Bob Rigby, Inc. v. Eagle Crusher, Inc. (In re Bob Rigby, Inc.)

62 B.R. 900, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 954, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5725
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 8, 1986
DocketBankruptcy No. 83-1520; Adv. No. 83-784
StatusPublished

This text of 62 B.R. 900 (Bob Rigby, Inc. v. Eagle Crusher, Inc. (In re Bob Rigby, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bob Rigby, Inc. v. Eagle Crusher, Inc. (In re Bob Rigby, Inc.), 62 B.R. 900, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 954, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5725 (Fla. 1986).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND MEMORANDUM OPINION

ALEXANDER L. PASKAY, Chief Judge.

THE MATTER before the Court in this Chapter 11 case is an adversary proceeding which was initiated by a Complaint, filed by Bob Rigby, Inc. (Debtor) against Eagle Crusher Company, Inc. (Eagle), alleging breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, and negligent design of a portable rock crushing machine (machine).

In due course, Eagle filed its answer in which it generally denied all the allegations set forth in the Complaint relating to warranties, express and implied. In addition, it also set forth several affirmative defenses which are as follows: First, Eagle contended that the Debtor not only had ample opportunity to inspect the machine it purchased, but used the same prior to the acceptance and prior to its consent to finance the purchase price of the machine two months after actual delivery; second, that the Debtor failed to notify Eagle of any defect in the machine within a reasonable period of time; third, that the failure to function was the result of the Debtor’s own failure to properly use, maintain, service or otherwise care for the machine; fourth, that the Debtor’s damages, in any event, are speculative and not subject to proof; fifth, that the written warranty agreement which accompanied the machine is controlling and, under the terms of the “product warranty”, granted by Eagle, the claims of the Debtor have been waived; and, sixth, that the Debtor is collaterally estopped from asserting any claims against Eagle because it suffered an adverse judgment in its suit against Linder Industrial Machinery Company (Linder), the distributor for Eagle who, in fact, sold the machine to the Debtor.

In due course, the matter was tried and the facts germane to the resolution of the issues raised by the respective contentions of the parties, as appear from the record, are as follows:

Since approximately 1966 Bob Rigby, operating as a sole proprietor, doing business as Bob Rigby Trucking, was engaged in mining and selling fill dirt and shell material, primarily to be used for road construction. During the summer of 1980, Rigby was in the process of forming Bob Rigby, Inc. to carry on the same business through the corporation. Rigby, as “promoter” of the corporation, began conferring with representatives of Eagle, a manufacturer of industrial machines and with representatives of Linder, the distributor of machines manufactured by Eagle. The discussions with the representatives of Eagle and Lin-der culminated in the execution of an agreement to purchase from Linder a rock crushing machine to be manufactured by Eagle. Bob Rigby, Inc. was actually formed on August 8, 1980 and it is without dispute that Bob Rigby subsequently ratified and assumed the agreement to purchase the machine which was originally entered into by Rigby individually (Plaintiff’s Exh. # 2). It is equally without dispute that Linder clearly understood that it was dealing with a corporate purchaser and [903]*903not with Bob Rigby individually (Plaintiffs Exh. # 22). On August 26, 1980, Linder submitted a quotation to the Debtor which was accepted by Rigby as president of the Debtor on November 7, 1980. The quotation was also signed by Ben Scales, an employee of Linder, on behalf of Linder.

The evidence leaves no doubt that throughout the negotiations Rigby, Cox, an Eagle representative, and Scales extensively discussed the expected capacity of the machine and it was understood that Rigby expected that the machine should produce 300 tons per hour (TPH) of minus two-inch material. It is clear that Cox and Scales visited the airport site, one of the sites at which the Debtor was to operate the machine eventually; that the material stored at the site had been mined and stockpiled on the banks of the pit to permit the material to be air-dried.

There is ample evidence in this record to support the finding that Rigby was told from the beginning that if the machine was to reach the desired capacity, it would have to process relatively dry material. At-hough Cox, the Eagle representative, took handfuls of the dry, stockpiled material when he visited the airport site, Rigby was told that it was necessary to have a “run of mine,” a sample which would have provided Eagle with an accurate specimen of the materials which would be handled by the machine, in order to assure that the machine was designed properly. The record reflects that no “run of mine” sample was ever provided to Eagle. There is conflicting evidence as to whose responsibility it was to provide a “run of mine” sample and it is in dispute the reason for the failure to provide it to Eagle.

Negotiations were ultimately concluded and Linder provided a final quotation describing the machine in some detail including the provision that the machine was to produce 300 TPH of minus two-inch product. On November 11, 1980, Rigby accepted the quotation submitted by Linder. On November 19, 1980, Linder forwarded a purchase order to Eagle. The purchase order contained the same product description and, in addition, also included a warranty which provided that Eagle warranted that the machine would produce a total of 300 TPH of minus two or three-inch product. (Defendant’s Exh. #30). Upon receipt of the purchase order, Eagle promptly advised Linder that the 300 TPH capacity could not be warranted because the production capability of the machine was dependent first on the size of the material it was to handle and second on its moisture content and some other factors. Eagle also stated that the capacity of the machine might be less under various conditions. Rigby was promptly advised by phone of Eagle’s response. This communication was later confirmed in writing. (Defendant’s Exh. # 31 and # 32). Linder wired a confirmation of its phone conversation with Eagle and advised Eagle to disregard the portion of the purchase order regarding the warranty by Eagle of the capacity stated in the original specification and in the purchase order. Linder acknowledged that it was to provide Eagle with sample material or a breakdown on particle size of material being fed into the machine before its estimated capacity and the ultimate product size could be determined. As noted, no “run of mine” was ever provided by the Debtor to Linder or by Linder to Eagle. It cannot seriously be questioned from the evidence presented that such information was requested of Rigby by Eagle on at least two occasions and that Rigby was advised that Eagle could not warrant 300 TPH unless it had an adequate sample of the material which was to be fed to the machine.

The record further reveals that, during the negotiations, Rigby consulted with Mr. Maloney, a representative of Empire Equipment Company (Empire), and ultimately leased a Hewitt Robbins rock crushing plant from Empire. Maloney advised Rig-by that a rock crusher was a high maintenance item and that the hammerheads, an integral part of the rock crushing mechanism required almost daily welding. It further appears that Rigby was also advised of the hammerhead maintenance problem by Cox, the Eagle representative, and was [904]*904promised that an extra set would be shipped with the machine when it was delivered. There is no credible evidence in this record to substantiate Rigby’s contention that Eagle represented to Rigby that the hammerhead of the machine would last at least six months.

On February 24, 1981, the machine manufactured by Eagle was delivered to Rig-by’s mining site known as the airport pit. Shortly thereafter, Phillips, a Linder employee, delivered the operating manual for the machine together with a product warranty.

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Bluebook (online)
62 B.R. 900, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 954, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5725, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bob-rigby-inc-v-eagle-crusher-inc-in-re-bob-rigby-inc-flmb-1986.