Dempsey v. Rosenthal

121 Misc. 2d 612, 468 N.Y.S.2d 441, 37 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1091, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3972
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedOctober 27, 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 121 Misc. 2d 612 (Dempsey v. Rosenthal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Civil Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dempsey v. Rosenthal, 121 Misc. 2d 612, 468 N.Y.S.2d 441, 37 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1091, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3972 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

David B. Saxe, J.

The novel issue that I am asked to resolve in the context of this small claims proceeding is as follows: Is a consumer who purchases a dog with one undescended testicle entitled to damages amounting to a refund of the amount paid on the ground that the dog is defective and therefore nonmerchantable?

The essential facts are these: While passing by the American Kennels pet stores on May 20, 1983, at 786 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, Ms. Ruby Dempsey, a Huntington, Long Island, school teacher, decided to investigate the purchase of a poodle.

Apparently overcome by the beauty of a four- and one-half pound, nine-week-old puppy, a pedigreed white poodle, Ms. Dempsey paid over $541.25 to the store and became the proud owner of a new pet whom she named Mr. Dunphy.

Five days after purchase, Mr. Dunphy was examined at the Animal Clinic of New York by veterinarian Dr. Malcolm A. Kram. Dr. Kram’s findings were succinct: “While [613]*613the dog appears in good physical health, I have found him to be a unilateral cryptorchid. This is considered to be a congenital defect.”

A unilateral cryptorchid is a dog with one undescended testicle. Ms. Dempsey was outraged and demanded a full refund from American Kennels. “It’s defective”, she exclaimed in court, referring to the hapless Mr. Dunphy. “I assumed it would be suitable for breeding but it’s defective — it can’t breed” she continued.

On July 5,1983, Mr. Dunphy was again examined at the Animal Clinic — this time by veterinarian Dr. Marco Zancope. Dr. Zancope confirmed the diagnosis of his colleague, viz., that Mr. Dunphy had only one normally descended testicle. Over the defendant’s objection, Ms. Dempsey returned Mr. Dunphy to the store and demanded a refund. The store refused and suit was begun.

At trial, Ms. Dempsey relied on the testimony of her two expert witnesses, Drs. Kram and Zancope, who reiterated the contents of their reports — that Mr. Dunphy had only one descended testicle, and also upon her belief, that due to this condition, the dog could not be properly bred.

When called as a witness, Dr. Kram acknowledged that the dog was in good health. Additionally, he stated that the level of fertility was about the same for a dog with Mr. Dunphy’s condition as compared with one with two normally descended testicles. Indeed, he stated that the condition might be later reversible with the “dropping” of the other testicle. The condition was, he continued, a genetic defect and a future litter would likely carry this trait. Finally, he stated, a dog with this condition could not be a show dog. Mr. Dunphy was not offered in evidence.

American Kennels, in defense, relies on the wording of its contract of sale and upon the expert testimony of its veterinarian, Dr. Richard Holmes, who examined the dog (it was returned to the store by Ms. Dempsey and never picked up by her) on July 15, 1983. At the time of the examination, Dr. Holmes found both testicles in the scrotum. “The right testicle is higher than the left but is scrotal. Both normal size and shape,” he wrote.

[614]*614Ms. Dempsey, still concerned presumably about this condition arising in future litters, insisted that the dog was still objectionable and pressed for a refund.

The contract of sale provides the consumer with rights to a full refund upon return of the pet “if your veterinarian finds within two weeks of sale that your pet is sick as to be unfit for purchase.” But, that was not the case here. Neither of the veterinarians who testified for Ms. Dempsey found Mr. Dunphy to be “sick as to be unfit for purchase.”

The contract of sale also provides a 60-day health guarantee to the buyer with a right to exchange the pet within 60 days of purchase if the veterinarian finds anything wrong with the pet. The clause continues: “in such case it will be exchanged for another pet of equal value of the customer’s choice at once or when available provided a letter from the examining veterinarian is presented as evidence of the pet’s illness and the pet is returned within the guarantee period.” This provision does not aid the claimant here because it provides for an exchange of pets (not a refund) and more importantly, it appears to be triggered only upon the discovery of some illness by the veterinarian. The heading of the clause is “60 day Health Guarantee” and thus bears out this conclusion.

Thus, whatever rights may expressly exist under the contract of sale, they are not of a nature to mandate the return of her purchase price.

The inquiry turns next to the applicability of one or more of the implied warranties which arise in connection with modern sales transactions under article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Mr. Dunphy, a pet dog, is considered a “good” as defined by section 2-105 of the Uniform Commercial Code. (See Key v Bagen, 136 Ga App 373.)

Section 2-314 of the Uniform Commercial Code provides that “(1) [u]nless excluded or modified * * * a warranty that the goods shall be merchantable is implied in a contract for their sale if the seller is a merchant with respect to goods of that kind.” Subdivision (1) of section 2-104 defines a merchant as “a person who deals in goods of the kind or otherwise by his occupation holds himself out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to the practices or goods involved in the transaction or to whom such knowledge or [615]*615skill may be attributed by his employment of an agent or broker or other intermediary who by his occupation holds himself out as having such knowledge or skill.” Here, it cannot be disputed that the vendor, American Kennels, is a merchant in the business of regularly selling dogs and other pets.

Subdivision (2) of section 2-314 of the Uniform Commercial Code sets forth a complex definition of merchantability with six standards. These standards are designed to be minimal requirements since goods are required to “at least” conform with all of the tests to be “merchantable” (see Uniform Commercial Code, § 2-314, Comment 6).

The first test of merchantable quality is whether the goods “pass without objection in the trade under the contract description” (Uniform Commercial Code, § 2-314, subd [2], par [a]). This standard effectively sums up all of the various “definitions” of merchantable quality since the principal function of the warranty of merchantability has been to give legal effect to a buyer’s reasonable expectations based on trade understanding of the quality of goods normally supplied under such a contract. (51 NY Jur, Sales, § 176.)

The second through sixth tests of merchantability, set out in section 2-314 of the Uniform Commercial Code, are as follows: the goods must be at least such as:

“(b) in the case of fungible goods, are of fair average quality within the description; and

“(c) are fit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are used; and

“(d) run, within the variations permitted by the agreement, of even kind, quality and quantity within each unit and among all units involved; and

“(e) are adequately contained, packaged, and labeled as . the agreement may require; and

“(f) conform to the promises or affirmations of fact made on the container or label if any.”

Any exclusion or modification of the implied warranty of merchantability must expressly mention merchantability and, in case of a writing, be conspicuous.

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Bluebook (online)
121 Misc. 2d 612, 468 N.Y.S.2d 441, 37 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1091, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dempsey-v-rosenthal-nycivct-1983.