Kimball-Mathews Co. v. Nagel

235 S.W. 318, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1125
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 16, 1921
DocketNo. 6623.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 235 S.W. 318 (Kimball-Mathews Co. v. Nagel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kimball-Mathews Co. v. Nagel, 235 S.W. 318, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1125 (Tex. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

SMITH, J.

E. E. Nagel, operating a photographic studio in San Antonio, gave the Kimball-Mathews Company a written order, in the form of a contract executed by both parties, for certain stationery supplies, at agreed prices, aggregating $3,552.75, to be delivered from time to time f. o. b. cars at Columbus, Ohio, where the company wag engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling photographic supplies. The supplies in question, which were to consist of folders for use in incasing photographs, were to be specially manufactured for Nagel, and embossed with the latter’s trade-name and address. The contract contained a stipulation that—

“All items in this order are to be made special, and it is hereby agreed that orders shall not be subject to countermand.”

The order was given on May 8, 1918, and in supplemental agreements it was provided that shipment of parts of the order would be made from time to time, and finally completed by January 1, 1919.

On October 7, 1918, Nagel wrote the company, asking that the shipment of certain items in the order be deferred until March or April, 1919, and advising that, if the company could not “hold shipment that long, I wish the balance of order canceled,” giving as a reason that the military camps in and around San Antonio were all under quarantine, and “business is absolutely down to nothing.” The company received this advice on October 10, and promptly advised ap-pellee that it could not cancel the order as requested, for the reason that the manufacture and printing of the goods had been completed.

This suit was brought by the company against Nagel for $3,031.56, being the agreed price fixed in the contract, less $546.40 paid thereon by appellee. On the day of the trial Nagel tendered into the registry of the court the sum of $1,270.11, admitting that such amount was due the company upon goods received and accepted by him. Upon a trial before the court without a jury, the company introduced its testimony, at the close of which, and without himself offering any testimony, Nágel moved for judgment, and in accordance with the motion the court entered judgment in favor of the company for $1,270.11, the amount tendered by Nagel, with interest from January 1, 1919. From this judgment the company brings this appeal.

The trial court denied recovery to appellant for that portion of the goods not actually received and accepted by appellee, upon the stated ground that appellant sued only for the contract price of all the goods ordered, whereas its remedy as to the goods not received and accepted by appellee was a suit for damages for breach of contract, to be measured by the market value of such goods in the condition they were in when the order therefor was canceled, and that, as there was no evidence establishing such measure, appellant’s suit must fail.

[1] As has been shown, the goods involved were of such nature as to require that they be made specially for appellee. The contract between the parties so provided, and because of such condition it was expressly stipulated that the order was not subject to countermand by appellee. About the time the manufacture of the goods was completed, appellee made a request that the order for the undelivered portion of the goods be canceled in event appellant could not withhold delivery until a period later than that stipulated in the agreement. The goods having been made specially for appellee, and embossed with appellee’s trade-name and address on each article, it is undisputed that they were worthless for any other purpose, and could not be disposed of by appellant to any other purchaser. Appellant having complied with its contract, it was entitled to the full compensation agreed upon therein. Appellee having refused to accept the goods, it is plain that appellant’s legal remedy, and the only remedy affording it the full protection it was entitled to, was to hold the goods subject to the order of appellee, and sue the latter for the contract price thereof. Bruck Bros. v. Lipman, Spier & Hahn, 228 S. W. 303, and authorities there cited.

[2] In his answer in the trial court appellee alleged that, prior to the execution of the contract by the parties, appellant’s traveling salesman, one Howard, represented to appellee that the latter could cancel or countermand any part of the order if notice thereof should be given appellant from 45 to 60 days before shipping date but that, as appellee afterwards discovered, the written order or contract did not contain such stipulation, but, on the contrary, embraced an express stipulation that the order was not subject to countermand by appellee, and appellee sought to avoid the latter and enforce the former stipulation by these further allegations:

“And said Howard did not call defendant’s attention at any time before, at, or after said defendant’s signature was affixed to said paper that the printed provision against countermand, hereinbefore referred to, was therein contained, and defendant did not read said contract to see *320 that the agreement with reference to cancellation and countermand was therein written, de-, fendant believing that said .Howard had written such agreement therein when said Howard, without saying more than substantially this, ‘Now you sign here,’ handed to defendant said paper for his signature. On the contrary, defendant, having full faith in the said Howard, relied upon the act of said Howard in handing him the paper for his signature as a statement' in effect that he (said Howard) had written such agreement upon the paper in question, and that such paper contained all the writing relating to the agreement for cancellation and countermand; that, but for defendant’s said faith in the said Howard, and in his act of handing the said paper for defendant’s signature, that the same contained such agreement, defendant would have read the same; but defendant was, by such language, acts, and conduct upon the part of said Howard, misled and deceived, to defendant’s injury.”

Appellant interposed special exceptions to these allegations, upon the familiar grounds that by them appellee sought to vary the express terms of a written contract by anterior parol agreements; that the allegations were not sufficient to charge appellant with fraud, and simply showed inexcusable negligence on the part of appellee in failing to read the contract before executing it. We think these exceptions were well taken, and accordingly sustain appellant’s second to fifth assignments of error, inclusive. Belcher v. Mulhall, 57 Tex. 17; Barnes v. Early-Eoster Co., 228 S. W. 248; Gale Co. v. Finkelstein, 59 S. W. 571; Murray Co. v. Putman, 61 Tex. Civ. App. 517, 130 S. W. 631.

[3-5] In taking the depositions of one Lodge, its secretary and general manager, appellant propounded the following interrogatory to said witness:

“State whether or not the goods, wares, and merchandise ordered from your company by E. E. Nagel were shipped out of stock, or was it necessary to manufacture the same specially; and if you say that it was necessary to manufacture the same specially, say whether or not such goods, wares, and merchandise could have been disposed of by you to other customers, and, if you answer that in the negative, say why these particular goods could not have been used by other customers.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 S.W. 318, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kimball-mathews-co-v-nagel-texapp-1921.