Karzen v. Heitzmann

86 N.W.2d 514, 1957 N.D. LEXIS 169
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 27, 1957
Docket7718
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 86 N.W.2d 514 (Karzen v. Heitzmann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Karzen v. Heitzmann, 86 N.W.2d 514, 1957 N.D. LEXIS 169 (N.D. 1957).

Opinion

*515 MORRIS, Judge.

The plaintiffs are dealers in pianos with their principal place of business in Chicago, Illinois. The defendant is a retail dealer in furniture, musical instruments and appliances whose place of business is in Ashley, North Dakota. He has been tuning and servicing pianos since 1926 or 1927. In July of 1953 he went to Chicago to buy some pianos and on the 16th of that month went to the place of business of the plaintiffs where he examined their stock of used pianos. He selected and purchased 15 of them. After making this purchase he inquired about Ludwig pianos and the plaintiff Karzen told him, “We have a couple new Ludwig pianos right here, spinets.” Heitzmann testified that Karzen promised that with these pianos he would furnish benches, warranty certificates and descriptive literature. Heitzmann contends that relying upon the representations that the pianos were new and the promise that benches, certificates and literature would also be furnished, he purchased them. The defendant agreed to pay $850 for the spinets, which included transportation to Ashley. The total purchase price for all of the pianos was $2,950, including delivery charges.

In settlement for his purchases the defendant paid some cash and gave six promissory notes payable to the Atlas Piano Company for varying amounts. The total of these notes was $2,000. Three were dated July 31, 1953 and three were dated September 3, 1953. They were due at various times ranging from 30 to 120 days after date.

About 20 days after the purchase was made the pianos were delivered to the defendant at his store in Ashley. Some payments were made on the notes from time to time. On April 30, 1954, there remained unpaid a balance of $1,318.67 for which the defendant on that date executed three new notes, one being for $439.56 due in 60 days, one for $439.56 due in 90 days, and a third note for $439.55 due in-120 days. The defendant paid $200 on the first note on June 25, 1954. He made no other payments and the plaintiffs brought suit on these notes in February, 1955. The defendant answered and counterclaimed. He alleges that the notes upon which suit was brought were given for the sale by the plaintiffs to the defendant of 15 used pianos and 2 Ludwig spinet pianos, that the plaintiffs represented and warranted that the 2 Ludwig spinet pianos were new and unused whereas they were second hand, used and damaged. The defendant also alleges that the plaintiffs promised to furnish two matching benches, customary warranty certificates and sales literature for the spinet pianos and failed to supply the benches, warranty certificates or literature. With respect to the used pianos the defendant alleges that the plaintiffs falsely and fraudulently, and with intent to deceive and defraud the defendant, represented and warranted that the 15 used pianos were reparable and that by tuning, cleaning and minor repairs they could be made salable as good used pianos, and that these representations were false and the used pianos were not reparable as represented, that extensive reconditioning and repair and replacement of parts was necessary, and that one of the pianos was beyond repair and that these representations constituted a fraud upon the defendant. The defendant then alleges that he was forced to sell the used pianos at less than market value of pianos of like name and design and was forced to sell the two spinets as used and damaged pianos at less than the market value, that he has sustained substantial loss of profit and was forced to purchase custom made benches, all to his damage in the sum of $900. The defendant also asks exemplary or punitive damages in the sum of $1,000. This pleading seems to- allege a breach of warranty with respect to sale of the two spinet pianos and fraud with respect to the 15 used pianos.

The case was tried to the court without a jury. Judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiffs and against the defendant *516 for the full amount due on the notes plus costs. The defendant appealed. Specifications of Errors of fact and law were attached to and served with the Notice of Appeal and were made a part of the Settled Statement of the Case.

An examination of the Specifications of Error as related to the transcript discloses that the court entertained a misconception of the law with respect to the admissibility of evidence which the defendant offered in support of his contention that the purchase of the pianos for the part payment of which he gave the six original notes was induced by fraud and a warranty that was breached. Some of this evidence was erroneously excluded, but was presented in the form of an offer of proof.

Mr. Heitzmann testified that he signed the three notes upon which this suit is brought under an agreement with Mr. ICarzen that the latter would make a proper adjustment of the defendant’s claims and that these claims were still under negotiation at the time the new notes were given. The court, however, took the position that the giving of the new notes on April 30, 1954, constituted a completely new transaction. In deciding the case from the bench he said:

‘It seems to the Court that it is a transaction in which, if Mr. Heitzmann was to have any adjustment, he should have had the adjustment on April 30, 1954, before he ever signed these notes, because he knew at that time the condition of the pianos and their value, and I consider the signing of the notes at that time as a ratification of any representations, if any were made.”

The trial court overlooked the well established legal proposition that the taking of a new note for an existing note merely extends the time of payment of the old indebtedness and is not payment of the debt unless the parties specifically agree that the original debt is to be extinguished. In re Beaver Drainage Dist., 244 Wis. 603, 13 N.W.2d 76, 14 N.W.2d 181; Wenzel v. Conrad Schmitt Studios, 244 Wis. 160, 11 N.W.2d 503; Taylor v. Nissen, 58 S.D. 299, 235 N.W. 703. A renewal note as distinguished from a new note, specifically taken as satisfaction of the debt, is as between the original parties open to all defenses which might have been made against the original note. International Harvester Company of America v. Thomas, 43 N.D. 199, 176 N.W. 523; Scandinavian American Bank v. Westby, 41 N.D. 276, 172 N.W. 665; Mettlen v. Sandoz, 131 Neb. 625, 269 N.W. 98.

We now consider the evidence bearing upon the defendant’s counterclaim. With respect to the used pianos it is contended that the plaintiffs warranted them to be “reparable”. Defendant testified that Mr. Karzen took him into a room where there were a number of used pianos. Defendant examined these pianos. He thus describes the transaction:

“So I went about picking out the ones I wanted, and he took down the serial numbers of the pianos that I chose; and every time I got to a piano that looked pretty good, I said, ‘Is this repairable?’ And he said, ‘Yes, absolutely, I am sure you can repair that with very little expense or trouble, and it is ready for resale.’ So at his representation or word, I purchased the used pianos, I believe it was 15 of them.”

The defendant has no complaint about 14 of the used pianos. They have been sold. He still has one on hand, a Chickering, for which he paid $135.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 N.W.2d 514, 1957 N.D. LEXIS 169, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/karzen-v-heitzmann-nd-1957.