Gared Holdings, LLC v. Best Bolt Products, Inc.

991 N.E.2d 1005, 81 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 173, 2013 WL 3804047, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 351
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 23, 2013
Docket49A02-1210-PL-811
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 991 N.E.2d 1005 (Gared Holdings, LLC v. Best Bolt Products, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gared Holdings, LLC v. Best Bolt Products, Inc., 991 N.E.2d 1005, 81 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 173, 2013 WL 3804047, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 351 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinions

[1007]*1007OPINION

CRONE, Judge.

Case Summary

Gared Holdings, LLC (“Gared”), approached Best Bolt, Products, Inc. (“Best Bolt”), to see whether Best Bolt could supply pulleys for use in basketball goal systems that Gared manufactures. Gared provided Best Bolt with samples of the pulleys that it had been using, but also indicated that there were problems with those pulleys. Gared did not provide detailed specifications to Best Bolt and did not specifically request a lubricated bushing, a cylindrical part that fits between the wheel and axle to reduce friction. Best Bolt produced some samples, and Gared had some testing performed on the pulleys, but did not discover that the pulleys lacked a lubricated bushing. The lack of lubrication caused the pulleys to seize up soon after the basketball goals were sold.

Gared sued Best Bolt on several theories, including breach of contract, breach of the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and breach of the implied warranty of merchantability. Best Bolt filed a counterclaim seeking payment for a second order of pulleys and an order of clevis pins, which Gared had refused to accept. The trial court ruled in Best Bolt’s favor on each of Gared’s claims and on Best Bolt’s counterclaim. Gared now appeals.

Gared had argued that the parties’ contract required Best Bolt to replicate the samples that Gared provided to Best Bolt, and the trial court rejected that argument. The evidence favorable to the judgment reflects that Gared informed Best Bolt that it was having problems with the pulleys that it was using at the time. From this, it is reasonable to infer that Gared did not want or expect duplicates of the sample pulleys. Regarding the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, the trial court found that Gared had not established that it relied on Best Bolt’s skill or judgment in producing a pulley that was appropriate for use in the basketball goal systems. The evidence favorable to the judgment reflects that Gared was aware that the pulleys should have a lubricated bushing and simply assumed that Best Bolt would include one in its design. We conclude that the evidence supports the trial court’s judgment on these two issues.

The trial court concluded that the warranty of merchantability did not apply because Best Bolt was not a merchant of pulleys. The trial court found that Best Bolt was a distributor rather than a manufacturer and had made only one sale of pulleys. We conclude that the fact that Best Bolt was not a manufacturer is not relevant to the issue of whether it was a merchant. Also, the undisputed evidence shows that Best Bolt made two sales of pulleys and was willing to continue selling pulleys. We conclude that these facts indicate that Best Bolt is a merchant with a relatively new product rather than a non-merchant seller making an isolated sale. Because the evidence is in conflict and the trial court did not reach the issue, we remand for the trial court to determine whether Best Bolt breached the warranty of merchantability. Depending on the trial court’s resolution of this issue, it may also be necessary to reconsider the ruling on Best Bolt’s counterclaim. Therefore, we affirm in part and remand.

Facts and Procedural History

Best Bolt primarily sells fasteners, such as “bolts, nuts and screws and miscellaneous hardware items.” Tr. at 115. Best Bolt is a distributor; it does not manufacture the products that it sells. Sometime in 2006, Curtis Sparks, a salesman for Best Bolt, noticed that Gared had playground equipment outside its facility and thought that Gared could be a potential customer. Sparks stopped in and introduced himself. [1008]*1008He was directed to Lori Turner, a purchasing manager who is responsible for ordering parts that Gared uses in the products that they manufacture. Sparks began stopping in every four weeks in hopes of establishing a business relationship with Gared. Gared eventually placed orders for cable clamps, clevis pins, and D rings.

At issue in this case are two orders that Gared placed for pulleys. Gared uses pulleys in the basketball goal systems that it manufactures. The basketball goals are designed to hang from the ceiling and can be raised and lowered. The facts favorable to the judgment reflect that, during one of Sparks’s regular sales calls in 2006, Turner asked him if Best Bolt could supply pulleys. Turner indicated that their current supplier, Inventory Sales, was going to raise the price, and she was hoping to find a less expensive pulley. Turner also indicated that there was a problem with cables slipping off the wheel and becoming lodged between the wheel and the side plate. Turner provided samples pulleys in two sizes, # 3 and # 5. Sparks told Turner, “I’ll see what I can do.” Id. at 129. Sparks did not tell Turner that neither he personally nor Best Bolt generally had ever sold pulleys before.

Sparks requested a drawing, but Turner indicated that they did not have one. Gared did not provide detailed specifications for the pulleys, but did indicate that the # 5 pulleys needed to be rated at 1550 pounds, withstand a standard pull test of 8000 pounds, and withstand a side pull test of 5000 pounds. At some point during the design process, Gared also requested that the pulleys be fastened together with ny-locks rather than rivets.

Best Bolt decided to source the pulleys through Dakota Engineering, which would manufacture the pulleys in China. The sample pulleys from Gared were sent to Dakota’s engineer in China, who sent back a sample. Joe Connerly, the engineering manager for Gared, examined the samples, measured the diameter, and looked for a proper gap between the wheel and side plate. He did not take the samples apart because they “appeared to be correct.” Id. at 191. Although he could not tell for sure without taking the pulley apart, he believed that the pulley contained a lubricated bushing because there was a small gap on each side of the wheel between the wheel and the side plate. However, the sample pulleys did not actually have a bushing.

Gared then sent the samples to St. Louis Labs, which performed the standard pull and side pull tests. The standard pull test involves pulling down on the pulley to see how much weight it takes to destroy the pulley. The side pull test is designed to determine how much force it takes to pull the pulley apart from the sides. The sample pulleys exceeded the minimum requirements that Gared had set for each test.

On June 27, 2007, after receiving the test results, Turner placed an order with Best Bolt for 4995 # 5 pulleys. On April 14, 2008, Turner placed an order for 2000 # 3 pulleys and an additional 5000 # 5 pulleys. The purchase order requested that Best Bolt send samples of each for testing, although it is unclear whether Best Bolt sent the samples and, if so, whether Gared had any testing done.

In the fall of 2008, one of Gared’s customers reported that a basketball goal had fallen part way to the floor. Connerly examined the goal system and determined that the pulley had stopped turning. Because the pulley was not moving with the cable, the cable eventually became frayed and snapped. Connerly took the pulley apart and realized for the first time that the pulley did not have a bushing and was not lubricated in any way. Without any lubrication, the wheel and axle had become [1009]*1009“frozen” together. Id. at 194. Connerly conducted a cycling test on two Best Bolt pulleys, which involves repeatedly lifting and lowering a load.

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991 N.E.2d 1005, 81 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 173, 2013 WL 3804047, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gared-holdings-llc-v-best-bolt-products-inc-indctapp-2013.