Dunham v. Jones

110 N.E. 203, 184 Ind. 46, 1915 Ind. LEXIS 134
Indiana Supreme Court·Decided November 23, 1915·No. No. 22,828·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

Morris, C. J.

Appellants, Dunham and Dragoo, partners, sold a stallion to appellees, Joseph W. and Charles R. Jones, partners, for the sum of $750. Suit by appellees to recover damages for breach of alleged warranty. The complaint was in two paragraphs, the first of which declared on an express oral warranty, while the second, as construed by appellees and the trial court, proceeded on the theory of breach of a warranty'implied by law. The only issue tendered by appellants was an answer of general denial. A trial by jury resulted in a verdict for appellees for $685.25. Judgment followed the verdict. The error here assigned is the overruling of appellants’ motion for a new trial. The grounds for reversal urged are alleged errors in the giving, and refusal to give, instructions.

1. It is contended that the court erred in the second instruction given because it authorized a verdict on the second paragraph of complaint, which, it is claimed, does not state a cause of action. Appellants waived a consideration of the sufficiency of the paragraph by failing to demur. Acts 1911 p. 415, §344 Burns 1914.

2. By instruction No. 10 the court informed the jury that the “measure of the plaintiffs’ damages is the difference between the market value of the horse at the time of the sale and what the market value of the horse would have been had he been as warranted.” By the express warranty pleaded in the first paragraph the appellants guaranteed that the stallion was a “sure foal getter.” The implied warranty relied on in the second paragraph only guaranteed that the animal was reasonably fit for the purpose for which it was sold. [49] There was evidence on behalf of defendants that stallions with a capacity of fifty per cent of foal getting were regularly stood in that community. It is manifest under such evidence that the quality contemplated by the express warranty pleaded differed from that implied by law. It is claimed by appellants that since the measure of damages on the implied warranty was only the difference between the real value of the stallion, when sold, and his value if he had been reasonably fit for the purposes intended, the instruction was erroneous because not applicable to the alleged implied warranty. We are unable to concur in this view. If the instruction was incomplete appellants can not complain in the absence of a request for a more specific direction to the jury. The instruction given was general, but it applied to each warranty pleaded. The guaranty implied by law is a warranty, although in this ease, the quality warranted as alleged in the second paragraph was not so high as that guaranteed in the first.

3. The evidence shows that some time before the sale appellees were negotiating with one of the appellants for the purchase of the animal for breeding purposes. It was then'represented to appellees that the stallion was a “sure foal getter.” In the meantime the horse had been advertised in a public sale by a neighbor of appellants, . to be held at a later date. Appellants invited appellees to attend the sale and purchase the stallion, and proposed to accept two notes, with approved surety, in payment. Later, on the day of the sale, the auctioneer accepted a bid from appellees, made by said Joseph W. Jones. Thereupon, Jones and W. R. Dunham, father of appellant Grover C. Dunham, and agent of appellants, re[50] tired to draw up the sale notes. Mr. Dunham filled out two notes, and handed them to Jones, who made a statement in relation to a warranty. Dunham’s evidence, regarding this transaction, is as follows: “Q. At the time you wrote the notes, what was said by Mr. Jones with reference to a warranty? A. The elder gentleman, the young one wasn’t there, he said, now, haven’t you a warranty, and I said, no, sir, we have no warranty at all whatever. Q. What else was said? A. He said all right, and I says, so far as I am concerned, I am speaking for Grover, Doc is here for himself. Q. Who is Grover? A. My son, and he says that is all right, and I might want to sell him. Q. What did you then do with the notes? A. Well, they took them. Q. Were they -written? A. Yes, I put in the amount, etc., and the date. Q. After that was done, what was done with them? A. They were to be sent away for security.” Appellees offered no evidence to contradict or explain the above testimony. Some time after the notes were written, they were delivered by appellees to appellants, executed by approved surety, and thereupon the stallion was delivered to appellees.

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Dunham v. Jones, 110 N.E. 203, 184 Ind. 46, 1915 Ind. LEXIS 134 (Ind. 1915).

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