradict, alter or vary the terms of that instrument. The trouble with all arguments advanced by appellant on this point is that the rule which prohibits the introduction of parol evidence to vary a written instrument has no application where the legal existence or binding force of the instrument is in question.
See the early case of Bartholomew v. Fell, 92 Kan. 64, 139 Pac. 1016, where it is held:
*168 And in the opinion said:
See, also, Rice v. Rice, 101 Kan. 20, 165 Pac. 799, which holds:
The rule of the foregoing decisions has been approved, stated and applied in many of our more recent decisions. For just a few of them see, e.g., Greenleaf State Bank v. Monteith, 173 Kan. 799, 802, 252 P.2d 621; Malir v. Maixner, 174 Kan. 26, 29, 254 P.2d 282; Emery v. Graber, 176 Kan. 17, 22, 268 P.2d 950; George v. Kohlasch, 179 Kan. 337, 339, 295 P.2d 655, and cases there cited.
See, also, Burke v. Dulaney, 153 U.S. 228, 38 L. Ed. 698, 14 S. Ct. 816; Michels v. Olmstead, 157 U.S. 198, 39 L. Ed. 671, 15 S. Ct. 580.
For well-recognized legal treatises where such rule is treated and discussed, citing numerous authorities, see 20 Am. Jur., Evidence, pp. 954, 955, 957 §§ 1093, 1094, 1097; 32 C.J.S., Evidence, pp. 852, 857, 881, 933, 942 §§ 929, 935, 952, 970, 979.
Here there can be no question that the legal existence or binding force of the instrument on which appellant relies to sustain the claim of error now under consideration is in question and the record makes it clear all evidence of which appellant complains was admitted for the purpose of showing that instrument, which apparently constituted a contract, was not intended or understood by either party to be binding as such. Therefore based on the foregoing decisions we have little difficulty in concluding the claim of error now under consideration lacks merit and cannot be upheld.
Appellant next contends the court erred in admitting evidence of an attempt to compromise. This claim relates to evidence adduced respecting conversations had at the meeting and between the parties, referred to in the court's Findings Nos. 17 and 18. We have examined the record and in the light of all the testimony respecting what took place at such meeting have no difficulty in concluding appellant erroneously assumes what took place there can be properly classified as an attempt to compromise differences between *169 appellant and appellee respecting the existence of a partnership. In fact it was at such meeting that appellant expressly stated that he was not a partner in the business, that he had always wanted a partnership with his father, but that the latter would not give him a partnership. Moreover, the record discloses that at this same meeting considerable discussion was had between the parties present as to the conditions and circumstances under which appellant would continue to work for his father. Under such circumstances we know of and appellant cites no authorities holding that testimony of this character would be evidence of a compromise and therefore inadmissible. It follows this claim of error lacks merit and cannot be upheld.
It is urged the trial court erred (1) in refusing to make findings of fact requested by the appellant; (2) in making findings of fact not based upon properly admissible evidence; (3) in overruling appellant's motion for judgment; and (4) in overruling his motion to set aside the findings of fact and conclusions of law. The gist of all arguments on these points is predicated upon appellant's erroneous theory the parol or extrinsic evidence admitted by the trial court was inadmissible under the parol evidence rule. Having heretofore determined that such evidence was admissible these claims of error fall of their own weight and need not be labored.
However, it is to be noted, that another error assigned is that the trial court erred in holding that no partnership did or had existed between the parties and that in connection with this claim it is argued that the evidence admitted and considered by the trial court was insufficient to sustain the findings on which it based its general conclusion respecting the business relationship existing between the parties. Merely to read the findings, as heretofore quoted, is all that is required to demonstrate they warrant the trial court's conclusion as to their force and effect if they are sustained by the evidence. Therefore we turn directly to that question.
It would add nothing to the body of our reports to detail the evidence on which a decision of the question just mentioned must necessarily depend. It suffices to say that after a careful and painstaking review of all the testimony admitted and considered we have little difficulty in concluding and we are convinced the record discloses ample competent testimony to sustain each and all of the findings and conclusions of the trial court. The result, under the rule established by this court in a long and unbroken line of decisions *170 (see West's Kansas Digest, Appeal & Error, §§ 1010[1], 1011[1]; Hatcher's Kansas Digest, [Rev. Ed.], Appeal & Error, §§ 507, 508), is that such findings are conclusive and will not be disturbed on appellate review even though, as appellant contends and we frankly concede, the record discloses some testimony which, if the trial court had seen fit to give it credence, might have warranted that tribunal in making findings and conclusions to the contrary.
In conclusion it should be stated that, although not here specifically mentioned, numerous other contentions advanced by appellant have been given consideration. We find nothing in them or in the arguments advanced in their support which warrants a reversal of the judgment. It is therefore affirmed.