Authorized Supply Co. v. Swift & Co.

271 F.2d 242
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedOctober 12, 1959
DocketNo. 16274
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 271 F.2d 242 (Authorized Supply Co. v. Swift & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Authorized Supply Co. v. Swift & Co., 271 F.2d 242 (9th Cir. 1959).

Opinion

JERTBERG, Circuit Judge.

For purposes of clarity, inasmuch as there are two separate appeals in this case, we will refer in this opinion to the parties by their designations in the district court.

The plaintiff is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Illinois, and the other parties are corporations organized under the laws of the State of Arizona. The contract out of which the action arose was made and entered into in the State of Arizona. The amount in controversy exceeded $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs. The jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the State of Arizona was properly invoked under the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C.A. § 1332(a) (1). Jurisdiction of this Court is based upon Title 28 U.S. C.A. § 1291.

The facts in this case are not in dispute and may be summarized as follows: By contract dated May 31, 1955, plaintiff contracted with the defendant Arizona York Refrigeration Company to install certain refrigeration equipment in plaintiff’s building in Tucson, Arizona. The installation required among other things two refrigeration coils. Two refrigeration coils manufactured by Bush Manufacturing Company, a Connecticut corporation, were purchased by said defendant through third-party defendant Authorized Supply Company of Arizona, the Arizona distributor for Bush Company products. The coils were shipped to the said defendant direct from the Bush factory in Connecticut and were billed to said defendant through Authorized Supply Company. The coils were installed by said defendant in plaintiff’s building. After complete installation of the refrigeration equipment and in December, 1955, one of the coils developed a leak which permitted ammonia gas to escape into plaintiff’s storage area causing damage to meat and other products stored there by plaintiff. The sole cause of damage was the manufacturer’s defect in one of the refrigeration coils.

After the leak had been discovered and the fact of damage resulting therefrom was known to plaintiff and the other parties, said defendant (or Southern Arizona York Refrigeration Company, its successor), with the knowledge and permission of plaintiff returned the defective coil to the Bush Manufacturing Company through the third-party defendant and received in its place from Bush through the third-party defendant a new coil unit free of charge. The new unit was installed by the defendants at plaintiff’s plant without costs to plaintiff.

Thereafter plaintiff brought its action against the defendants alleging negligence and breach of express and implied warranties, and seeking damages resulting therefrom. The defendants joined Authorized Supply Company as third-party defendant, alleging negligence and [244]*244breach of warranty of fitness implied under Arizona law. All negligence counts were dropped on trial and both plaintiff and defendants proceeded solely on the theory of breach of warranties.

Following trial, the district court granted plaintiff judgment against the defendants in the sum of $9,175.29, and granted judgment over against third-party defendant in favor of the defendants in the same amount. The defendants have appealed from the judgment against them, and the third-party defendant has appealed from the judgment against it.

Since federal jurisdiction depends upon the diversity of citizenship we are to be governed in our decision in this case by the laws of the State of Arizona as declared by the highest court of that State. Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins, 1938, 304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817, 82 L.Ed. 1188.

We will first consider the appeal of the defendants from the judgment entered in favor of plaintiff.

It is clear from the pleadings, the evidence, and the plaintiff’s brief filed in this Court that plaintiff seeks recovery of damages against defendants only on a theory of breach of express and implied warranties of a contract for the sale of goods.

The defendants have made several specifications of error, but in our view of the case we need consider only one.

Defendants contend that plaintiff’s cause of action for damages for breach of warranties was irrevocably lost by its election of the remedy of rescission afforded by Section 44-269 of Arizona Revised Statutes (see Section 69 of the Uniform Sales Act). Sub-section A provides :

“Where there is a breach of warranty by the seller, the buyer may, at his election:

1. Accept or keep the goods and set up against the seller, the breach of warranty by way of recoupment in diminution or extinction of the price.

2. Accept or keep the goods and maintain an action against the seller for damages for the breach of warranty.

3. Refuse to accept the goods, if the property therein has not passed, and maintain an action against the seller for damages for the breach of warranty.

4. Rescind the contract to sell or the sale and refuse to receive the goods or if the goods have already been received, return them or offer to return them to the seller and recover the price or any part thereof which has been paid.”

The first question to be answered is: Was the contract for the purchase of the defective coil rescinded? The plaintiff recognizes the rule to be, as stated in its answering brief, “The general rule is well known, namely, that upon a sale of personal property where the goods do not measure up to the warranty, the buyer has an election to return the goods and rescind the sale or to keep the goods and sue for damages.” It appears clear that such is the general rule. 77 C.J.S. Sales § 355; 46 Am.Jur. (Sales) Section 727; Williston on Sales, Section 612, 1950 Supplement; 157 A.L.R. page 1077.

Plaintiff argues, however, that no rescission can be implied because plaintiff never intended to rescind the contract, and for that reason, our decision on this point is controlled by Clyde Equipment Co. v. Fiorito, 9 Cir., 1926, 16 F.2d 106, 107. The statement of the Court in that case relied upon by the plaintiff, which appears at page 108, is as follows:

“The mere fact that personal property sold under a contract is returned to the vendor and credit given therefor on the account, does not constitute ipso facto a rescission of the contract. Whether or not property so returned and credited constitutes an abandonment of that part of the contract covering it is a matter of intention. Black on Rescission, § 534, p. 1285 [1286].”

[245]*245The Clyde case arose from the State of Washington. The Uniform Sales Act became law in the State of Washington on January 14, 1926. The Clyde decision was rendered on November 29, 1926. This Act is not mentioned in the opinion. The Clyde opinion contains no citation of decisions from the State of Washington, or elsewhere, on this point, and was decided a number of years prior to Erie R. Co. v. Tompkins, supra. It also appears that the holding of the Clyde case is contrary to the law of the State of Washington as it existed before and after the enactment of the Uniform Sales Act. In Houser & Haines Mfg. Co. v. McKay, 1909, 53 Wash. 337, 101 P. 894, 895, 27 L.R.A.,N.S., 925, the Supreme Court of Washington applying common law of the State of Washington stated:

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
271 F.2d 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/authorized-supply-co-v-swift-co-ca9-1959.