Clearview Louver Window Corp. v. Rubin Glass & Mirror Co.

284 S.W.2d 221, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2186
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 2, 1955
Docket10350
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 284 S.W.2d 221 (Clearview Louver Window Corp. v. Rubin Glass & Mirror Co.) 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
Clearview Louver Window Corp. v. Rubin Glass & Mirror Co., 284 S.W.2d 221, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2186 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from the judgment of the 133rd District Court of Harris County, Texas, awarding plaintiff, Rubin Glass & Mirror Company, a corporation, the sum of $12,423.83 as the contract price of certain glass allegedly sold to defendant, Clearview Louver Window Corporation, plus the sum of $804.68 as storage on the goods in controversy. Plaintiff had sued the defendant for the contract price of certain glass strips described in purchase orders issued by defendant. A part of the materials had been delivered and paid for. The remainder was physically tendered to defendant, refused, and thereafter stored by plaintiff in a warehouse in Dallas. Defendant answered that it had taken and paid for all, or substantially all, of the glass ordered from defendant and that the glass tendered was in excess of its contracts to purchase and by general denial.

*222 On trial without a jury, the court entered judgment for plaintiff for the full amount of its claim, the gross contract price of the glass tendered, $12,423.83, and in addition, its warehouse charges of $804.-68, with interest on both the principal of the judgment and the warehouse charges.

The appeal is predicated on eight points and are to the effect that the court erred in rendering judgment for the full amount of the selling price of certain glass strips, which defendant had contracted for and delivery had been tendered, which was refused, since plaintiff’s suit was for breach of contract and its measure of damages was the difference between the contract price and the value of the glass when tender was made; that the remedy of the plaintiff for breach of the contract to purchase the glass strips manufactured for buyer is the difference between the contract price and the market value at the time of breach, and the seller was required to establish its loss by sufficient evidence that the finding of the court that plaintiff had no sale or market for the glass is without, support in the record, but is contradicted; that the test of the value is not whether plaintiff knew the value, but whether such value was determinable and the record affirmatively shows that the property had a substantial value and was salable; that the finding that-the materials in storage were subject to defendant’s withdrawal and completely at its disposal .is not supported, but is contradictory; that the contract was for the purchase of an aggregate amount of glass, and the acquisition of the glass for the Florida Plant was in partial liquidation of that obligation, and the finding that it was an additional purchase is contrary to the great weight of the evidence; that it was error to charge the purchaser with the cost of storing the materials, because there was no contract therefor and no showing that the nature thereof required special handling.

Appellant briefs and presents the first four points together since they involve the same or overlapping portions of the record.

Appellant takes the position that appel-lee’s pleading is that the delivery of the goods was made pursuant to prior contracts; second, that if appellant had not expressly agreed to pay the prices set out that it had promised to pay the then reasonable market value of the merchandise; and third, that appellee had sold the goods to appellant which had been specially prepared to appellant’s specifications, and ap-pellee had agreed to accept the goods and pay the sum of $12,423.83 under each allegation.

The court made extensive findings of fact and conclusions of law and found that defendant signed and delivered to plaintiff certain purchase orders, attached to plaintiff’s pleadings, together with certain amending orders, by the terms of which the defendant ordered at the prices therein set out certain strips of glass for delivery in Dallas, Texas; that plaintiff accepted the purchase orders and prepared the strips of glass to the specifications set out in the defendant’s orders, and delivered or tendered delivery of all the materials covered by defendant’s change orders No. 1 from time to time from June 2, 1953 to, on, or about November 23, 1953, in accordance with defendant’s requests; that the defendant paid, at the prices Set out in the change orders No. 1 for the materials delivered through November 10, 1953 under such orders ;' that on or about November 20, 1953, the plaintiff shipped from Houston to defendant in Dallas,' Texas the remaining glass strips to be delivered on defendant’s said change orders No. 1, and are set out on copies of plaintiff’s invoices; that defendant refused to accept the materials so tendered it' at Dallas by plaintiff, and plaintiff placed such materials in storage in Dallas Transfer & Terminal Storage Warehouse Company in Dallas, and informed defendant of such storage for the account of defendant, and that defendant could have withdrawn the materials’at any time; that plaintiff has paid the storage charges in the sum of $804.68.

The court found that the materiáls tendered were agreed on by plaintiff and that the amount due defendant is the sum of $12,423.83, the 'amount sued for, and that plaintiff had no other market for the mate *223 rials so tendered and refused and that defendant continues to refuse to accept such tender.

That more than thirty days prior to institution of suit plaintiff made demand for payment of its debt and on defendant’s failure to pay, the plaintiff employed the law firm of Shapiro & Co'rman to bring the suit and agreed to pay them a reasonable attorney’s fee, and that the parties agreed in open court that if Article 2226, V.A.C.S. was applicable, such attorney’s fees in the amount of 20% of plaintiff’s recovery, but not to exceed $1,500 would be allowable by the court.

The court further found that the strips of glass delivered and those tendered for delivery were used, or were for the use by defendant in its manufacturing of what are commonly known as jalousie windows or doors. ,

The court found that plaintiff shipped to defendant in Florida all materials covered by purchase order No. FA468, and defendant accepted them and they were paid for in a satisfactory way to plaintiff; that such order was independent from all other transactions between plaintiff and defendant.

The court concluded as a matter of law that the defendant executed the purchase orders which were accepted by plaintiff and constituted a binding contractual arrangement between the parties; that deliveries were timely made and tenders of delivery were made to defendant of the materials and accepted by the defendant through October 19, 1953, and payments made therefor, or in some instances some material was returned by defendant and accepted by plaintiff and credit memorandum was issued to be used by defendant in offsetting any subsequent debt it might be obligated tq pay to plaintiff.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
284 S.W.2d 221, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2186, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clearview-louver-window-corp-v-rubin-glass-mirror-co-texapp-1955.