Opinion ID: 1584710
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: bunge's cross-appeal

Text: Bunge's counterclaim arose out of Tharp's alleged participation, along with John Stevens (a local farmer), Dewey Welch (Mississippi Department of Agriculture co-employee), and two Bunge employees, in a scheme to have false scale tickets issued from Bunge's Greenville, Mississippi, scale. The fraudulent scale tickets were presented to Bunge's business office, and a check was issued to Stevens for the quantity of soybeans represented by the ticket. Bunge paid approximately $77,500.00 on alleged false scale tickets. Bunge's two liability witnesses at the trial of the counterclaim were Dewey Welch and John Stevens. Welch testified concerning how the scheme worked: A. Well, when the truck comes to deliver its beans, it would come up on the scales. They would then weight the truck and as the truck driver would get off the truck, they would double weigh it again. The farmer then proceeds to dump the grain, coming out, they would do the method of the same thing. That way making an extra ticket per load. Q. And, were these tickets later presented to Bunge for payment? A. Correct. Q. Was money obtained for these tickets? A. Yes. Q. Was any beans delivered for these tickets, these fake record tickets? A. No. Welch testified that Tharp was a participant in the scheme and had received a portion of the money from the false tickets. Welch further testified that Tharp knew the purpose for the money and that Tharp had been given money from the scam on different occasions. Another liability witness was John Stevens. Stevens testified that he learned Tharp was involved in the scheme when Tharp attended a meeting at a local restaurant between Stevens and Welch. Stevens had one other meeting with Tharp. According to Stevens' allegations, Stevens gave Tharp a portion of the proceeds of one of the scam checks, and he and Tharp discussed cutting Welch out of the scam. Tharp denied that he had any part in the scam. However, Tharp testified that Stevens had informed him of his (Stevens') involvement in the scam. Tharp also presented the sworn statement of Michelle Laster, one of Bunge's employees involved in the scam. Laster did not mention Tharp when she described the participants of the scam.
Bunge counterclaimed in Tharp's original personal injury suit, alleging that Tharp had participated in a conspiracy to convert Bunge's property and to defraud Bunge. Tharp filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaim, or, in the alternative, for separate trials on the two claims. The trial judge entered an order denying Tharp's motion to dismiss but ordered separate trials on the original complaint and counterclaim. The order provided, however, that only one judgment was to be entered at the conclusion of both trials, offsetting any verdicts received. At the close of the counterclaim trial, Bunge submitted jury instructions on two theories of recovery, conversion and fraud. The trial court sent the fraud claim to the jury but refused to allow the jury to consider Bunge's conversion claim represented by jury instructions P-4 and P-5. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Tharp on the fraud claim. Bunge then filed a motion for JNOV or, in the alternative, for a new trial. This motion was denied and, pursuant to the previous trial judge's original order, a final judgment was entered on October 28, 1990 by the judge of the counterclaim trial.