Burge Ice MacHine Company v. Strother

273 S.W.2d 479, 197 Tenn. 391, 1954 Tenn. LEXIS 501
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 16, 1954
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 273 S.W.2d 479 (Burge Ice MacHine Company v. Strother) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burge Ice MacHine Company v. Strother, 273 S.W.2d 479, 197 Tenn. 391, 1954 Tenn. LEXIS 501 (Tenn. 1954).

Opinions

[393]*393Mr. Justice Swepston

delivered tlie opinion of tlie Court.

We granted certiorari in this case on the petition of both parties to the suit. The case has been ably stated by the Court of Appeals and we copy from same as follows:

“This suit grows out of a contract to furnish and install in ‘a neat and workmanlike manner’ certain refrigerating machinery and apparatus. The Burge Ice Machine Co., of Chicago, is engaged in the sale and installation of such machinery. For the sake of brevity it is hereinafter referred to as ‘Burge.’ John P. Strother, a resident of Knox County, Tenn., desired to build and equip a frozen food locker plant, and he is hereinafter referred to as ‘ Strother. ’
“On Nov. 20th, 1945, Strother wrote Burge advising of his being in the market for such equipment, submitting a floor plan of his building then under construction, and asking for prompt action. He specifically stated that he desired to buy a Baker compressor.
“This led to Burge submitting to Strother a proposal to furnish and install this refrigerating machinery for the sum of $4,200, of which $1,400 was to be paid with order, $1,400 upon delivery of equipment, and $1,400 upon completion of the installation and a one-day operation test. This proposal was dated Jan. 8,1946, and was made by Wm. J. McCoy, Jr., district manager of Burge. It was accepted the same day by Strother, and approved by Burge on January 17th following.
“Strother completed the construction of his plant in March 1946, and was anxious to get the refrigeration installed by May so that he could handle the strawberry crop. He testified that McCoy, district manager of [394]*394Burge, told Mm that Burge had this equipment and material on hand and would have the plant in operation by May 1st, following. The proposal before mentioned did not fix any date for the completion of the work. However, the installation was not completed until the fall of 1946, and this was only partial in that there was not furnished a new ‘Baker Ammonia Compressor, Model F6B’ as stipulated in the proposal, but in lieu thereof there was installed an old ‘loaner’ compressor to be used until a new one could be obtained. Compressors are the very heart of refrigerating systems and this ‘loaner’ never gave satisfactory performance. The delay in installation of the equipment and the installation of this ‘loaner’ compressor was to be the cause of many complaints from Strother to Burge’s representative, McCoy. Strother testified this equipment was never accepted by him.
“Matters continued in this condition until September 28, 1948, when Burge claimed there was due from Strother the sum of $3,114.88, representing the balance due on the original contract plus some lockers subsequently purchased by Strother, and less some questioned items. And on that date Strother executed to Burge a chattel mortgage on this equipment to Burge calling for the payment of $1,000' on O’ct. 1, 1948, and securing a series of twelve notes, each for $176.24, with interest, the first of which was due January 1, 1949, and one each month thereafter, making the amount agreed upon $3,114.88.
“It is interesting to note that this mortgage covered one ‘Baker Model F6B, 4 cylinder assmonia compressor to be installed on payment of $1,000 cash Oct. 1, 1948.’ So it will be seen that this compressor had not been furnished even at that late date, although Burge had sold a similar compressor to another whose order was subsequent to that of Strother. The $1,000 above mentioned [395]*395as due Oct. 1, 1948, was not fully paid until February 1949. Tlie new compressor was not delivered and installed until April 1949. In the meantime, in February 1949, Burge tried to pass off on Strother a second hand compressor which had been repainted, but which he declined to accept, telling McCoy ‘you either get a new machine in here or let’s go to Court.’ When this new compressor finally was installed it was in a faulty manner and with some faulty or improper material, (some of which was in the original installation) and was never accepted by Strother, who continually complained to McCoy about it.
“On January 21, 1949, Strother paid all but a few cents of the amount due on the first note, maturing Jan. 1, 1949. Nothing further was paid. Strother refused to accept the installation and Burge would make no further attempt to correct the installation and defects.
“On July 13, 1950, Burge filed this suit to recover on said notes and to enforce the chattel mortgage before mentioned.
“On August 18, 1950, Strother answered, claiming damages largely in excess of Burge’s notes, and then filed the answer as a cross bill seeking to recover such damages, which were based upon.the defectiveness in, and faulty installation of, the ‘loaner’ compressor as well as the faulty installation of the new compressor.
“On November 14,1952 (or twenty-seven months after the filing and service of the cross action) Burge answered, taking the position that the ‘loaner’ compressor was installed with the approval and to the satisfaction of StrotherJ and that the failure to more promptly deliver the new compressor was due to the failure of Strother to promptly meet his payments. It recited the attempts made by Burge to satisfy Strother, and says ‘that these efforts on the part of the cross-defendant and its agents [396]*396were of no avail as the cross-complainant continued to find fault and complained as to both, the manner of installation and the compressor itself. ’
“ A jury was demanded by Strother and after the cause was set for hearing he amended his bill so as to charge:
“ ‘Defendant avers that the scheme of the complainant of getting defendant to sign notes was a fraudulent scheme of complainant to obtain a stranglehold on defendant, who did not know much about legal procedure, so that after signing the notes defendant would not be able to tell the Court about the many derelictions and bad-faith actions of the complainant before the signing of the notes. Complainant thought that by getting the defendant to sign notes, they could then say to him that his mouth was closed as to everything that took place before the signing of the notes. Defendant avers that this was the chief purpose of complainant in getting him to sign the notes, and that complainant’s statement to him that it was just simply a matter of bookkeeping was false and was a fraudulent inducement to get him to sign the notes. At one time defendant took $6,000 in cash in his pocket to complainant’s agent and told him he wanted his new compressor which they had contracted to him and that he had $6,000 in his pocket to pay for it. ’
“The issues submitted to the jury and its answers thereto are:
“ ‘1. Was there any deception or fraud practiced by the complainant’s agent in obtaining the execution of the notes and chattel mortgage by the defendant?
“‘(Answer “Yes” or “No”) Tes
“ ‘2. Was the delay in the delivery and installation of the old compressor the fault of complainant, Burge Ice Machine Company, or the fault of defendant Strother?
[397]*397 “ ‘Burge Ice Machine Co.

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Burge Ice MacHine Company v. Strother
273 S.W.2d 479 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1954)

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Bluebook (online)
273 S.W.2d 479, 197 Tenn. 391, 1954 Tenn. LEXIS 501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burge-ice-machine-company-v-strother-tenn-1954.