J. George Leyner Engineering Works Co. v. Mohawk Consol. Leasing Co.

193 F. 745, 1907 U.S. App. LEXIS 5416
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Nevada
DecidedDecember 31, 1907
DocketNo. 989
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 193 F. 745 (J. George Leyner Engineering Works Co. v. Mohawk Consol. Leasing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J. George Leyner Engineering Works Co. v. Mohawk Consol. Leasing Co., 193 F. 745, 1907 U.S. App. LEXIS 5416 (circtdnv 1907).

Opinion

FARRINGTON, District Judge.

The material portions of the complaint read as follows:

“(3) On the 11th day of October, A. D. 1906, at Denver, Colo., the defendant agreed in writing with tbe plaintiff that plaintiff should make and furnish for it certain machinery, material, goods, wares, and merchandise, to wit, one seventy-five (75) horse power double drum electric driven hoist, complete with motor, reversible controller, and resistance, and that the plaintiff should receive from defendant for the same upon its arrival free on board the cars at Goldfield, Nev., the sum of four thousand six hundred and [746]*746fifty dollars ($4,650), payment to be made at Denver, Colo., in United States gold coin, New York or Denver exchange, draft with bill of lading attached to be paid upon arrival of machinery in Goldfield as aforesaid.
“(4) The plaintiff made the said machinery, shipped the same to Goldfield, Nev., and on or about the 25th day of February, 1907, offered to deliver the same to defendant,, presented the bill of lading therefor, with draft for the amount aforesaid, and offered to deliver the same to defendant on board the cars at Goldfield, Nev., upon payment of the said sum of $4,650 and exchange on Denver, Colo., and has ever since been, and still is, ready and willing to do so with the charges added for unloading, moving, handling, and storing the same, and that the amount claimed exceeds the sum of $2,000, exclusive of interest and costs.
“(5) The plaintiff duly performed all of the conditions of the aforesaid contract and agreement on its part to be performed.
“(6) By reason of the defendant failing and refusing to receive the said machinery on board the cars at Goldfield, Nev., and pay for the same as aforesaid, the plaintiff was compelled to unload said machinery from the-cars, move and store the'same' at a cost and expense of one hundred ($100) dollars.
“(7) Defendant has not paid for the said machinery or for unloading, moving, and storing the same, nor any part thereof.”

Judgment is demanded for $4,750, and costs of suit.

Defendant demurs to the complaint on the ground that it does not set forth facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action: First, because it does not appear from the face of said complaint that plaintiff has in any manner whatsoever been damaged in connection with the transaction set forth in said complaint; second, because it does not appear from said complaint that any rule of damage is set forth therein, by reason of which the court can be apprised of any damage done or injury sustained by plaintiff by reason of the transaction set forth in said complaint; third, because of other good and sufficient reasons appearing- upon the face of the complaint.

Defendant proceeds upon the theory that the facts disclosed in the complaint do not entitle plaintiff to recover the contract price of the machinery; that, in order to recover anything, it is necessary to plead facts which show that plaintiff has been damaged by reason of the transaction set forth in the complaint. The demurrer thus presents the question as to what is the proper- measure and character of relief to-be applied in cases of this kind.

When a contract for the manufacture and sale of goods is broken by the vendee, the vendor, if he has suffered injury in consequence, is entitled to relief. The amount of relief should be equal to the amount of injury, and the character of relief should be that which is most likely to afford him an adequate compensation for materials and labor furnished, and for profits lost. If the contract is executory, as in a case where the vendee repudiates his obligation and notifies the vendor before the articles contracted for are completed that he will not receive them, it would be unjust to permit the vendor to recover the full contract price. He is entitled only to his actual damages, and these would consist “of two distinct items of damage: (1) His outlay and expenses, less the value of materials on hand; (2) the profits he might have realized by performance, which profits are related to the outlays and include them and something more.” This rule is cited by [747]*747defendant, and although it is approved and applied in United States v. Behan, 110 U. S. 338, 4 Sup. Ct. 81, 28 L. Ed. 168, it is clearly inajjplicable to a case where the article contracted for is completed, delivery tendered, and refused.

if the contract has been completely executed by the vendor, as in a case where goods have been manufactured, delivered, and accepted, but the vendee refuses to pay for them, obviously the proper relief is the compensation fixed by the agreement itself. And in that numerous class of cases where goods contracted for are tendered by the seller to the buyer, atid by the latter rejected and delivery refused, the seller, not being at fault in the matter, may pursue any one of three remedies. He can store or retain the property for the vendee and sue for the entire purchase price, or he can sell the property and recover the difference between the contract price and the price obtained upon a resale, or he can retain the property as his own and recover the difference between the market value at the time and place of delivery and t he contract price. Kinkead v. Lynch (C. C.) 132 Fed. 692, 696; Levy v. Glassberg (Sup.) 92 N. Y. Supp. 50; Dustan v. McAndrew, 44 N. Y. 72, 78; Van Brocklen v. Smeallie, 140 N. Y. 70, 75, 35 N. E. 415; Moore v. Potter, 155 N. Y. 481, 50 N. E. 271, 63 Am. St. Rep. 692.

The complaint in this case shows that plaintiff completed the manufacture of the machinery in question; that it was shipped to Goldfield; that it arrived in Goldfield, and was then and there tendered to defendant. Plaintiff thus performed 'all the conditions of the contract so far as it was able to do so. We must presume that plaintiff is without fault, and the machinery was manufactured in compliance with the contract. The fact that defendant refused to accept delivery of the machinery is not one for which plaintiff is in any wise at fault, it would be unjust to plaintiff that it should be put in a worse position by the default of defendant than it would have been if defendant had fulfilled its part of the contract. The contract is executed so far as any of its obligations lay upon the plaintiff. Under it there remains nothing further for the plaintiff to do. Plaintiff has performed the contract. Defendant has broken it. Plaintiff has earned the contract price of the machinery. Why should plaintiff, in consequence of defendant’s wrong, be compelled to take anything other or different as compensation than that wdiich is fixed in the contract? Is it just that plaintiff in lieu of gold coin, Xew York or Denver exchange, for which it contracted, should be compelled, through no fault of its own, ro accept in satisfaction, or partial satisfaction, of this agreement at the market price several pieces of machinery wdiich were manufactured, not for the market, but for the defendant, and presumably to meet defendant’s peculiar needs?

The Engineering Works Company, plaintiff, is doing business at Denver. It may have no use for such machinery at Goldfield; it may need money, not machinery; and it may be exceedingly inconvenient for that company to carry the hoist, motor, controller, and resistance until it finds some one who can make use of and pay for them.

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Bluebook (online)
193 F. 745, 1907 U.S. App. LEXIS 5416, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-george-leyner-engineering-works-co-v-mohawk-consol-leasing-co-circtdnv-1907.