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75 Wis. 631

Lynch v. Henry

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Decided January 28, 1890

Wisconsin Supreme Court · decided 1890-01-28

The following statement of the case was prepared by-Mr. Justice Cassoday: The amended complaint alleges, in effect, that March 11, 1887, the plaintiff and one Rhodes entered into an agreement in writing with the defendants, whereby they agreed to construct, and in every respect complete, all the work required by the defendants to be.done on the line of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad, in such manner as.would conform in every respect to the direction of the…

Relies on Kelly v. Bliss · Brown v. Everhard · Snell v. Bray

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1890-01-28

How this case has been cited

Cited by 9 later decisions — most recently April 1935

9 state decisions

4018901900191019201930decided

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.

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Oassoday, J".

¶1The principal controversy in this action was as to whether there had been any modification of the written contract by parol, as alleged in the amended complaint. The verdict of the jury is to the effect that there' had been such modification. A careful examination of the printed case convinces us that the evidence on the part of the plaintiff is sufficient to support such finding.

¶2It is claimed that such parol modification or agreement was not based on any new consideration, and for that reason was void. It has frequently been held b}7 this court, in effect, that the consideration existing in such original execu-tory contract is deemed imported into such new parol modification or agreement, and hence that such new agreement, when made, becomes binding upon the parties without any new consideration. Brown v. Kverhard, 52 Wis. 205; Kelly v. Bliss, 54 Wis. 191; Snell v. Bray, 56 Wis. 159; Magill v. Stoddard, 70 Wis. 78; Ruege v. Gates, 71 Wis. 638; Bingham v. Insurance Co. 74 Wis. 503. The right to modify a prior written agreement by parol is too firmly established to be seriously questioned. This, of itself, disposes of the question as to the admissibility of such parol evidence.

¶3*635It is claimed that the plaintiff’s order to Mrs. Welter, upon the defendants, to pa}7 her “ all moneys due ” him after labor pajr-rolls were paid, was an assignment of the plaintiff’s cause of action herein to Mrs. Welter; and that the payment to her and her receipt “ in full for the above account, and all demands except $350 held subject to garnishee proceedings,” was conclusive upon the plaintiff in satisfaction of the same. But there is plenty of evidence in the record to the effect that such order, payment, and receipt had no reference to the amount due to the plaintiff under such parol modification or agreement, for the grubbing done by him in the track-bed between slope-stakes, over excavations, and which was to be paid for outside and entirely separate from the excavations themselves, and at the rate of $1.25 for each square rod of such grubbing. The trial court hold, and we think rightly, that such parol evidence was admissible. The description of the subject matter referred to in the order and receipt, standing by itself, was incomplete, uncertain, and ambiguous, and hence extrinsic evidence was admissible to aid in their construction and rightful application. Since such parol evidence was more or less in conflict, the truth of the matter was necessarily for the determination of the jury. The matters in controversy were fully and fairly submitted to the jury. There are some exceptions to the charge, but they are sufficiently disposed of by what has already been said.

¶4By the Oourt.— The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.

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