Opinion ID: 2408739
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the carpenter checks

Text: The trial judge, as part of his findings of facts, stated: (6) That the Carpenter Body Works, of Indiana, from whom the Carter County Board had purchased school bus bodies, made refunds on undelivered bodies as follows: October 19, 1955 $4,079.80 November 19, 1956 $2,026.56 March 27, 1959 $2,147.89 and checks for these amounts were received by and cashed by the defendant, McGuire. Although defendant denied having seen the checks, the evidence including a handwriting expert was convincing. As a further part of the trial court's findings of fact it was pointed out that during the course of the hearing, incident to a court-ordered physical inventory of school buses, [A] clandestine, covert effort was made to defeat the true findings of the inventory order by hastily moving into Carter county (sic) four used school busses (sic) from Ohio and Michigan school districts and mingling them with the vehicles on hand. The four spurious vehicles were positively identified, by out of state witnesses, familiar with them. Pursuant to those factual findings, the trial judge awarded the appellees judgment against appellant McGuire for sums equal to the refunds, as above set out. As to the first two items of refund we find that the record abundantly supports the trial judge's factual findings and the judgment based thereon. It is true that McGuire offered evidence to the contrary, but the circumstances as well as the affirmative testimony are quite ample to sustain the court's finding.  With respect to the item of $2,147.89 the record indicates that the Board recovered that sum, on the very item, by voluntary payment to it of the money by appellant W.E. Stevens. In view of the uncontradicted testimony that the Board has already recouped that sum there is no basis for allowing a second recovery of it from McGuire. Accordingly, the judgment is reversed insofar as it allows recovery against McGuire for the $2,147.89, and is affirmed as to the recovery of the items of $4,079.80 and $2,026.56. Appellants refer to alleged incompetent testimony of witnesses, Morris, Bass and Chase. We find no testimony in the record of these witnesses, hence we are unable to evaluate the claim of error as to their evidence.