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50 Cal. 639

Buell v. Cory

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1875

California Supreme Court · decided 1875-07-01

The following was the complaint in this action: “This plaintiff, by amended complaint, alleges and complains : “1st. That he is the owner of certain goods and chattels, personal property, now on the Buena Vista Bancho, in the county of Monterey, and State of California; said goods, chattels, and personal property as follows, viz., one dwelling and dairy-house, three outhouses, two wells containing platform and buckets, several hay troughs, and seven miles of post and rail…

Decided 1875-07-01

By the Coubt:

¶1It is impossible to define the character of the action which the plaintiff intended- to institute in this case. The court below gave judgment for the- plaintiff, upon the theory that a contract of sale of the chattels was alleged in the *641complaint and proven at the trial. We do not think, however, that the complaint is fairly susceptible of this construction. It begins with the allegation that the plaintiff is, at the time of filing the amended complaint, the owner of the chattels; it nowhere alleges a sale, or an agreement upon the part of the plaintiff to sell them to the defendant. The only allegation apparently looking in that direction is that defendant consented, agreed, and promised to buy them at what they were reasonably worth. This is far from sufficient as an allegation of a sale, or an agreement for a sale. It is not alleged that the plaintiff ever consented to sell. Besides, the supposed consent of the defendant to purchase is alleged to have been given in September, 1872, while it appears, from “Exhibit B” annexed to the complaint, that it was merely the expression by the defendant of a wish to purchase, and before November, 1872, all negotiations between the parties concerning it had ceased. No rule of pleading, however liberal, can be brought to countenance such a complaint as that filed in this case.

¶2Judgment reversed and cause remanded, with directions to-sustain the demurrer.

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