Asgrow Seed Company v. Gulick

420 S.W.2d 438, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 13, 1967
Docket14601
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 420 S.W.2d 438 (Asgrow Seed Company v. Gulick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Asgrow Seed Company v. Gulick, 420 S.W.2d 438, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057 (Tex. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

KLINGEMAN, Justice.

This suit was instituted by appellant, Asgrow Seed Company, (plaintiff and cross-defendant in the trial court) against J. R. Gulick and Roy Gulick (defendants and cross-plaintiffs in the trial court) for the purchase price of six pounds of okra seed, 900 pounds of Double T hybrid sorghum seed, and 5,400 pounds of AMAK R-12 hybrid sorghum seed, together with interest and attorney’s fees. Appellees answered such suit by a general denial and counterclaim, averring that the AMAK R-12 seed was purchased upon an oral contract, and it was warranted and represented to be hybrid sorghum AMAK R-12 seed, fit and proper to be sown, and in all respects first-class and true to name, and would outproduce all other grain on the market, producing approximately 7,000 pounds per acre; that said seed was planted on 767 acres of land, and when the grain grown from that seed began maturing, appellees discovered that it was not of the hybrid sorghum AMAK R-12 variety as purchased and warranted, but was other varieties, having white heads, small immature seeds, and/or loose non-compact ragged heads, and that by reason thereof appellees obtained only about 1600 pounds of grain per acre, whereas they should have obtained approximately 7,000 pounds per acre, to their damage in the sum of $71,238.96. Appellant denied that such seed was purchased upon an oral contract, and alleged that it was purchased simultaneously with the okra and Double T sorghum seed, pursuant to a written contract, which written contract contained certain limited warranty provisions, and further that if ap-pellees suffered any diminished yield in the crop it was proximately caused by their own negligence and factors other than those complained of by appellees.

Trial was to a jury with five special issues being submitted, in response to which the jury found: (1) That the 5400 pounds of seed delivered to appellees was not 99% pure hybrid sorghum AMAK R-12 seed. (2) That appellees would have obtained additional grain if such seed had been 99% pure AMAK R-12 seed. (3) That the total value of such additional grain would have been $42,740.55. (4) That appellees should have known, by reason of their previous purchases of seed from appellant, that appellant limited its liability in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in its shipping instructions, invoices, and on the seed containers. (5) That the sum of $450.00 would be a reasonable attorney’s fee for the filing and prosecution of appellant’s suit against appellees.

Appellant moved for judgment based upon the verdict, and in the alternative to disregard the jury’s answers to Questions 1, 2 and 3, and for judgment upon the answers to Questions 4 and 5. Appellees moved to disregard the jury’s answers to Questions 4 and 5, and for judgment based upon the jury’s answers to the first three special issues. The trial court denied appellant’s motion for judgment, granted appellees’ motion, and entered judgment for appellees in the sum of $42,740.55, against which the court applied as an offset the sum of $1,354.-75, being the purchase price of the three varieties of seed, and interest to date of judgment.

Although appellant presents twenty-six points of error, the principal issues to be determined on appeal are: (1) Are the warranty limitations provided for in the shipping instructions, invoices, and on the seed containers binding on the grower? (2) Does the jury’s finding to Question No. 1 render appellant liable for appellees’ crop *440 loss and, if so, is there any probative evidence to support such finding? (3) Did the trial court err in refusing to render judgment for appellant on the jury’s finding to Question No. 4? (4) Did the trial court err in refusing to submit to the jury appellant’s requested special issues presenting certain defenses it had pleaded and raised by the evidence, and in submitting Question No. 3 in the form submitted, over appellant’s objection? (5) Did the trial court err in disregarding the jury’s answer to Question No. 5 concerning attorney’s fees?

Appellant contends that by virtue of the jury’s answer to Question No. 4 it is entitled to a take-nothing judgment on the cross-action of appellees, and presents two points of error in this regard: (1) “The trial court erred in failing to render judgment for cross-defendant on the jury’s affirmative finding to Question No. 4, which reads as follows, ‘Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Gulicks, at the time of purchasing the 5400 pounds of seed in question, should have known by reason of their previous purchases of seed from Asgrow that Asgrow limited its liability in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in its shipping instructions, invoices, and on the seed containers ?’, because such finding, under the pleadings and evidence, constituted a complete defense to cross-plaintiffs’ counterclaim.” (2) “The trial court erred in granting cross-plaintiffs’ motion for judgment, because under the pleadings, evidence and findings of the jury cross-plaintiffs were bound by the terms and conditions of the limited warranty set forth in the shipping instructions, invoice and on the seed containers.”

The shipping instructions, invoice, and seed containers contain the identical limited liability provision. 1 The shipping instructions and invoice contain further provisions for limitation of warranty. 2 Appellant contends that the purchase of seed was made upon a written contract which included such limited warranty and liability provisions. Appelleees assert that there were no pleadings to support the submission of Special Issue No. 4 to the jury; that there was no evidence to support the jury’s finding to such special issue; that the contract of purchase was an oral contract, and that such oral contract did not embrace or include the limited liability and warranty provisions above referred to; and that such oral contract was established as a matter of law.

While appellant’s original petition is somewhat ambiguous, such petition specifically refers to the shipping instructions, and copies thereof are attached to the petition and made a part thereof for all purposes. The shipping instructions contain such warranty limitations, and the petition alleges that appellees entered into such shipping instructions and are bound by the provisions thereof. Appellant’s first amended answer to appellees’ counterclaim specifically alleges a written contract between appellant and appellees and sets forth the terms and provisions of said warranty limitation. We find, from an examination of appellant’s pleadings and exhibits attached thereto, that its suit was based upon a written contract. Such attached exhibits (shipping instructions) supply any deficiency in the allegations of appellant’s petition. Rule 59, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; 13 Tex.Jur.2d Contracts § 370 (1960).

*441 The record discloses that appellees went to appellant’s place of business in San Antonio, Texas, on March 9, 1964, at which time they purchased 6 pounds of okra seed, 900 pounds of Double T seed (another variety of grain sorghum seed), and 5400 pounds of AMAK R-12 seed, for a purchase price of $1,202.70, which consideration was deferred. The shipping instructions (order) for the okra seed and Double T seed, which contained the limitation of warranty and liability provisions hereinbefore set forth, was dated March 9, 1964, and was signed by J. R. Gulick.

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420 S.W.2d 438, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/asgrow-seed-company-v-gulick-texapp-1967.