American Process Co. v. Florida White Pressed Brick Co.

56 Fla. 116
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJune 15, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by99 cases

This text of 56 Fla. 116 (American Process Co. v. Florida White Pressed Brick Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Process Co. v. Florida White Pressed Brick Co., 56 Fla. 116 (Fla. 1908).

Opinions

Whitfield, J.

Action was begun in the Circuit Court for Duval County on February ioth, 1906, by the American Process Company filing a praecipe for summons against the Florida White Pressed Brick Company. On March 5th, 1906, a declaration was filed charging that “the defendant converted to its own use, or wrongfully deprived the plaintiff of the use and possession of the plaintiff’s goods, that is to- say one Nio. 4225 direct heat dryer,” &c. of the value of $1000.00. Plaintiff claimed $2000.00 damages.

One of the pleas of the defendant filed on October 21st, 1907, was “That heretofore, to-wit: on the fourteenth day of February, A. D. 1906, the plaintiff in the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York interposed a claim ag'ainst the bankrupt estate of the H. Huennekes Company for or on account of the purchase price of the identical property mentioned in the declaration, that thereafter on to-wit, 'the 21st day of March, 1907, the said claim- was allowed in whole or in part as a valid claim against said bankrupt estate, and thereafter, one or more dividends from said bankrupt estate were paid to and received by the plaintiff on account of said claim. And that the said Huennekes Company installed said property in defendant’s Plant under contract with defendant.”

Issue was joined on all the pleas filed by the defendant. At the trial the court gave the following instruction : “In this case a plea has -been filed to the effect that the plaintiff filed its claim in bankruptcy against The Huennekes Company, which company sold the property mentioned in the declaration to the defendant, and that the claim so filed in the bankruptcy proceedings has been adjudicated in favor of plaintiff, and that plaintiff has been paid certain sums on account -of its judgment against The Huennekes Company. This plea has been proven by [119]*119uncontradicted evidence. The court, therefore, instructs you to find your verdict for the defendant;” which was excepted to. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty and judgment was entered for the defendant. The plaintiff took writ of error, ánd among the errors assigned is the giving of the charge above quoted.

The plaintiff did not question the sufficiency of the plea above set out, but joined issue, on it, thereby admitting its sufficiency if proven to be true.

As the plea was proven without contradiction the charge complained of was not erroneous. See Jones v. Shomaker, 41 Fla. 232, 26 South. Rep. 191. Even though the charge be correct.the judgment may not be correct if the plea is frivolous. The judgment is not assigned as error, but its correctness with reference to the plea will be considered.

It was agreed “that the goods mentioñed in the declaration were shipped by the plaintiff, American Process Company, about June 23rd, 1905, from New York, consigned to H. Huennekes Company, care of Florida White Pressed Brick Company, Jacksonville, Florida, by Bill of Lading, a copy whereof is'hereto attached, with in- . structions to notify Florida White Pressed Brick Company of the arrival of the goods at destination; that said, goods were received about July 23rd, 1905, at Jacksonville, Florida, and defendant Florida Whlite Pressed Brick Company was notified of said arrival by the railroad company and said goods were installed by Huennekes Company as a part of the brick-making plant then-under construction in Duval County, Florida, near Jacksonville by said Huennekes Company fqr said Florida. White Pressed Brick Company," and were delivered by •said PI. Huennekes Company to said Florida White Pressed Brick Company as a part of said brick making plant, and have ever since been and are still in the pos[120]*120session of the said Florida White Pressed Brick Company.”

The bill of lading shows the goods were shipped to the order oh H. Huennekes Co. care Fla. White Pressed Brick Co. H. Huennekes Co. was engaged in the business of supplying and installing such 'machinery.

The evidence discloses that H. Huennekes Company was adjudged a bankrupt, and that in the bankruptcy proceedings the American Process Company presented' its claim against H. Huennekes Company for a balance due “upon the original agreement” with complainant for the price of the property involved here. Complainant also received dividends on said claim in the bankruptcy matter. There is no evidence that the Florida White Pressed Brick Company was advised of a conditional sale of the property to H. Huennekes Company who installed it under contract with defendant in its brick plant. The defendant paid H. Huennekes Company for it, without knowledge of the terms of the sale by the plaintiff.

The mere possession of personal property is only prima facie evidence of title; and a purchaser of personal property from one who has only the possession of the property under an incomplete conditional sale cannot in general defeat a recovery by the true owner, although such purchaser bought for value and without notice. See Campbell Printing Press & Manuf’g Co. v. Walker, 22 Fla. 412, 1 South. Rep. 59; Fairbanks, Morse & Co. v. Eureka Company, 67 Ala. 109; Marvin Safe Co. v. Norton, 48 N. J. L. 410, 7 Atl. Rep. 418.

But where an owner consigns personal property to a dealer in such goods with express or implied authority to sell, or delivers or consigns to another personal property with indicia of ownership-, but with title reserved in the owner until the'payment of the purchase price, a [121]*121purchaser, who pays value for such goods and gets possession thereof without notice of the terms or conditions of the original delivery, consignment or sale, obtains a good title as against the original owner, which will in general prevail against the latter’s reserved' title. See Bent v. Jerkins, 112 Ala. 485; 24 Am. & Eng. Ency. Law (2nd ed.) 1165; 1 Mechem on Sales, sections 157, 166.

Where one of two innocent parties must suffer through the act or negligence of a third person, the loss should fall upon the one who by his conduct created the ■circumstances which enabled thie third party to perpetrate the wrong or cause the loss.

Where property is sold on credit and the title thereto retained by the vendor, upon a breach of the conditions of the sale the vendor may either treat the sale as absolute and sue for the price thereof, or he may treat the sale as cancelled and recover the property; but the vendor cannot pursue both courses, and the election to pursue either one of two inconsistent remedies may in law operate as an abandonment or a waiver of the other. The vendor may elect between inconsistent remedies but he may not pursue inconsistent remedies for the enforcement of his property rights.

Where an action is brought for the price of all the goods sold it is a concession that title has passed, and the vendor may not in general also prosecute an action for the recovery of all the same property upon the theory that the title thereto has not passed from him. The facts that the proceeding for the price was begun after the action to recover the property was instituted, and that in the proceeding for the price- it is stated to be “without prejudice to the rights of action that the American Process Company has against the said Florida White Pressed Brick Company, by reason of the latter’s failure [122]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

ALLEGRO AT BOYNTON BEACH, LLC v. C. BRUCE PEARSON and OLSON LAND PARTNERS, LLC
227 So. 3d 1288 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2017)
Holmes Regional Medical Center, Inc. v. Allstate Insurance Company
225 So. 3d 780 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2017)
Bank of America v. The Enclave at Richmond Place Condominium Association, Inc.
173 So. 3d 1095 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2015)
Plumbing Service Co. v. Progressive Plumbing, Inc.
46 So. 3d 144 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2010)
In Re Estate of Trollinger
9 So. 3d 667 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2009)
Savoretti v. MHC/CSI Florida, Inc.
9 So. 3d 667 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2009)
Michelle Macola v. Government Employees
483 F.3d 1229 (Eleventh Circuit, 2005)
Macola v. Government Employees Insurance
410 F.3d 1359 (Eleventh Circuit, 2005)
In Re Makarewicz
121 B.R. 262 (S.D. Florida, 1990)
Security & Investment Corp. of the Palm Beaches v. Droege
529 So. 2d 799 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1988)
Corsa Boats, Inc. v. Sun Bank of Miami
405 So. 2d 1340 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1981)
Black v. Miller
219 So. 2d 106 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1969)
Klondike, Inc. v. Blair
211 So. 2d 41 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1968)
Brunswick Corporation v. Harold Vineberg
370 F.2d 605 (Fifth Circuit, 1967)
Ray v. Beneficial Fin. Co.
224 A.2d 143 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1966)
Nissen v. Obde
364 P.2d 513 (Washington Supreme Court, 1961)
Cecil Holland Ford, Inc. v. Jameson
132 So. 2d 621 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1961)
Matthews v. Matthews
133 So. 2d 91 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1961)
Kapp v. Bob Sullivan Chevrolet Co.
335 S.W.2d 819 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 Fla. 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-process-co-v-florida-white-pressed-brick-co-fla-1908.