Learned v. Hamburger

139 N.E. 641, 245 Mass. 461, 1923 Mass. LEXIS 1069
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedMay 28, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 139 N.E. 641 (Learned v. Hamburger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Learned v. Hamburger, 139 N.E. 641, 245 Mass. 461, 1923 Mass. LEXIS 1069 (Mass. 1923).

Opinion

Braley, J.

The first count of the declaration in the first action is on an account annexed, for goods sold and delivered under contracts hereinafter described, while the second and thud counts are for breach of agreements by the defendants to buy twenty-one hundred cases of shoes, which have become immaterial by reason of the findings and rulings [468]*468to which Learned did not except. A fourth count was subsequently allowed which followed substantially the findings, and may be considered with the first count as supporting the general findings. The answer is a general denial, with a claim that the sales were by sample with which the goods delivered did not correspond, and that they were not merchantable, with a claim in recoupment for damages.

In the second action the ten counts of the declaration after stating the contracts relied on in the first count in the first action, alleged a failure to deliver shoes in conformity therewith, as well as a partial failure to make any delivery whatever, and for damages for Learned’s breach of the contracts. The cases were tried without a jury, and the findings of fact and rulings of law made by the presiding judge under which he found for George A. Learned in each case are incorporated in the exceptions of the Hamburgers.

If it be assumed that all the material evidence is referred to in the exceptions, the judge was not bound to believe even uncontradicted evidence, and could accept or reject in whole or in part the testimony of the witnesses. Linderbaum v. New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, 197 Mass. 413.

We shall hereafter refer to George A. Learned as the plaintiff and to the Hamburgers, who are partners, as the defendants. The plaintiff, a shoe manufacturer, received and accepted from the defendants on April 25, 1918, orders in writing for seven pairs, later increased to twelve pairs, of each of nine styles of shoes, the stock numbers, kinds and prices of which ” are enumerated, with a full description of their varigated colors. The order contained the words All cases on above to run no poorer than sample submitted.” But it is found that the seven or twelve pairs, were only part of a “ case ” of shoes, which were intended by the defendants to be used as samples in taking orders from retailers, and a case ” of shoes- as the word was used by the parties contained thirty-six pairs. The plaintiff on the same date received and accepted orders in writing from the defendants for the manufacture and delivery of eleven hundred cases, each' case containing thirty-six pairs consisting of nine different styles of shoes as specified, delivery to [469]*469be made on August 1, August 15, and September 1, 1918, which are designated as the larger orders.” The orders were placed subject to details, quality and delivery as stated. Any unfilled portion of same is to be considered cancelled if not delivered by ” the dates specified.

A schedule showing the stock numbers, the number of cases, the price of each pair, and the date of delivery makes plain the details of the transaction. It is followed by another schedule giving the number of cases ordered, the number of cases cut ” by the plaintiff, the number of cases not delivered, the number of cases delivered but returned to the plaintiff, the number of cases sold to other customers by the plaintiff, the number of cases in the plaintiff’s possession November 15, 1919, the date when the plaintiff brought suit, the number delivered to the defendants and not returned, the number in their possession at that date, the number retained and not paid for, the number included in the plaintiff’s declaration but balanced by conceded credits, and the number of cases included in the first count of the plaintiff’s declaration. The issues as well as the extent of the controversy are shown by these schedules, which were used by the judge in his consideration and analysis of the contentions of the parties, and in the assessment of damages.

The findings and rulings that the large order was not limited as to the make of leather,” and that the agreement that All cases on above to run no poorer than sample ” or small order did not limit the plaintiff as to the make of leather to be used in the large order, and that the sales were by description and not by sample, do not appear to be erroneous as matter of law. Gould v. Stein, 149 Mass. 570. Weston v. Barnicoat, 175 Mass. 454.

The only warranty therefore, as the court found and ruled, was an implied warranty that the shoes were of merchantable quality. G. L. c. 106, § 17, cl. 2. Fullam v. Wright & Colton Wire Cloth Co. 196 Mass. 474, 476. The ruling that if the warranty was broken, the damages consisted of the difference between the actual value of the article sold and the value of the same article if it had been such as the [470]*470vendor warranted it to be,” and “ the application of this rule is not changed nor modified by the fact that a purchaser of a warranted article had sold it for the same or even a greater price than that which he paid for it ” was correct. F. W. Stock & Sons v. Snell, 226 Mass. 499, 504. Parker v. S. G. Shaghalian & Co. Inc. 244 Mass. 19.

The defendants by their fifty-sixth request asked for a ruling that if the plaintiff “ failed to deliver the merchandise which Hamburger was entitled to have delivered under the contract at the time and in the quantity which the contract called for, then Hamburger is entitled to recover as one of the elements of his damage the loss of his profits and the expenses actually incurred on sales actually made.” The judge found, however, that the dates of delivery had been waived, and the finding of waiver was a question of fact well warranted by the record. The eighth request, that acceptance of merchandise delivered after the date specified is a waiver only as to such merchandise actually so delivered and accepted, is of no consequence because of the general finding. And there was no finding of any proximate damage,” or any evidence of such damage under the further provisions of G. L. c. 106, § 58, cl. 7. The requests were denied rightly.

The defendants claimed and were awarded damages for breach of the warranty of merchantability. It is contended that the quantity of shoes on which the damages found were based was wrongly computed and should be very substantially increased. The plaintiff began to manufacture the shoes immediately after the order had been accepted, and the shipments began in July and continued through October 1918. The defendants are found to have accepted the shipments as they came in, with the exception of a few cases which were returned with a complaint that the dressing on some of the grey and plain kid shoes was imperfect. The defendants under G. L. c. 106, § 37, are found to have accepted all the shoes which were delivered, except thirteen cases returned and credited by the plaintiff. It is further found that the first notice of the defendants’ claim for breach of warranty, except as to the shoes first mentioned, was [471]*471October 19, 1918, when they wrote the plaintiff cancelling the remainder of the order, and requesting him to cease further shipments. The letter, however, contains no reference to any right of rescission or offer to return preceding deliveries, and both before and after the order of cancellation the defendants constantly offered the shoes for sale and sold

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Bluebook (online)
139 N.E. 641, 245 Mass. 461, 1923 Mass. LEXIS 1069, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/learned-v-hamburger-mass-1923.