Johnson v. Fore River Motors, Inc.

26 Mass. App. Dec. 184
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedJuly 1, 1963
DocketNo. 17910
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 26 Mass. App. Dec. 184 (Johnson v. Fore River Motors, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Fore River Motors, Inc., 26 Mass. App. Dec. 184 (Mass. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

Cox, J.

This is an action of contract or tort in three related counts. One count is for breach of an implied warranty of merchantability of an automobile described as a Taunas two-door sedan which the plaintiff purchased from the defendant, a count for money had and received, to wit, the purchase price, and a count for deceit relating to the sale of the automobile. The .count for money had and received is of no consequence as the plaintiff has retained the automobile and has elected to sue for damages. G. L. c. 106, §2-714 (St. 1957 c. 765, §1).

There was a finding for the defendant. The case was reported for our determination because the plaintiff claims to be aggrieved by (a) the exclusion of evidence, (b) the denial of certain of his requests for rulings of law, and (c) the judge’s findings.

The action is essentially one for breach of warranty of merchantability, express and implied, and it is settled that an action of tort [187]*187as well as .contract may be maintained for the breach.

“It should not be the law, and by the weight of modem authority it is not the law, that a seller by positive affirmation induces a buyer to enter into a bargain can escape from liability by convincing the court that his affirmation was not an offer to contract. A positive representation of fact is enough to render him liable. The distinction between warranty and representation which is important in some branches of the law is not appropriate here.”

Williston, Sales (Rev. Ed.) §197. Carolet Corp. v. Garfield, 339 Mass. 75, 79, 80. The rule is the same in the case of an implied warranty as in that of an express warranty. Schuler v. Union News Co., 293 Mass. 330, 352, 353. The case was argued as a breach of warranty.

The plaintiff bought the Taúnas automobile from the defendant on or about September 22, 1939 for the use of his stepdaughter, Carol Nix, the wife of George Nix. The negotiations for the automobile were carried on by Carol Nix to whom alleged representations were made. We treat Mrs. Nix, as a member of the plaintiff’s family. Accordingly, any warranty extends to her as a “natural person who is in the family or household of the buyer”. G. L. c. 106, §2-318 (St. 1937, c. 763, §1). The law prior to the effective date of the Uniform Commercial Code on October 1, 1958 was that an action for breach of warranty could be brought only [188]*188by the one to whom the warranty was given. Kennedy v. Brockelman Brothers, Inc. 334 Mass. 225; Sullivan v. H. P. Hood & Sons, Inc., 341 Mass. 216, 223 and footnote.

The plaintiff first saw the automobile at the defendant’s place of business the night before its delivery although he had previously signed at his home the papers involved in the transaction. He knew the automobile was a used and repossessed car. When he saw it, it was in a clean and polished condition. He testified that the salesman had represented it as a one-owner car which had been driven about 1000 miles. The represented mileage appears to have been true. There was evidence that the automobile had previously been sold to one Carol Bennett and that during her ownership it had been involved in an accident. The cost of repairs had approximated $1200. It was first owned by 'one Catherine Martin, then by Mrs. Bennett, next by the finance company which repossessed it and then by the defendant who acquired it from the finance company. Carol Nix, who negotiated for the purchase of the automobile, testified that Martin, the defendant’s salesman, represented the automobile as having been repossessed by the defendant; that its mileage was about 900; that there was no reference to the accident in which the automobile had been involved, although as to this there was other evidence that Mrs. Nix did know it had been in an accident; that when she first drove the car she could not steer it as it would veer to the [189]*189right; that she could not shift it; that the radio and wipers did not work and that at speeds of 35 to 40 m.p.h. it shimmied; that she immediately complained to the salesman about the steering; that she took the car back about twelve times during the first month she possessed it; that from the date of purchase to January 1961 the .car has been driven about 4000 miles and that when she testified (October 1961) it had been driven between 7000 and 8000 miles; that she would not have bought the car had she known it had been in a “wreck”; that only she and her husband drove the car; that it has been in an accident which damaged the left front fender since she acquired it; that she told the defendant she was going to return the automobile but never did so. Mr. Nix corroborated the operational difficulties as to which his wife had testified.

The judge made special findings as follows:

“The court finds that there was no fraud, deceit or breach of warranty, express or implied, by the defendant in the sale of the motor vehicle to the plaintiff; that the plaintiff knew prior to the sale that this vehicle had been in a collision by and was repossessed from the previous owner; that it was completely and properly repaired and in good running order (except for some minor adjustments and repairs which the defendant made at the request of the plaintiff within one week after delivery) when it was delivered to the plaintiff on or about Sept. 22, 1959; that plaintiff has continued to operate and still operates this vehicle [190]*190and has made no complaints to the defendant, except as above noted, until plaintiff’s attorney sent a letter on July 6, i960; that the plaintiff at no time has made any tender of the vehicle to defendant in an effort to rednd the sale, and the court finds for the defendant.”

The only express representation alleged to have been made which might raise a question of express false warranty or misrepresentation was that the automobile had been misrepresented as a one-owner automobile. All other evidence as to its shortcomings bore on the question of its merchantability. Whether a representation that the auto was a one-owner car was a misrepresentation of a material fact or seller’s talk, may be open to a difference of opinion, but the short answer is that the judge was not required to believe that the alleged representation had been made. His findings clearly indicated that he rejected it.

Nor was the judge required to conclude that the representation, if made, induced the purchase to any eixtent whatever. Brockton Olympia Realty Co. v. Lee, 266 Mass. 550, 558, 561, 562. In our opinion the judge was warranted in finding no breach of express warranty and no deceit. It was a question of fact and his findings are not reviewable. Mastercraft Wayside Furniture Co. v. Sightmaster Corp., 332 Mass. 385, 386, 387.

Even if it be a fact that the extent of the damage to the automobile while Mrs. Bennett was its owner was not disclosed to [191]*191the plaintiff in the defendant’s behalf, nevertheless, we must hold that such silence did not constitute a breach by the defendant of any legal duty. “Mere silence does not usually amount to a breach of duty” and the parties to this action did not stand in such a relation to each other that any responsibility arose which required disclosure. Goodwin v. Agassiz, 283 Mass. 358, 362. “Where as here the relationship (between the plaintiff and defendant) is that of buyer and seller mere silence or failure to disclose known facts does not amount to fraud.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Mass. App. Dec. 184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-fore-river-motors-inc-massdistctapp-1963.