156 P. 515 | Cal. | 1916
Lead Opinion
This is an action brought by the plaintiff corporation against the defendant for an alleged breach of *358 two agreements in writing whereby the defendant employed R.W. Kinsey, the plaintiff's assignor, as her agent, for the purpose of securing certain loans on real property in the county of Los Angeles, and for the securing of which loans she agreed to pay the said R.W. Kinsey commissions amounting to $342. The said agreements are set forth in two counts in the amended complaint, which purports to be verified by the said R.W. Kinsey. A demurrer was interposed by the defendant to the amended complaint and overruled, whereupon the defendant served and filed an unverified answer in the form of a general denial. The plaintiff moved the court for judgment on the pleadings on the ground that the unverified answer to the verified complaint constituted no defense to the cause of action or any portion thereof. The motion was granted and judgment was entered on the pleadings as prayed for. Defendant appeals.
The sole question presented is whether the amended complaint was properly verified. It is contended, "that the affidavit of verification to the complaint herein and relied upon by the plaintiff upon such motion, is not such an affidavit as to make the complaint a verified pleading within the provisions of section
The affidavit is not open to either of these objections.
Section
"R.W. Kinsey, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That he is the assignor of plaintiff in the above-entitled action, and, for that reason, is better informed as to the facts thereof than the said plaintiff; that he has read the foregoing complaint and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true of his own knowledge except as to matters which are therein stated on information and belief, and as to those matters that he believes it to be true."
The affidavit, it will be noted, contains the usual qualification of the statute — "except as to the matters which are therein stated on his information or belief." But the complaint contains no allegation based on information and belief, and therefore the averment must be treated as mere surplusage. (Lassen v. Board of Dental Examiners,
Omitting the averment based on information and belief from the affidavit, it still states that the affiant has read the complaint and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true. This is clearly the equivalent of an averment in the exact language of the section — that "the facts are within the knowledge" of the affiant. But, in addition to the above, the affidavit avers that the affiant is the assignor of the plaintiff, and the agreements, which are set out in the complaint, show that they were entered into between the affiant and the defendant. The requirements of this branch of the section were fully complied with.
Nor does the affidavit fail to state the reasons why the verification was not made by the plaintiff corporation. As already stated, the complaint alleges that the agreements were entered into between the affiant and the defendant. The *360
former therefore had primary knowledge of the facts. He subsequently assigned the claim to the corporation. While it does not affirmatively appear whether the corporation or its officers had knowledge of the facts relating to the transactions between the affiant and the defendant, it cannot be doubted that the affiant was qualified to verify the facts from first-hand knowledge. "The object of the verification is to insure good faith in the averments of the party." (Patterson v. Ely,
In Newman v. Bird,
In that case the verification was held sufficient because it was made by an agent who averred that the facts set out in the complaint were within his own knowledge. In this case the affiant states that he is the assignor of the corporation; that the facts are true of his own knowledge; and for the reason that he is the assignor of the plaintiff he is better informed as to the facts. This is a sufficient statement of the reason why the verification is not made by the plaintiff.
Silcox v. Lang,
Under section
In this case the averments covering the reasons why the corporation did not verify the complaint does not qualify the averment that the facts were within the knowledge of the affiant. On the contrary, the averment that he is the assignor and for that reason is better informed than the corporation *362 adds force to the averment that the facts are true of the assignor's own knowledge. All the averments of the affidavit, when read in connection with the complaint, affirm a primary knowledge of the facts on the part of the assignor, and this must be deemed a sufficient statement of the reasons why the party did not verify the complaint.
The plaintiff in this case is a corporation and the affiant is not an officer thereof. But the clause in section
The motion for judgment on the pleadings, without a preliminary motion to strike the answer from the files, was proper. (Hearst v. Hart,
No other points require consideration. The judgment is affirmed.
Concurrence Opinion
I concur in the judgment. The affidavit shows that the facts were within the knowledge of the affiant Kinsey. He declares "that he has read the foregoing complaint and knows the contents thereof and that the same is true of his own knowledge. . . . " The statement that facts are true of one's own knowledge necessarily imports that the facts are within his knowledge. The added words "except as to matters which are therein stated as to information and belief" do not qualify the positive character of the verification, since the pleading contains no averments on information and belief. The verification, therefore, fully meets the provision of section
I am, however, unable to see any distinction in this respect between the case at bar and Silcox v. Lang,
I agree to the view that the affidavit contains a sufficient statement of the reasons why it is not made by one of the parties.
Concurrence Opinion
Rehearing denied.