Beckett v. F. W. Woolworth Co.

28 N.E.2d 804, 306 Ill. App. 384, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 862
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 19, 1940
DocketGen. No. 41,009
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 28 N.E.2d 804 (Beckett v. F. W. Woolworth Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beckett v. F. W. Woolworth Co., 28 N.E.2d 804, 306 Ill. App. 384, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 862 (Ill. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Hebel

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an action for damages for an eye injury which the plaintiff claims was caused by poisonous and harmful substances contained in a tube of “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara, ’ ’ purchased by her from the retailer, F. W. Woolworth Company, the defendant. The manufacturer of the article is not a party to this action. The cause was submitted to a jury who rendered a verdict in favor of plaintiff and assessed the damages at $11,250.

At the close of the plaintiff’s case and at the close of all the evidence, the defendant filed motions for directed verdicts; both motions were denied. After the verdict, defendant filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, and a motion for a new trial. The motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict was denied and the court ordered that the plaintiff file a remittitur of $5,250 within 20 days or the defendant’s motion for a new trial would be granted. The plaintiff then remitted $5,250 from the verdict. The defendant renewed its motion for a new trial and moved in arrest of judgment on the verdict as remitted, both of which motions were denied, and the court thereupon entered judgment against the defendant for $6,000.

The complaint bases the liability of the defendant on the theory of' a breach of warranty. The defendant filed an amendment to its answer setting forth that the sale of “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara” was a sale under a trade name, presenting the defense that there is no implied warranty by a retailer in the sale of an article under a trade name.

The cause was submitted to the jury upon instructions and upon consideration the verdict as suggested was rendered.

The facts as they appear from the statements of the parties in this action are that the plaintiff is a single woman, 35 years of age, and has been in the millinery business for 16 years. The defendant is a corporation which maintains a chain of “five and ten cent stores.” “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara” is a preparation to be used by women for the purpose of beautifying the eyelashes. It is made up of the following ingredients ; oil, fat, water, lamp black and soap. This mascara is sold in tubes which are attached to small cards along with little brushes for applying it. The card, tube and brush are made by Pinaud, Inc., of New York City. The tube of mascara is prepared by a machine which automatically mixes, fills and seals the tube. These are shipped to retailers in boxes containing one dozen. In 1937,1,500,000 tubes were sold in various chain stores. The chief chemist of Pinaud testified that they had one other claim that “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara” caused injury to the eye, and there also was one witness for plaintiff who testified that by reason of a certain odor given off in a test, he believed that the mascara contained an aniline dye.

It also appears that plaintiff had been using “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara” for some time and had been purchasing it from defendant for 8 years and that she never had any trouble in applying it before.

The plaintiff testified that on Friday, September 3, 1937, she entered one of defendant’s stores and had a cup of coffee and then stopped at the cosmetic counter and picked up a tube of “Pinaud’s Six-Twelve Creamy Mascara” by its trade name. She testified that she had some conversation with the clerk regarding the mascara; that she picked the card up and told the clerk that she would take it with her. At that time she said to the clerk “this mascara is safe isn’t it?” and that the clerk replied, “It is on the tube — it says harmless, ’’ and that plaintiff said, “I’ll take it,” and then she bought it.

Plaintiff testified that she had bought this mascara before but that she had never had any trouble with it, but that she never got any of it in her eye. She took the mascara home in a bag. She used it next evening, which was Saturday, putting it on her eyelashes at about 11:00 P.M. as she was preparing to go out. She testified that as she was applying it to the lashes of her right eye some of the mascara fell into the eye. The eye itched and smarted and she tried to remove it by rolling the eye around, but did not use any object like a handkerchief to get the mascara out.

The next day the right eye became swollen and she called in Dr. Wise who gave her an eye wash. About Wednesday she went to the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary where she remained about four days. She then went to her sister’s home, where her sister’s husband, Mr. Oscar Jordan, one of the attorneys representing her in this case, called in Dr. Maurice Snitman. Dr. Snitman ordered the plaintiff to the North Shore Hospital where Dr. Snitman called Dr. Coles. Dr. Coles operated on plaintiff’s right eye on or about September 22,1937. Dr. Coles diagnosed plaintiff’s infection as a serpiginous ulcer, which is a type of perforating ulcer. A serpiginous ulcer derives its name from its serpentine shape, and it is the name usually reserved for infection by the pneumococcus germ. A few days after the operation the plaintiff had some trouble with the left eye, resulting in little blisters on the cornea of her left eye.

On September 20, Dr. Snitman made a smear from the plaintiff’s eye and examined it under a microscope, finding some staphylococci. About a week later he got the tube from Miss Beckett and took it to the hospital technician. At this time the tube was broken. A smear was made on September 29, which revealed bacteria, which the technician testified, over objections, were “about staphylococcus, germs of negligible-bacilli.”

Miss Beckett testified that after using the mascara on the night of September 4,1937, she screwed the cap back on the tube and placed it in her drawer. There is some conflict in the evidence as to the way the tube reached the hospital and Dr. Snitman. Plaintiff stated that she carried it to the hospital in her purse. However, she-admitted that she testified in her discovery deposition that the last time she 'saw the tube was in the hospital and that she did not remember who brought it there.

It appears from the testimony of the plaintiff that before the accident in 1937 her general condition and health was perfect and her eyes were perfect, that she had been engaged for 16 years in the millinery business and at the time of the accident she was 35 years of age, and that she wore glasses only for close sewing. She is an unmarried woman who lived at home with her parents.

As to the damages to her eye her testimony was that she does not have any sight in the right eye. She says that she can see light from dark but cannot see an object and cannot read a letter; that the only thing she can distinguish is dark from light.

On her cross-examination she testified that she applied the mascara with brush near the eyelashes and in the proper manner, and that she did not at any time during the operation apply her hand or finger to her eye. As we have already indicated, after the application to one eye the itching sensation commenced and after 2 hours the sensation was sufficiently great that she felt it necessary to call a physician.

There is some evidence that the boric acid which she adapted as a harmless first aid remedy was a fresh solution which she purchased in crystal form from a local drug store and made up the solution in boiling water.

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Related

Beckett v. F. W. Woolworth Co.
34 N.E.2d 427 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1941)

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Bluebook (online)
28 N.E.2d 804, 306 Ill. App. 384, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 862, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beckett-v-f-w-woolworth-co-illappct-1940.