Hart v. Marbury

90 So. 173, 82 Fla. 317
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedOctober 24, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 90 So. 173 (Hart v. Marbury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hart v. Marbury, 90 So. 173, 82 Fla. 317 (Fla. 1921).

Opinion

Ellis, J.

On the 1st of October, 1919, N. L. Hart and Marbury & Beall entered into a contract which was reduced to writing, signed by the parties and witnessed by one witness. The contract provided that Hart, by his agreement sold and agreed to deliver to Marbury & Beall 60,000 pounds of white Spanish peanuts to be grown on Hart’s farm in Jackson'County, the peanuts were to be picked, dry and sound and in good merchantable condition to be delivered in Malone, Florida, not later than November 15, 1919. It was further agreed that Marbury & Beall should pay to Hart the price of six cents per pound for the peanuts when they were delivered. It was mutually agreed that if suit should be brought upon the contract for a breach of it that the person so bringing the action might recover reasonable attorney’s fees. It was further agreed that the title to the peanuts should pass to Marbury & Beall as soon as the peanuts matured.

On the 16th of October, about two weeks after the making of the above agreement, Hart renounced and repudiated the contract and informed Marbury & Beall that he would not deliver the peanuts.

Marbury & Beall then on the 17th day of October began an action against Hart in the Circuit Court for Jackson [319]*319County for damages for the breach of the contract. The declaration alleged that the parties had entered into the agreement as above recited and that the defendant, Hart, on the 16th day of October had repudiated the agreement and announced his intention not to deliver the peanuts under the agreement. The plaintiffs claimed damages in the sum of $1500. A second count was added in which it was alleged that the plaintiffs had delivered to Hart 595 sacks of the value of 25c each for the purpose of sacking the peanuts referred to in the contract and that the defendant had refused to return the sacks and the plaintiffs claimed damages on that account.

The defendant interposed three pleas. The first averred that the contract was without consideration to support it. The second averred that the defendant had rescinded and renounced the contract of which action the plaintiffs had been given notice before they had acted on the strength of it and that the contract was without consideration. The third plea was offered as a plea on equitable grounds and averred in substance that the contract was executed by the defendant upon false and deceitful representations “of the defendant’s (plaintiffs’?) made to him” immediately before and at the time of the execution of the contract as to the ‘ ‘ market price ’ ’ of the peanuts. It was averred that the plaintiffs were “^experienced buyers and familiar with the market prices and conditions” and that the defendant “being inexperienced and ignorant in relation thereto” which plaintiffs well knew. That the representations were made while the relation between the parties were friendly and close. It was averred that the misrepresentations made by the plaintiffs consisted of the following: that the pricS of 6c per pound was temporary only, that it was made for the purpose of supplying a special customer, that the price [320]*320would shortly be withdrawn, as soon as the customer was supplied, that the peanuts would then sell at a lower market price, that the defendant would lose heavily if-he did not contract for his entire crop. It was further averred that the defendant had no knowledge of “outside markets” that he trusted to the superior knowledge of the plaintiff, believed his representations and signed the contract.

A demurrer to these three pleas was sustained and the defendant was allowed to plead over. He interposed a plea to the declaration on the 21st of February, 1920. That plea is offered as a plea upon equitable grounds in which the same defense is offered as the former equitable plea in more words, but not more material averments. Some corrections were made in the phraseology of the plea. It was averred that the plaintiffs were “experienced buyers of peanuts and were familiar with the values and market conditions” while the defendant was “inexperienced and without information relative thereto,” that the plaintiffs knew that fact and the representations made by them were made while close friendly relations existed between the plaintiffs and the defendant. That the defendant had been a customer of the plaintiffs “selling them his peanuts by the wagon load at his pleasure, at market prices as plaintiffs represented them to be for each sale and delivery. ’ ’ It was averred that the plaintiffs’ representations were in respect to material facts and were in “effect” as follows: “that the price of 6 cents per pound, which plaintiffs had been jmd were then paying defendant for his peanuts before entering into said contract, was temporary only and that plaintiffs were able to pay said price only to supply a special customer for fancy trade in the State of Georgia and that this customer’s order would soon be filled to completion and that after that the said price of 6 cents would [321]*321be 'withdrawn and the plaintiffs would then have to pay a lower price. ’ ’ It was also averred that the plaintiffs then represented and urged the defendant that as he had a large crop of nice peanuts it was to his interest to sell them all at that time at the price of 6 cents and that failing to do so the defendant would lose heavily on his crop. It was averred that the defendant not being in “touch” with the market and having no personal knowledge of “outside prices” or “market conditions” trusted to the integrity and superior knowledge of the plaintiffs and believed their representations to be true and relying thereon was induced to sign the contract. It was averred that the representations as to “ said price of 6 cents per pound being justified only on account of filling an order for a special customer for fancy trade in Georgia, who would soon be supplied, and that the price would thereafter drop below 6 cents and that the defendant would sustain heavy loss on his peanut crop if he did not .then and there contract his entire crop at 6 cents mentioned” were false and deceitful and known to be so by the plaintiffs at the time of making them.

It was further averred that the price of that particular commodity was “rising rapidly” with a strong demand for the commodity of which the plaintiffs knew and the defendant was ignorant and thát by Nov. 15, 1919, the peanuts had advanced in price nearly 50%.

A demurrer to this plea was sustained and by leave of the Court on March 23rd, 1920, the defendant interposed another plea on equitable grounds in which it was averred that the “defendants” well knew that the representations were false and deceitful. The word ‘ ‘ defendants ’ ’ is probably an error but it appears in the plea as the same is copied into the transcript of the record. This plea con[322]*322tained substantially tbe same averments as set forth in the other pleas and a demurrer to that plea was sustained.

The defendant then interposed a plea in which it was averred that the “plaintiffs have not been damaged as alleged.” There was a trial upon the issue joined and the jury returned a verdict for. the plaintiffs in the sum of $1000 and judgment was rendered against the defendant.

The defendant seeks to reverse that judgment here upon writ of error and assigns six errors. The first, second and third errors assigned rest upon the order of the Court sustaining the demurrer to the first, second and third pleas. The fourth assignment rests upon the order sustaining the demurrer to the plea on equitable grounds filed Feb.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

HGI Associates, Inc. v. Wetmore Printing Co.
427 F.3d 867 (Eleventh Circuit, 2005)
Wasser v. Sasoni
652 So. 2d 411 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1995)
Kneale v. Jay Ben Inc.
527 So. 2d 917 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1988)
CAREFREE VILLAGES v. Keating Properties, Inc.
489 So. 2d 99 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1986)
Travelodge Intern., Inc. v. Eastern Inns, Inc.
382 So. 2d 789 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1980)
Nantell v. Lim-Wick Construction Company
228 So. 2d 634 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1969)
Evans v. Gray
215 So. 2d 40 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1968)
Carolina Casualty Insurance v. Atkinson
157 F. Supp. 14 (N.D. Florida, 1957)
Brown v. Coward
69 So. 2d 174 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1953)
Davis v. Dunn
58 So. 2d 539 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1952)
Greenberg v. Berger
46 So. 2d 609 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1950)
Byrd, Et Ux. v. Smith, Et Vir.
152 So. 851 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1934)
White v. Crandall
143 So. 871 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1931)
Stokes v. Victory Land Co.
128 So. 408 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1930)
Fisher v. Missouri State Life Insurance
121 So. 799 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1929)
Smith v. Hollingsworth
96 So. 394 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1923)
Glass v. Craig
91 So. 332 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1922)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 So. 173, 82 Fla. 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hart-v-marbury-fla-1921.