Just Born, Inc. v. Stein, Hall & Co.

59 Pa. D. & C.2d 407, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 32
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County
DecidedNovember 1, 1971
Docketno. 116
StatusPublished

This text of 59 Pa. D. & C.2d 407 (Just Born, Inc. v. Stein, Hall & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Just Born, Inc. v. Stein, Hall & Co., 59 Pa. D. & C.2d 407, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 32 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1971).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, J.,

This case is before the court on defendant’s petition for a rule to show cause why the dispute between the parties involved in this assumpsit action should not be taken to arbitration pursuant to the provisions contained in defendant’s “Sales Acknowledgment Agreement.”

During 1967, plaintiff, a candy manufacturer, made various purchases of gelatin from defendant. The gelatin was produced by the additional defendant with whom plaintiff had no direct dealings. Plaintiff filed the present action alleging that the gelatin was not fit for its intended use. Defendant joined additional defendant and the parties engaged in extensive discovery proceedings prior to the fifing of the present petition.

The issue of whether the present dispute is subject to arbitration may be characterized as the “battle of conflicting forms” used by buyer and seller and arose in the following manner:

On six occasions between May and September 1967, [408]*408plaintiff telephoned orders for various quantities of gelatin from defendant and followed these oral communications with written purchase orders specifying the terms of the agreement such as price, quantity and description of goods. Thereafter defendant sent a “Sales Acknowledgment Agreement” and shipped the gelatin to plaintiff’s plant. On the first and sixth shipments, the “Sales Acknowledgement Agreement” arrived one day after the shipment of gelatin reached plaintiff; on the second, third and fourth shipments, the “Sales Acknowledgment Agreement” came before the gelatin arrived at plaintiff’s plant; and on the fifth shipment, the “Sales Acknowledgment Agreement” came on the same day as the gelatin.

Plaintiff’s purchase order forms were silent as to the mode of settling disputes. Defendant’s “Sales Acknowledgment Agreements,” on their front side, contained the following paragraph under the heading “Arbitration Clause”:

“Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this agreement, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in New York, N. Y., pursuant to the rules, then obtaining, of the American Arbitration Association and the laws of New York. Judgment may be entered upon the award in any court having jurisdiction.”

Defendant contends that under the terms of the Uniform Commercial Code, 12A PS §2-207 (hereinafter section 2-207), the “Sales Acknowledgment Agreements” were definite and seasonable acceptances of plaintiff’s purchase orders and that the arbitration clause contained therein was an additional term which should be construed as having become part of the contracts.'' Plaintiff cites section 2-207 for the opposite proposition, namely that the arbitration clause was an additional term which materially altered the offer to [409]*409purchase the gelatin and thus did not become part of the contracts between plaintiff and defendant.

Section 2-207 provides:

“(1) A definite and seasonable expression of acceptance or a written confirmation which is sent within a reasonable time operates as an acceptance even though it states terms additional to or different from those offered or agreed upon, unless acceptance is expressly made conditional on assent to the additional or different terms.
“(2) The additional terms are to be construed as proposals for addition to the contract. Between merchants such terms become part of the contract unless:
“(a) the offer expressly limits acceptance to the terms of the offer;
“(b) they materially alter it; or
“(c) notification of objection to them has already been given or is given within a reasonable time after notice of them is received.
“(3) Conduct by both parties which recognizes the existence of a contract is sufficient to establish a contract for sale although the writings of the parties do not otherwise establish a contract. In such case the terms of the particular contract consist of those terms of the parties on which the writings agree, together with any supplementary terms incorporated under any other provision of this Act.”

Applying section 2-207 to the facts of the case at bar, it is clear that a contract was formed by the exchange of forms between plaintiff and defendant, and that the arbitration clause contained in defendant’s “Sales Acknowledgment Agreement” forms was an additional term. The Uniform Commercial Code, comment 2 to section 2-207 provides:

“Under this Article a proposed deal which in commercial understanding has in fact been closed is recog[410]*410nized as a contract. Therefore, any additional matter contained in the confirmation or in the acceptance falls within subsection (2) and must be regarded as a proposal for an added term unless the acceptance is made conditional on the acceptance of the additional or different terms.”

Defendant’s “Sales Acknowledgment Agreements” did not contain language expressly conditioning its acceptance. Further, the actions of the parties in shipping and accepting delivery of the gelatin manifested a commercial understanding that their deal was closed. Both parties, in essence, agree to this proposition but disagree on the application of section 2-207(2) to the arbitration clause.

The pleadings indicate that both plaintiff and defendant are merchants; therefore, the arbitration clause would become a part of the- contracts unless it runs afoul of the three caveats of section 2-207(2). Subsections 2-207(2)(a) and 2-207(2)(c) do not hinder the inclusion of the arbitration clause. Nowhere on plaintiff’s purchase order forms did the offers to purchase the gelatin expressly limit acceptance to the terms of the offer. In addition, plaintiff admits that it made no objection to the additional clause as prescribed by subsection 2-207(2)(c).

The parties differ, however, as to whether the arbitration clause is a “material alteration” of the contract within the terms of subsection 2-207(2)(b). Defendant argues that the arbitration clause does not materially alter the contracts but merely sets forth the forum in which any disputes are to be decided without changing the substantive rights of either party with respect to the contracts. Defendant urges the court to follow Roto-Lith v. Bartlett, 297 F.2d 497 (C.A. 1, 1962), which was the first case to interpret section 2-207. Plaintiff cites Application of Doughboy Industries, 233 [411]*411N.Y.S. 2d 488 (1962), and its New York progeny for the opposite proposition that an arbitration clause is a material term and requires the assent of both parties. There appear to be no reported Pennsylvania cases, either trial or appellate, which have construed section 2-207(2)(b).

In our opinion, Roto-Lith v. Bartlett is inapplicable to the case at bar. While it involved a battle of forms, the issue in Roto-Lith was whether a disclaimer of warranty clause on one of the forms was included in the contract. We do not agree with the court’s reasoning in that case and are unwilling to extend it to the present issue.

In Application of Doughboy Industries, supra, the New York court ruled that an arbitration clause contained in the seller’s form but not in the buyer’s form was a “material alteration” and under section 2-207 did not become a part of the contract between the parties.

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Related

Roto-Lith, Ltd. v. F. P. Bartlett & Co., Inc.
297 F.2d 497 (First Circuit, 1962)
Scholler Bros. v. Otto A. C. Hagen Corp.
44 A.2d 321 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1945)
In re the Arbitration between Doughboy Industries Inc. & Pantasote Co.
17 A.D.2d 216 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1962)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 Pa. D. & C.2d 407, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/just-born-inc-v-stein-hall-co-pactcomplnortha-1971.