E-Z Livin' Mobile Homes, Inc. v. Tommaney

550 P.2d 658, 27 Ariz. App. 11, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 529
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 15, 1976
Docket1 CA-CIV 2812
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 550 P.2d 658 (E-Z Livin' Mobile Homes, Inc. v. Tommaney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
E-Z Livin' Mobile Homes, Inc. v. Tommaney, 550 P.2d 658, 27 Ariz. App. 11, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 529 (Ark. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

DONOFRIO, Presiding Judge.

Appellants (E-Z Livin’) take this appeal from a judgment in favor of appellees.

In the summer of 1971, the appellees Patrick J. Tommaney and Bess Tommaney wanted to purchase a mobile home. They looked at various homes at the E-Z Livin’ Mobile Homes lot in Munds Park, Arizona, and at E-Z Livin’s sales lot in Cave Creek. At neither lot did they see a model that was satisfactory to them.

At Cave Creek they were shown a brochure containing various floor plans for Columbian Mobile Homes (Exhibit 5). They decided that with certain modifications one of the floor plans for a three bedroom, two bath Columbian Mobile Home would fit their needs. Subsequent to their conversations with the salesmen, namely, Cal Newell and Harold Goddard, they entered into a purchase order for a home. The first order was dated August 24, 1971, because the financing agency denied Tommaney’s application, it was necessary for them to enter into a second purchase order. This is dated October 14, 1971 (Exhibit 12). It should be noted that although the Tommaneys had signed both purchase orders, neither Newell, Goddard, nor any other member of E-Z Livin’ had signed either purchase order.

Both purchase orders contained the same basic information, namely, an order for a Columbian Mobile Home, three bedroom, two bath, 64 feet by 24 feet, white in color with green trim. The order also enumerated specific extra items that the Tommaneys desired. The extras included such things as dishwasher, garbage disposal, larger water heater and a self-cleaning electric range. Neither order contained a serial number for the mobile home which was to be ordered.

On or about November 18, 1971, the mobile home was delivered to the Tommaneys at their residence in Tuba City, Arizona. At the time of delivery the Tommaneys indicated to the crew that this was not the mobile home they had ordered and that it was not acceptable.

Because the delivery was made on a Friday afternoon, the crew indicated to Tommaney that they wished to leave the trailer on the lot over the weekend. Tom-maney signed a delivery receipt which indicated that a trailer bearing a certain serial number had been correctly placed on Tommaney’s lot.

As indicated before, the Tommaneys were not satisfied with the trailer and indicated they were not accepting it. Tom-maney called Goddard and at a later date Newell, indicating to both that the trailer *13 delivered was the wrong one. Both Goddard and Newell indicated that they knew that the trailer was not the one that Tom-maney had ordered but that perhaps some terms could be worked out whereby the Tommaneys would accept it.

Tommaney told Newell that they did not want the home that had been delivered and requested the return of their $2,200 down payment. Newell said he had no authority to make the refund. Tommaney then contacted a Mr. Garcia at the offices of Western Coach Corporation who indicated that the down payment would not be returned.

On November 21, the trailer was removed from Tommaney’s lot by the sellers.

Subsequent to this Tommaney instituted suit against E-Z Livin’ and Western Coach Corporation alleging breach of contract, seeking damages and the return of their down payment.

At the conclusion of the trial, a judgment was rendered in favor of appellees in the amount of $3,406.19.

On appeal appellants presented four questions for review.

1. Did appellant E-Z Livin’ perform its obligations pursuant to the contract of October 14, 1971 ?

2. Was parol evidence admissible to show that the contract of October 14, 1971, was for the purchase of a trailer with a floor plan contained in Exhibit No. 5?

3. If the answer to question No. 2 is in the affirmative, what was the measure of damages for any variance between the trailer which was delivered by E-Z Livin’ and the floor plan contained in Exhibit No. 5?

4. Was Western Coach liable for any damages alleged to have been sustained by appellees ?

Questions 1 and 2 will be discussed together because of their interrelationship.

At trial appellees introduced Exhibit 5 which contained the various floor plans for Columbian Mobile Homes. They also introduced a copy of the October 14, 1971 purchase order. Both exhibits were introduced during the course of Tommaney’s testimony. Tommaney was questioned as to the relationship between the two exhibits. At this time defense counsel objected stating that the October 14, 1971 purchase order constituted the full and complete agreement between the parties and that no reference to Exhibit 5 could be shown to vary or alter the terms of the purchase order. This was based on the parol evidence rule. The trial court allowed Tommaney to testify as to the relationship between the purchase order and the brochure containing the various floor plans.

It should be noted that Exhibit 5, in addition to the printed material referring to the floor plan, had various notations made in pencil. The pencil notations on Exhibit 5 were made in reference to diagrams found on the bottom portion of the first page of the brochure. The pencil notations indicated apparent additions and deletions to the floor plan as shown.

During Tommaney’s cross examination by defendant’s counsel, Exhibit 12 was introduced. Exhibit 12 is the actual purchase order of October 14, which is signed by the Tommaneys. It is identical in all respects to Exhibit 6 with the addition of the signatures of the Tommaneys. Tom-maney testified that only portions of Exhibit 5 were expressed in the purchase order. Tommaney also stated that the mobile home was to be modified in accordance with the notations found in the brochure (Exhibit 5).

We agree with appellant’s contention that parol evidence may not be introduced to alter or vary the terms of a complete and unambiguous written agreement between parties. Here, we believe that the description of the mobile home as set out in the purchase agreement is ambiguous on its face. The record shows that the president of E-Z Livin’ Corporation, Max Morgan, testified to the fact that there were various floor plans for a three *14 bedroom, two bath, 64 by 24 foot Colum-bian mobile home. Looking at the purchase order which appellants claim is the complete written agreement between the parties, it cannot be determined which floor plan was to be included in the mobile home described.

Although not specifically alluded to in the record, it appears that when an order is sent to the manufacturer the particular floor plan will be evidenced by the serial number from the mobile home ordered. Here, there was no serial number and it seems apparent that without a particular serial number being enumerated, neither a seller, a purchaser, nor a manufacturer would be able to decide which of the various floor plans is being ordered.

It seems obvious to this Court that in the purchase of an item such as a mobile home one material consideration would be the particular floor plan involved. Here appellants would argue that regardless of the particular floor plan included, as long as the purchaser received a Columbian mobile home which had three bedrooms, two baths, was 64 by 24 feet and white with green trim, appellant had performed fully under the agreement.

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Bluebook (online)
550 P.2d 658, 27 Ariz. App. 11, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/e-z-livin-mobile-homes-inc-v-tommaney-arizctapp-1976.