Court Opinion

ID: 9601018
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:35:20.347481+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:48:38.988409
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent.
In my opinion the determination of the jury and the trial court allowing the plaintiffs exemplary damages should be affirmed. The existence of malice requisite to the allowance of exemplary damages is always a question for the jury; it must always be submitted to them to find whether it existed. As the question of maliciousness, wilfulness or wantonness with which the act was done is left to the jury, its determination that the defendant acted maliciously should be affirmed. The jury sees and hears the witnesses, and it necessarily follows that whether or not the witness appears to be telling the truth, his manner of giving the testimony, and his credibility in general is for the jury. Whether his testimony is believed is for the jury’s determination, as are the inferences to be drawn therefrom. In this case, the jury allowed the respondents compensatory damages for the loss of their grazing land and the grain and grass growing thereon and punitive or exemplary damages. Since punitive damages are those awarded for the purpose of punishment, and for the purpose of setting an example to others, and are only awarded where the actor is motivated by malice, or is guilty of fraud or oppression, the jury must have so found in this case.
The Civil Code, section 3294, provides that in a tort action “where the defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice, express or implied, the plaintiff, in addition to the actual damages, may recover damages for the sake of example and by way of punishing the defendant.”
*652Malice, other than constructive malice or malice implied in law, is of two kinds, express or implied. Express malice does not mean, necessarily, malice expressed in words, but is defined to be the doing of a wrongful act with a sedate and deliberate mind and formed design, and, being a mental condition and not ordinarily susceptible of other kinds of proof, it may be evidenced by the external circumstances attending the execution of the act. It has been held that there is no difference in the nature or degree of the malice intended, whether it be called express or implied, when these terms are used in their most appropriate sense, and that, if properly applied, they refer only to the evidence by which the existence of malice is established. Malice of any kind must be inferred, because it consists in a quality or state of the mind, either actual or imputed. Its actual existence may be manifested by external circumstances, from which it may be reasonably inferred, in which event it is express. In the absence of those external circumstances which make it manifest, it is in some cases imputed as a legal inference, without reference to whether it exists in fact or not, in which event it is said to be implied—malice implied in law. Malice in fact implies a desire and an intention to injure.
The word “malicious” within the rule as to punitive damages means the intentional doing of a wrongful act without just cause or excuse, and does not require the act to have been done in spite or ill will. (Robbs v. Missouri Pac. Ry. Co., 210 Mo. 429 [242 S.W. 155].)
“In actions of trespass, where the injury has been wanton and malicious, or gross and outrageous, courts permit juries to add to the measured compensation of the plaintiff, which he would have been entitled to recover had the injury been inflicted without design or intention, something farther by way of punishment or example, which has sometimes been called ‘smart money’. This has always been left to the discretion of the jury; as the degree of punishment to be thus inflicted must depend upon the peculiar circumstances of each case.” (Sedgwick on Damages (9th ed.), § 352, quoting from Day v. Woodworth, 13 How. 363 [14 L.Ed. 181].)
“Malice, in respect to exemplary damages, does not consist of personal hatred, ill will, or animosity. It consists of a state of mind that is reckless in its nature and implies a determination to do a thing regardless of legal rights or for the purpose of inflicting an injury. True, it may be motivated by personal ill will, hatred, or animosity, but unless the *653wrongful act proceeds from the malice and is done deliberately and in disregard of legal rights or in an effort to gratify passion engendered by hatred or ill will, the latter becomes immaterial in so far as exemplary damages are concerned. ’ ’ (Lusk v. Onstott, (Tex.Civ.App.) 178 S.W.2d 549, 554.)
This court said, in Gudger v. Manton, 21 Cal.2d 537, 543 [134 P.2d 217] (a slander of title case) that: “There has been considerable confusion and lack of rationalization flowing from the use of the term malice. It arises chiefly from the failure to clearly distinguish between malice implied in law and actual malice. The former is a mere legal fiction, while the latter denotes ill will or the desire to do harm for the satisfaction of doing it or conduct which in effect amounts to the same thing.” [Emphasis added.] Since it would be a very rare case indeed when a defendant would admit, in an action of this kind, to a “feeling” of spite or ill will or hatred toward a certain person, or admit that he did a wrong for the sheer satisfaction of doing it, it is necessary to consider the circumstances surrounding his allegedly malicious acts. From such circumstances the trier of fact may infer that the defendant was actuated by malice in fact, which is either a feeling of spite or ill will toward the plaintiff or an act done in wilful violation of a known right of another.
An examination of the record in the instant ease and a chronological outline of the facts show that the defendant acted wilfully and in wanton disregard of the rights of another person. He knew of the existence of that other person, although he may not have known his name. It cannot be seriously contended as material to the issue of malice whether or not that person’s name was Smith, Jones or Wolfsen. If I kill another’s horse, his cow, or demolish his house or his automobile just because they are not mine or because I do not want him to have them when I am unable to have the same things, can it be said that I have not acted maliciously ? Have I acted less maliciously, or without malice, just because I am not aware of his name, but only that he owns these things and I do not? The defendant knew that the land was leased to someone other than himself; he knew, when he acted, that he was not to have a lease on the land; he knew that his own signature on the proposed lease was not sufficient to give him any rights unless the owners’ signatures were also on it. These things he admitted at the trial.
*654An examination of the record discloses that on December 15, 1945, an agent of the owners of the land entered into oral negotiations for the lease of the land to the defendant. This was reduced to writing sometime in January, 1946, and was sent to the defendant for his signature together with a letter asking him to sign the lease and informing him it would be forwarded for the signatures of the owners. Defendant knew that these signatures were never obtained, yet on January 8th and 9th, 1946, the defendant entered on the land and started “disking” it. He stopped on January 9th, because of a breakdown of the necessary machinery. On January 9th, 1946, the defendant received a wire from the agent which informed him that there was uncertainty as to whether the owners would lease the land to him. He was further told not to disk or plow the land. On the same day he received a letter confirming the telegram. A letter dated January 18th, 1946, written by the agent, and admittedly received by the defendant, informed him that the land had been leased to other persons. Despite these letters and the telegram, the defendant wilfully entered upon the land and started plowing and disking on March 1st, or the latter part of February. During this time, the plaintiffs notified the defendant that the property was leased to them, and that he was to stop his operations. On March 7th, 1946, a court order to desist was served on the defendant and his servant. But before he did desist, he had succeeded in disking some 635 acres of the land leased by the owners to the plaintiffs. The defendant admitted that even after the trial, and up until the 5th day of June, 1946, he continued to try to get on the land to continue his operations.
The actions of the defendant, with knowledge that he was not to have a lease on the land, and the further knowledge that it was leased to someone else, clearly imply a wilful and wanton disregard for the rights of others, and a determination to carry out his own purposes to the detriment of the legal rights of those others. By his actions he rendered the land completely useless for the purpose for which the plaintiffs intended to use it, although, as the majority say, it may have been good farming practice. It certainly cannot be denied that what is good farming practice may also render land absolutely without value for cattle grazing purposes; and that if land is disked or plowed, it would be impossible to harvest that year’s crop of grain and grass.
*655Since malice in fact is rarely, if ever, proved by the express declarations of the defendant to that effect, and since it may be, and is, proved by evidence of the surrounding circumstances, the jury was clearly entitled to find that such malice existed and that the plaintiffs were, as a result, entitled to punitive damages. The record shows not only these facts, but that there had been ill feeling between these parties over the same land in the past. On the trial, the defendant denied that he knew to whom the land was leased, but since the credibility of the witness is for the jury, it is surely permissible to draw an inference from the verdict that he was not believed.
The rule is well settled that where a trespass is committed from wanton or malicious motives, or a reckless disregard of the rights of others, or under circumstances of great hardship and oppression, the measure and amount of damages are matters for the jury alone. (Russell v. Dennison, 45 Cal. 337.)
The majority say that the defendant could not have been guilty of malice because he made a full disclosure of the facts to his attorney and was advised that under those circumstances he had a legal and enforceable lease. The attorney, whose advice is in question, was the defendant’s attorney at the trial of this case. He was not a witness. In his questioning of the defendant, he asked him whether he had told him the same facts as to which he had testified, and then asked him whether or not such advice had been given. At the time the advice was solicited, the defendant knew that he did not have a lease; he knew that the owners’ signatures were necessary and had not been obtained; and he also knew that the land had been leased to someone else. These facts show his lack of good faith. In order for the advice of an attorney to be a defense to an action for punitive damages, it must be shown that there was a complete disclosure of all the facts to the attorney," that such advice was sought in good faith, and that the attorney’s advice was followed. The defendant’s subsequent conduct also tends to show that he was trying to take the law into his own hands in that, even after the trial of the case wherein judgment was rendered against him, and it was determined that he did not have a good or enforceable lease of any kind, he admitted that he still endeavored to go on the land and continue his farming operations.
The decision of the court in this case holding that exemplary or punitive damages are not allowable under the facts in this case is not only erroneous as a matter of law but is mani*656festly unjust and unfair to the plaintiffs. Instead of following the usual practice, and reversing the judgment so as to permit the plaintiffs to retry the case and present further and additional evidence which would amply sustain an award of punitive damages even in the light of the strained construction placed upon the statute by the majority decision, the majority have seen fit, without citation of authority, and contrary to the settled rule and practice of this court, to modify the judgment by eliminating therefrom the award of punitive damages, and then affirming the judgment, so that the respondents who prevailed in the trial court will have no further opportunity to present to another court or jury their claim for punitive damages. I am convinced that this court has no such lawful power, and in taking this action, this court is itself violating the settled law of this state.
It may be true that the majority of this court is out of harmony with the statutes of this state permitting and authorizing an award of exemplary damages in a proper ease, but this court did not enact such statutes, and this court has no power to declare the public policy of this state so far as the allowance of exemplary damages is concerned. This is a matter exclusively for the Legislature. By the unwarranted action of this court in striking down the award of exemplary damages in this case, this court has in effect nullified and abrogated a statute which permits an award of exemplary damages.
The statement in the majority opinion, that the evidence is insufficient to justify an award of exemplary damages is perfectly absurd. The facts upon which this award is based are set forth both in the majority opinion and in this dissenting opinion, and I do not believe that any unbiased, unprejudiced mind could examine these facts and arrive at an honest conclusion that the defendant Hathaway did not act wilfully and maliciously in destroying the hay and grain growing on the land which had been leased by plaintiffs. In holding to the contrary, the majority of this court is making a mockery out of the rule that conflicts in the evidence are to be resolved by the trier of fact and that an appellate court will not disturb a finding of the jury or trial court based upon inferences which can be reasonably drawn from the testimony of witnesses. To demonstrate the absurdity of the majority holding in this case I desire to call attention to statements appearing in the opinion of this court in the case of Nichols v. Mitchell, ante, p. 598 [197 P.2d 550] L. A. 19962, filed September 23, *6571948. This opinion was prepared by the author of the opinion in the case at bar and contains the following statements with respect to the power of the trier of fact. This same author said in the Nichols case: ‘ ‘ This province of the trial court to resolve ‘conflicting evidence or conflicting inferences’ and to reach a conclusion that will not be disturbed ‘on appeal if some substantial evidence or reasonable inference’ lends support thereto (Security-First National Bank v. Bruder, 44 Cal.App.2d 767, 772 [113 P.2d 3]) was forcefully declared in the recent case of Hicks v. Reis, 21 Cal.2d 654, at pages 659-660 [134 P.2d 788]: ‘The trier of the facts is the exclusive judge of the credibility of the witnesses. (§ 1847, Code Civ. Proc.) While this same section declares that a witness is presumed to speak the truth, it also declares that “This presumption, however, may be repelled by the manner in which he testifies, by the character of his testimony ... or his motives, or by contradictory evidence. ’ ’ In addition, in passing on credibility, the trier of the facts is entitled to take into consideration the interest of the witness in the result of the case. (Citing authority.) Provided the trier of the facts does not act arbitrarily, he may reject in toto the testimony of a witness, even though the witness is uncontradicted. (Citing cases.) . . . [As] the court, in Market Street Ry. Co. v. George, 116 Cal.App. 572, 576 [3 P.2d 41], stated: “It has always been the rule that courts and juries aré not bound by mere swearing no matter how positive, unless it be credible swearing. It may bear within itself the seeds of its own destruction, as where it is inherently improbable, or its destruction may be wrought from without, ás where the person swearing is in some manner impeached. In either case court and jury are entitled to disbelieve the testimony if they choose, and if they do refuse it credence it is of no more effect than if it had not been given. It disappears from the case and the inference opposed to it is no longer contradicted.” ’ ” We do not find any of the reasoning contained in the foregoing excerpt from the Nichols case applied in the majority opinion in the case at bar. The reason, of course, is obvious. Because in the ease at bar the majority of this court has usurped the functions of the jury and trial court and overthrown a solemn judgment supported by ample evidence without regard to the settled principles of law contained in the above quoted excerpt. In other words, the majority of this court has just strong-armed the record in this case to arrive at a conclusion satisfactory to their concept *658of what the law should be with respect to punitive damages, and this is all that can be said in favor of the majority decision on this proposition.
The evidence clearly supports the determination of the jury that the plaintiffs are entitled to punitive damages, and the judgment should therefore be affirmed in toto.
Schauer, J., concurred.