Task: songer_weightev

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals. You will be asked a question pertaining to issues that may appear in any civil law cases including civil government, civil private, and diversity cases. The issue is: "Did the factual interpretation by the court or its conclusions (e.g., regarding the weight of evidence or the sufficiency of evidence) favor the appellant?" This includes discussions of whether the litigant met the burden of proof. Answer the question based on the directionality of the appeals court decision. If the court discussed the issue in its opinion and answered the related question in the affirmative, answer "Yes". If the issue was discussed and the opinion answered the question negatively, answer "No". If the opinion considered the question but gave a mixed answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part, answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion does not discuss the issue, or notes that a particular issue was raised by one of the litigants but the court dismissed the issue as frivolous or trivial or not worthy of discussion for some other reason, answer "Issue not discussed". If the opinion considered the question but gave a "mixed" answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part (or if two issues treated separately by the court both fell within the area covered by one question and the court answered one question affirmatively and one negatively), answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion either did not consider or discuss the issue at all or if the opinion indicates that this issue was not worthy of consideration by the court of appeals even though it was discussed by the lower court or was raised in one of the briefs, answer "Issue not discussed".

PER CURIAM:
Appellants Joseph and Marilyn (Joseph’s wife) Mohr signed an indemnification agreement on July 3, 1961 agreeing to indemnify appellee United Bonding Insurance Company (United Bonding) for any loss it might incur in connection with its issuance of performance bonds guarantying the performance of the Pelican Building Company (Pelican) on certain construction contracts. Siebert Mohr (Joseph’s brother), a principal in Pelican, had requested his brother and sister-in-law to sign the indemnification agreement as United Bonding was unwilling to issue performance bonds to Pelican in the absence of the guaranty of a financially responsible person — a quality lacking in Siebert. Pelican defaulted on its performance of its construction contracts and United Bonding expended over $8,000 on its performance bonds to have the construction finished plus additional sums for counsel and inspection fees. United Bonding seeks to recover these amounts and its counsel fees incurred in prosecuting this action on the indemnification agreement. Judgment has been entered in its favor.
Appellants argue that they were sureties, that their obligation was governed strictly by the Pelican contract, that Pelican altered the terms of that contract without their consent by purchasing some additional land after the issuance of the performance bonds and that they, therefore, were discharged on their obligation under strict suretyship principles. Appellants’ contention must fail. First, appellants overlook the distinction between a suretyship contract and a contract of indemnity. As appellants agreed to save United Bonding harmless on the future issuance of bonds, appellants were indemnitors rather than sureties. Since the Pelican contract was not in existence when the indemnification agreement was signed, a minor change in the Pelican contract would not void the indemnification agreement. Second, even if appellants were sureties, they have failed to sustain their burden of proving that the Pelican contract was altered. Appellants showed at trial that Pelican obtained the deed to certain land after the Pelican agreement was signed. However, Pelican had actually negotiated to buy the property prior to the Pelican contract.
Appellants’ contention that United Bonding never proved that Pelican was in default is without merit in view of the stipulation annexed to the pre-trial order.
Appellants’ claim that the counsel fees allowed were excessive is refuted by the facts, the nature of the services performed and the results achieved.
Judgment affirmed.

Question: Did the factual interpretation by the court or its conclusions (e.g., regarding the weight of evidence or the sufficiency of evidence) favor the appellant?
A. No
B. Yes
C. Mixed answer
D. Issue not discussed
Answer:

Answer: A