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66 Ark. 460

Sparks v. Robinson

Supreme Court of Arkansas

Decided May 13, 1899

Supreme Court of Arkansas · decided 1899-05-13

Joseph W. Martin, Judge. STATEMENT BY THE COURT. Appellee received of appellant the sum of $8, and turned over to him a sewing machine valued at $45. Appellee claims that she let appellant have the machine as security for the sum of $8 borrowed of appellant. Appellant contends that he bought the machine of appellee. At the time of the transaction the following instrument was signed by appellant and appellee: “No. 1865.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“"The court was clearly justified in concluding that the instrument purporting to be a bill of sale, although absolute on its face, was intended by the parties as nothing more than a security for the money advanced. The right of redemption was reserved to the grantor in the face of the instrument, and the. extraneous proof warranted the conclusion that the instrument was intended as a mortgage. Stryker v. Hershy, 38 Ark. 264 . In case of a mortgage the mortgagee becomes the absolute owner, where there is a failure to pay, and no redemption “The instrument itself, and the sale ticket given with it, show that the -grantor had the privilege of redeeming in 30 days by paying the principal and not exceeding ten per cent., and the proof shows that at the end of each month the 80 cents, or ten per cent, per month, was collected, and another sale ticket was issued granting the same privilege. And this might be continued ad infinitum. The law shells the covering, and extracts the kernel. Names amount to nothing when they fail to designate the (facts.' We are of the opinion that the court was justified in concluding that the papers called ‘bill of sale’ and ‘sale tickets’ were nothing more or less than a shift for a usurious loan of money.””

quoted by 3 later decisions, including Jones v. Ipawn Rodney Parham, LLC, Schuck v. Murdock Acceptance Corp.

Relies on Ellenbogen v. Griffey · Stryker v. Hershy · Edmondson v. Carnall

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1899-05-13

How this case has been cited

Cited by 22 later decisions — most recently March 2019

20 state decisions

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Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Wood, J.,

¶1(after stating the facts.) There was evidence to support the finding that the transaction reflected by the above facts was a loan of money at the rate of ten per cent, per month, and that it was usurious and void.

¶2The court was clearly justified in concluding that the instrument purporting to be a bill of sale, although absolute on its face, was intended by the parties as nothing more than a security for the money advanced. The right of redemption was reserved to the grantor in the face of the instrument, and the extraneous proof warranted the conclusion that the instrument was intended as a mortgage. Stryker v. Hershy, 38 Ark. 264. In ease of a mortgage the mortgagee becomes the absolute owner, where there is a failure to pay, and no redemption.

¶3The instrument itself, and the sale ticket given with it, show that the grantor had the privilege of redeeming in thirty days, by paying the-principal and not exceeding ten per cent., and the proof shows that at the end of each month the eighty cents, or ten per cent, per month, was collected, and another .-ale ticket was issued granting the same privilege. And this might be continued ad infinitum. The iaw shells the covering, and extracts the kernel. Names amount to nothing when they fail to designate the facts. We are of the opinion that the court was justified in concluding that the papers called “bill of sale” and “sale tickets” were nothing more or less than a shift for a usurious loan of money. Tillar v. Cleveland, 17 Ark. 287; Ellenbogen v. Griffey, 55 Ark. 270, and cases there cited.

¶4The damages may be excessive, but this was not made a ground of the motion for new trial.

¶5No written pleadings were necessary, and the proof raises the issue of usury.

¶6Affirm the judgment.

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