Kabrick v. J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co.

180 Iowa 598
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 25, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 180 Iowa 598 (Kabrick v. J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kabrick v. J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co., 180 Iowa 598 (iowa 1917).

Opinion

Stevens, J.

On June 11, 1914, appellant, through its agent F. E. Kabrick, sold a threshing separator, engine and other machinery, to William Rohde, who resided near Rock Rapids, Clay County, Iowa. William Rohde was, at the time, the owner of an old separator and engine, which" appellant agreed to take as part payment on the purchase price of the new machine. .On June 20th, E. O. Kabrick signed an order, in which he agreed to purchase of appellant the secondhand separator, engine and other machinery above referred to, and to execute two notes therefor, one for. $220, due October 1, 1914, and one for $216, due October 1, 1915, at 7 per cent interest. The order was given subject to the approval of appellant. The company accepted the order on June 30, 1914. The new machinery was delivered to Rohde about July 29, 1914. The machinery, at the time of all the transactions above referred to, was situated upon the farm of Mr. Rohde, about 3 miles from Rock Rapids. Appellee did not go to see the machinery [600]*600before purchasing the same. On August 1, 1914, appellee executed the notes referred to in his written order. for the purchase price of the old machinery, together with a chattel mortgage on the old machinery to secure the payment thereof, and, on October 1, 1914, to obtain a discount, paid both notes in .full.

Some time later, the brother, who had conducted the negotiations for the sale of the new machinery to Rohde and the old machinery to appellee, also undertook to sell the secondhand machinery for appellee; but, upon taking a purchaser to the premises occupied by Mr. Rohde, he was informed by him that he would not part with the possession of the old machinery until the company adjusted some difference between them arising out of the purchase of the new machinery. The controversy between Rohde and appellant continued for some time, and, on January 11, 1915, appellee had his attorneys notify appellant that, because he was unable to get possession of the machinery which he had purchased, he elected to, and did, rescind the contract, and demanded the repayment to him of the money which he had paid appellant therefor. The bill of sale executed by Rohde, conveying the secondhand machinery to appellant, provided for the delivery of the machinery to it, loaded, without charge, on the cars at Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Upon receipt of the letter of January 11th, rescinding the contract for the purchase of the secondhand machinery, the manager of defendant at Des Moines wrote a letter to appellee’s attorneys, declining to return the purchase price received from appellee therefor. On January 11, 1915, a representative of appellant called upon Mr. Rohde and adjusted the difficulties between appellant and him, and received an agreement signed by Rohde, agreeing to deliver the secondhand machinery according to his bill of sale. On June 5, 1915, appellant, through the manager of its [601]*601branch house at Des Moines, Iowa, wrote a letter to Bohde, demanding the sum of $1,142, representing the value of the old outfit taken in trade. This demand was based upon the alleged refusal of Bohde to deliver the machinery on board the cars at Bock Bapicls free of charge.

This action was brought in Clay County to recover the money paid for the old machinery. The cause was tried to a jury, but, at the conclusion of the testimony, both parties having moved for a verdict, by agreement the jury was discharged, and the cause submitted to the court, which found in favor of the plaintiff, and rendered judgment against the defendant for the amount claimed by plaintiff.

i. venue : office salesman I. Appellant asked a change of venue, on the ground that it had no office or agency in Clay County, supporting the same by the affidavit of the manager of its branch house at Des Moines, Iowa, from which point distribution of sales made by its traveling representatives was ’ made throughout the state. The motion was overruled, and this ruling is assigned as error.

F. E. Kabrick was the agent of appellant, and traveled from place to place in the state 'selling its machinery. The sale of the new- outfit to Bohde, and of the secondhand machinery to appellee, was made in Clay County. F. E. Kabrick resided in Clay County, and the notes given by appellee were made payable at a bank in Spencer, Iowa. It is not claimed that appellant had an office in Clay County or other agency than that of F. E. Kabrick. Section 3500 of the Code provides that suits may be brought in any county in which the defendant has an office or agency for the transaction of business, where the suit groAvs out of, or Avas connected with, the business of that office or agency. The evidence showed that F. E. Kabrick Avas the agent for appellant, having authority to solicit orders for new, and to sell the old, machinery, and that he conducted the nego[602]*602tiations in Clay County for appellant in both transactions, and, under the holding of the following cases, the action was properly brought in that county. Milligan v. Davis, 49 Iowa 126; Locke v. Chicago Chronicle Co., 107 Iowa 390; Goodrich v. Fogarty, 130 Iowa 223; Thistle Coal Co. v. Rex Coal & Mining Co., 132 Iowa 592; Gilbert v. McCullough, 140 Iowa 362.

2' ery'-^intent1-7" ries^'eto of II. The theory and claim of appellant appellee agreed to accept the out-where it was at the time the order was given, and that no further act of appellant was necessary to complete the delivery. On the other hand, appellee sought to rescind the contract of sale, on the ground that appellant had wholly failed to deliver the' outfit, or place the same at his disposal, and that Rohde refused to deliver it or permit appellee to remove the same from his premises. This is the only remaining question presented upon this appeal, and is one of fact rather than of law, and depends for its answer largely upon the intention of the parties, which is to be ascertained from the written instrument and other facts and .circumstances appearing in evidence.

“When and where the sale was complete and title to the property passed to the purchaser is largely a question of intent, to be drawn not alone, necessarily, from the writings made or the formal words employed, but also from the conduct of the parties and their methods of dealing. The answer to the question is nearly always a conclusion or inference to be drawn from a consideration of all the circumstances developed by the evidence, and is therefore a question of fact for the jury and not of law for the court.” Hamill v. Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co., 165 Iowa 266.

The bill of sale executed by Rohde, referring to the matter of delivery, stated: “Above machinery to be loaded [603]*603on cars free of charge subject to order of J. I. Case T. M. Co., Rock Rapids, Iowa.”

The order given by appellee for the secondhand outfit, which was subject to acceptance by appellant, recited:

“You will please deliver on or before the ‘at once’ or as soon thereafter as you can furnish for transportation or deliver to ‘These goods will be accepted where they stand.’ ”

It appears from the evidence that the secondhand outfit was in possession of Rohde at the time he entered into the contract for the purchase of the new outfit, and also at the time of the execution of the bill of sale, and when the written order was signed by appellee and accepted by appellant.

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Bluebook (online)
180 Iowa 598, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kabrick-v-j-i-case-threshing-machine-co-iowa-1917.