Majority
Plaintiff won a verdict for $17,003.92 (including $5,000 as exemplary damages) against Harry White and appellant, James M. Gordon, as damages sustained in three purchases of real property in Tulare County, which purchases were found to have been induced by fraudulent representations of the defendants. Defendant Gordon appeals.
The first purchase was on December 6, 1940, of 40 acres for a price of $5,400 in cash and the transfer by plaintiff of 16 acres in the same vicinity; the second on January 3, 1941, of 20 acres for $2,700, and the last one on February 11, 1941, for a price of $3,000. In the second transaction plaintiff repurchased 15 of the 16 acres she had parted with in the first transaction, although she alleged she did not know this at the time. As the several sales were agreed upon with plaintiff, the land would be purchased from the owner and sub-divider, one Murray Blank, in the name of an employee of White, who would convey to plaintiff. The purchases from Blank were at $35 per acre. Plaintiff is a widow eighty-one years of age. White had made heavy purchases of grazing land from Blank ($175,000 over a three-year period), reselling it to the public as oil land. Plaintiff had purchased her 16 acres from Gordon in 1939 at a price of $150 per acre. In White’s first conversation with plaintiff he represented that he was the agent of the Northwest United Oil Company and was acting for the company in acquiring land to sell to a major oil company, that the transaction had been arranged, the oil company had placed its money in escrow, that the sale would be completed in about two months, or as soon as the
Appellant does not suggest that there was a semblance of honesty in the transactions but he earnestly asserts that there was insufficient evidence to connect him with them, especially with the second and third. The salient features of the evidence as to appellant’s participation in the fraud are the following: White, who was a stranger to plaintiff, called upon her at the apartment house where she lived in Pasadena, representing himself as desirous of purchasing her 16 acres for the Northwest company. Plaintiff told bim she had promised appellant not to dispose of the land without first consulting him. White finally proposed to sell plaintiff 40 acres. He had not intended to buy her land but offered to take it in as a part of the deal. Appellant put in an appearance at this time, which White testified was in accordance with an arrangement which they had. Plaintiff introduced the two and neither acknowledged any previous acquaintance, although they had known each other for several years. The three went to plaintiff’s apartment, where White, in the presence of appellant, repeated his representations and his proposal to sell plaintiff 40 acres. Plaintiff declined to purchase more land and the defendants left without transacting
Appellant had become acquainted with plaintiff in 1935. He traded her a small piece of property for two bonds that were in default. Later he acquired two deeds of trust from plaintiff in exchange for real property. He testified that he “advised” plaintiff to make the exchange of her trust deed; that in 1939 he “recommended” to her that she exchange the property he had first traded to her for 16 acres in Tulare County, which she did. None of the properties were shown to plaintiff. While appellant apparently considered himself to be in a position to advise and recommend investments for plaintiff, it did not appear that his advice had been sought by plaintiff or that he had given her advice upon other occasions prior to the purchase of the 40 acres. Appellant’s testimony consisted of denials of any and all participation in the three transactions with plaintiff. He testified that he was present when White was discussing plaintiff’s 16 acres and that the only advice he gave plaintiff was that she close any sale she might make through a bank escrow; that he left plaintiff’s apartment before White did and did not learn for some time thereafter that plaintiff had purchased any land. He testified that he had known White for several years but had never had any dealings with him. He denied in toto plaintiff’s testimony as to his statements concerning White and the merits of his offer and he denied having received any money from White at any time. Appellant did not see plaintiff or talk with her again until after she had made her third purchase.
Murray Blank testified that some two weeks prior to the first sale to plaintiff, appellant came to his office seeking to buy land, told him that he had a partner in the deal, negotiated for land at $35 per acre, came back later with White, and then said that he and White would sell pretty nearly all of Blank’s land; that appellant and White came to his office
For reasons which will be stated, it is necessary to consider not only the legal sufficiency of the evidence but also the weight of the evidence which was relied upon to connect appellant with the several sales. There were some contradictions in the testimony of plaintiff and' also in that of White and some contradictions between the testimony of the one and that of the other, but they related to immaterial matters. Those found in plaintiff’s testimony were only such as might have been expected, considering her age and the lapse of
Appellant’s second contention is that there was insufficient evidence to establish the value of the land which plaintiff acquired, and which was necessary in order to fix the damages. One expert witness, Elmer F. Karpa, testified for plaintiff. He conducts a real estate brokerage and appraisal business and a loan business at Bakersfield. He had been buying and selling land in the San Joaquin Valley since 1920, and had been acting as a broker since 1926. He had taken a university extension course in appraising and had a wide and varied experience as an appraiser and upon voir dire examination testified to having taken the usual means of investigation and examination to familiarize himself with values. There was nothing unsound in the basis of his opinions and his conclusions appeared to have been the result of careful study. His testimony was not without probative value and the jury were warranted in accepting his appraisal of $17.50 per acre as the market value of the land, in preference to the valuation of $50 per acre given by defendant’s expert, who based his opinion upon the hypothetical existence of active drilling in the vicinity, although no well was being drilled.
Appellant requested separate instructions to the effect that the testimony of an accomplice should be viewed with distrust and the testimony of oral admissions of a party with caution. White had admitted upon cross-examination that he had just served a term of imprisonment upon conviction of a felony, and appellant requested an instruction
The instruction as to oral admissions would have
Appellant complains of the modification of another instruction which he requested. It stated some of the features of the law with respect to the qualification of real estate subdivisions for public sale and to the duties of the commissioner with respect to examination and report upon such subdivisions. The purpose sought to be accomplished by the offered instruction is obscure. Portions of the instruction were stricken out and others added, including a statement from the report that a copy of it must be delivered to each prospective purchaser and attached to the deposit receipt or printed thereon, and the court also added: “You will further remember in considering this matter, that there is no testimony that a copy of this report was ever furnished Mrs. Conger or that she had any knowledge of its existence.” The matters to which this instruction related were quite foreign to any issue in the case. It was wholly irrelevant whether the
. The jury included in its verdict interest at 7 per cent upon each' of the sums paid by plaintiff from the date of payment to the time of trial. Appellant contends that this was improper because there had been no rescission of the purchases and he relies upon the rules which govern in rescission cases. These, however, are not in point. The award of interest was proper under section 3288 of the Civil Code, which reads as follows: “In an action for the breach of an obligation not arising from contract, and in every case of oppression, fraud, or malice, interest may be given, in the discretion of the jury.” The allowance of interest in fraud cases was approved in Desmond v. Standard Bond & Mtg. Co. (1928), 91 Cal.App. 201 [ 266 P. 105 ]; Isaacs v. Frank Meline Co. (1934), 2 Cal.App.2d 341 [ 37 P.2d 1045 ], We are aware of no case in which it has been held improper to allow interest, where the recovery was for fraud, since the adoption of the original code section. It should run from the date when the money was paid or the property lost, because the duty to compensate plaintiff for her losses arose then, and no demand was necessary.
The final point for consideration is a charge of misconduct of the jury. One of the jurors took from a blackboard into the jury room a large sheet of paper upon which plaintiff’s attorney had entered his computation of damages, consisting of the sums paid by plaintiff in moneys and property, the value of the property she received, computations of interest, and the figure of $5,000 claimed as exemplary damages. Computations of interest and other such matters which summarize the testimony given by witnesses may be placed in evidence as exhibits and the jury may be allowed to take them into the jury room. Computations made by counsel and used in argument are not evidence and if reduced to writing, except by jurors, their use in the jury room is unauthorized. (Code Civ. Proc., § 612.) The action of the juror was improper but the use of the figures by the jury would not necessarily have been prejudicial to appellant. The three transactions were stated separately, which was one of the things
It is our opinion that plaintiff should not be deprived of the benefit of the judgment insofar as it relates to the first transaction by reason of the failure to give the requested instructions. Appellant has shown no prejudicial error or no just reason for complaint on account of the relief awarded plaintiff in that transaction. At the same time, the judgment should not be allowed to stand insofar as it imposes liability upon appellant in connection with the other transactions, for as to those, we regard the failure to give the instructions as prejudicial. For these reasons, and because it appears problematical whether plaintiff would prevail upon a retrial as to the second and third transactions, if the jury were instructed as appellant requested, we believe that plaintiff should be allowed to elect whether she will accept the judgment insofar as it awards her damages on account of her purchase of the 40 acres, or retry the action as to all of the transactions. There is no uncertainty as to the amount which was awarded to her
The judgment is reversed and the action is remanded for a new trial, but upon the condition that if plaintiff shall, within thirty days after the filing of this decision, file with the clerk of this court two copies of a written consent to a remission of the excess of the judgment above the sum of $8,652.99, the judgment shall stand as affirmed in that amount; appellant to recover costs. (Rules on Appeal, rule 24b.)
Desmond, P. J., and Wood (Parker), J., concurred.
On May 21, 1945, the following opinion was rendered:
THE COURT.—A consent to remission of the excess of the judgment above the sum of $8,652.99 having been filed herein, pursuant to the terms of the opinion filed in the above entitled cause on April 30,1945 (ante, p. 28), it is hereby ordered that the judgment be reduced to the sum of $8,652.99, and as so modified the judgment is affirmed. Appellant to recover costs.
Desmond, P. J., Shinn, J., and Wood (Parker), J.
Cases cited
- People v. Dail 22 Cal.2d 642 p. 37
- Desmond v. Standard Bond & Mortgage Co. 91 Cal.App. 201 p. 40
- Isaacs v. Frank Meline Co. 2 Cal.App.2d 341 p. 40
- Raynor v. Mintzer 67 Cal. 159 p. 41
- Divani v. Donovan 214 Cal. 447 p. 41