Court Opinion

ID: 9732431
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 16:20:36.240438+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:22:24.065517
License: Public Domain

DUNN, J.
I dissent. I would affirm the judgment favoring plaintiff.
The majority cites two cases decided before the Evidence Code became effective on January I,. 1967, (Evid. Code, § 12) i.e., Wright v. Rodgers (1926) 198 Cal. 137 [243 P. 866] and Greenbach Bros., Inc. v. Burns (1966) 245 Cal.App.2d 767 [54 Cal.Rptr. 143]. The majority then determines that, of these two pre-Evidence Code opinions, the one by *303the District Court of Appeal is the more appealing and the majority decides to follow it. This, I cannot do, for the reason that a decision by our highest court is binding upon us, whether we agree with it or not as presently applied. Thus, this court may not, nor may another Court of Appeal, overrule our Supreme Court. Wright was an appeal by a plaintiff from a nonsuit granted to the defendant. The order granting the nonsuit was reversed. There, it was held that the plaintiff had made out a prima facie case by filing, in the trial court, a contract for the exchange of real property. Greenbach does not mention the Wright decision. It is an appeal from an order granting a new trial. The order was sustained upon the ground (see p. 773 of Greenbach) that the judgment was against the law because there was no evidence of an effort by the parties to the contract to ascertain damages and, thus, the requirements of Civil Code section 1671 had not been met. The two cases appear adamantly opposed to each other, since, in each case the contract was introduced into evidence and the contract, in each case, provided for. liquidated damages. I can see no alternative to following our Supreme Court. If it wishes to change its rule, it may do so. I may not. Or, if the Legislature, by enacting the Evidence Code, has changed the rule the Supreme Court may recognize such fact and change its own rule. Until it does change the rule, however, I feel myself bound to follow its rulings, irrespective of my beliefs concerning whether, in light of changed circumstances, the rule is a good one.
Under such a view it becomes irrelevant to determine if the rebuttable presumption created by Civil Code section 1671, is one affecting the burden of proof or of going forward with the evidence. Accordingly, the majority discussion of “iffy” matters of proof (beginning on p. 300 with the words “We consider briefly . . .” and ending on page 302 is unnecessary dicta.
Since the majority do not discuss the elements of Reeder’s cross-complaint against United, I do not know whether to agree or disagree with the majority. For that reason I, too, will ignore the same, as well as ignoring the aspect of United’s judgment against Reeder for attorney’s fees.
A petition for a rehearing was denied May 3, 1976, and the petitions of the appellant and the respondent for a hearing by the Supreme Court were denied June 9, 1976.