Knight v. Davenport

71 So. 2d 388, 1954 La. App. LEXIS 643
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 22, 1954
DocketNo. 3820
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 71 So. 2d 388 (Knight v. Davenport) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knight v. Davenport, 71 So. 2d 388, 1954 La. App. LEXIS 643 (La. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is a suit by Alvin P. Knight, against William ,M. Davenport for rescission of the sale of a cow, the return of the purchase price and expenses for keeping the cow, plus loss of profit. From judgment below in favor of petitioner, the defendant has appealed.

The facts show that on September 14, 1951, the defendant sold the petitioner five milch cows for the purpose of dairying. The price was $310 per cow. One cow was not satisfactory to the petitioner, and the defendant permitted the petitioner to substitute another cow for the unsatisfactory one. This substitution, or exchange was made on October 19, 1951. The cow received in this exchange is the one in question in this suit.

On October 20, 1951, this cow gave birth to a calf. The calf was exceedingly small and apparently abnormal, and died several weeks later. On Monday, October 22, 1951, the petitioner had the State Veterinarian take a blood sample of the cow, and the results showed that the said cow was suffering with Bang’s disease. In addition to the calf being abnormal, the cow showed other signs of having Bang’s disease within three days of the sale. One of these symptoms was a “cold short quarter” and another was that the stifle joint of the right rear leg was affected.

The petitioner filed this suit seeking the return of the purchase price of $310, plus $1 per day for feeding and preserving the cow, and a further sum of $1 per day for his toil and labor expended in preservation of the cow. He also seeks $1.55 per day for loss of profit. .

Defendant -first filed an exception of no cause or right of action, which was referred to the merits. He later filed'an answer denying that the cow had' Bang’s disease, and furthermore that the cow was sold with no guarantee whatever.’ ■’

The lower court gave judgment in favor of petitioner in the sum of $393.50, of which $310 was the purchase price of the cow, and $83.50 was for upkeep of the cow at 50‡ per day. The defendant has taken this appeal. ’

The lower court, in its reasons for judgment, stated as follows:

“After the plaintiff selected the cow he desired from several which were in the defendant’s pasture, he then carried the .cow to his home, and on the next day she gave birth- to ■ a calf, which was unable to stand up and was very small; plaintiff became suspicious that the cow had Bang’s disease and immediately contacted his brother, Dr. W. W. Knight, a Veterinarian, .who reached -the conclusion that the .cow was infected with Bang’s disease, due to the fact she had a swelling in the knee, or the stifle joint. , Dr. Knight drew blood from this cow for the purpose of having a test made for Bang’s disease, and even though there is considerable ■ conflict in the testimony as to whether the exact blood which he drew was the blood which was subsequently tested, I am satisfied from all the testimony the tube which was numbered 9 was the one which contained the blood from this cow, and a testing of this blood- by Dr. C. B. Jamieson, a laboratory technician at- the Louisi[390]*390ana State Livestock Laboratory, showed that 'the cow actually had Bang’s disease. Dr. Knight’s testimony further showed if a cow had Bang’s disease her value was decreased due to the fact you could not sell the milk from said cow because it was 20% sterile or better, and further than this, the crippled condition of the cow due to the swelling of the knees made her unfit for dairy purposes, and further than this, it was bad practice for a dairyman to permit the cow with Bang’s disease in his herd for the reason that the disease was contagious and would spread throughout the entire herd.
“Since I am of the opinion that this cow was infected with Bang’s disease within one day subsequent to the exchange, and since I am of the further opinion that at the time of the exchange that the defendant warranted the cow not to he infected with said disease, then the question to be resolved is whether or not the plaintiff is entitled to a rescission and return of the price under said exchange.
“Article No. 2660 of the LS'A-Civil Code defines exchange as a contract by which the parties to the contract give to one another one thing for another, whatever it may be except money, and Article No. 2667 of the LSA-Civil Code clearly shows that the rules relative to rescission of a sale for red-hibitory vices is equally applicable to the transaction of exchange.
“Article No. 2520 of the LSA-Civil Code provides that redhibition is the avoidance of a sale upon some vice or defect in a thing sold which renders it actually useless, or its use so inconvenient and imperfect that it must be supposed that the buyer would not have purchased it had he known of the vice. Article No. 2524 of the LSA-Civil Code classifies the latent defects of animals in two classes, i. e., vices of body and vices of character, and Article 2525 of the LSA-Civil Code defines the actual and relative vices of the body of animals. Article No. 2530 of the LSA-Civil Code provides that the buyer who institutes the redhibitory action must prove that the vice in said animal existed before the sale was made to him, and further provides if the vice appears within three days following the sale it is presumed it existed prior to the sale.
“The evidence in this case is overwhelming that the vice of Bang’s disease in this animal appeared within less than three days from the date of the sale, or to be more specific, within one day thereafter, and since I am of the opinion that the defendant guaranteed this animal to be free from said Bang’s disease, I see no reason why this plaintiff under the circumstances should not recover $310.00 even though it is shown he exchanged another cow for the one which is infected with this disease. While it is true it might be said he should have sought the return of the cow which he gave in exchange, the possibility that defendant had this exchanged cow at the time of the filing of the suit is indeed remote, and since the evidence convinces me that this cow that was given in exchange by the plaintiff was originally purchased for $310.00, it seems to me that substantial justice will be done by awarding to the plaintiff a money judgment in the sum of $310.00 upon his return to the defendant of the cow which he now has in his possession, and which has been found to be infected with Bang’s disease. It certainly stands to reason that the plaintiff in this case would never have made this exchange had he known the cow was infected with Bang’s disease for the reason that the evidence reflects that she was not fit for the purposes intended, i. e., a milch cow.”

After a careful reading of the record in this case, we are of the opinion that the [391]*391court was correct in its findings. The evidence clearly establishes that the cow was infected with Bang’s disease one or two days after it was acquired by the petitioner. It appears that the transaction wherein the petitioner acquired the diseased cow, however, was more of a substitution than an exchange. Upon being dissatisfied with the cow that 'he had originally purchased, the defendant advised petitioner that he would give him another cow in its stead. It appears that the second cow was substituted for the first. Certainly this was the understanding of the petitioner, as he was of the opinion that the second cow was subject to the Chattel Mortgage which was entered into at the time of the first, or original, transaction.

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71 So. 2d 388, 1954 La. App. LEXIS 643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knight-v-davenport-lactapp-1954.