Lowenstern Bros. v. Marks Credit Clothing, Inc.

48 N.E.2d 729, 319 Ill. App. 71, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 706
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 5, 1943
DocketGen. No. 42,372
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 48 N.E.2d 729 (Lowenstern Bros. v. Marks Credit Clothing, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lowenstern Bros. v. Marks Credit Clothing, Inc., 48 N.E.2d 729, 319 Ill. App. 71, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 706 (Ill. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Hebel

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an action at law in a first class municipal court case which was instituted by Lowenstern Brothers, Incorporated, as plaintiff against Marks Credit Clothing, Incorporated, as defendant, for breach of contract. The court at the request of plaintiff entered a summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant in the sum of $822.30 and no costs, and this is an appeal by the defendant from that judgment.

From the facts it appears that on March 21, 1941 the defendant in writing contracted with the plaintiff for the sale to the defendant of 250 58-piece baby layette sets at $7.50 each set. The plaintiff delivered to the defendant 147 70-piece baby layette sets not provided for in defendant’s order, as suggested by the defendant, and upon defendant’s refusal to consider these sets as performance of the contract, plaintiff on its motion and without trial obtained a judgment in the sum of $937.50 which judgment defendant satisfied.

The case proceeded as to undelivered sets and the defendant in its fourth amended defense, which substantially repeated the matter contained in four prior defense pleadings (all of which were stricken on as many of plaintiff’s motions, which motions were substantially the same as plaintiff’s motion of January 8, 1942), denied that plaintiff had performed the contract, and averred that plaintiff had never tendered the sets ordered by the defendant.

Plaintiff in its reply to defendant’s fourth amended defense alleged that it tendered delivery of 105 sets, the balance of the order (providing for 58-piece sets), identified in its exhibit 1, in contradiction of its later motion for summary judgment and affidavits in support of same, wherein plaintiff showed delivery of 147 70-piece sets and tender of a balance of 105 70-piece sets.

Thereafter, defendant’s motion to strike plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and affidavits was denied and the court on plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and affidavits (without permitting the defendant a trial by jury on its fourth amended defense, and on the matters contained in its answer to plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and affidavits) awarded a further judgment to the plaintiff and against the defendant in the sum of $822.30 on the contract for the undelivered sets, from the entry of which order and judgment the defendant has perfected this appeal.

The defendant contends that its motion to strike was a proper method to test the sufficiency of plaintiff’s affidavits in support of the motion for summary judgment, and suggests that the court in denying the defendant’s motion to strike plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and affidavits in support of same indicated no reason or cause therefor, and cites in support of this contention the case of People v. Sanculius, 284 Ill. App. 463, where the court said:

“It is our opinion that appellant’s motion to strike the defendant’s affidavits for summary judgment from the files was the proper procedure to test the sufficiency of this affidavit.”

However, the defendant contends that the discussion of this point in our opinion is unnecessary.

It is further contended by the defendant that at law and in equity the pleadings and proof must correspond, and plaintiff cannot recover where' a variance exists, and it is suggested and called to our attention that the plaintiff alleges: “That upon, to-wit, March 21, 1941, the defendant purchased of and from the plaintiff 250 baby layette sets at the agreed price of $7.50 each, said contract of sale having been evidenced by a memorandum of said contract in writing signed by said defendant; that an exact copy of said memorandum has been attached hereto and has been labeled ‘Exhibit 1.’ ” And defendant further suggests that the “Exhibit 1” clearly evidences the fact that the defendant ordered 250 58-piece baby layette sets, and that the fact that a particular set consisting of 58 pieces, and such a set only, was the subject matter of the contract is further borne out by plaintiff in the affidavit of Harry Edelman: “ ... Milton Lowenstern called at 6409 South Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois, and exhibited to the said Abe Weinstein a sample baby layette set and a choice of several styles of boxes; that the said Weinstein selected a baby layette set consisting of 58 pieces as the one which the defendant would purchase; that thereupon the said Abe Weinstein stated that he would write up an order for 250 baby layette sets . . . .”

It is further suggested by the defendant that nowhere in its pleadings does plaintiff deny that defendant’s order provided for a certain 58-piece set; further, plaintiff in the affidavit of Frank Chalupa admitted: “That upon April 18, 1941, and April 19, 1941, affiant, together with one Jack Glass, who was in the employ of plaintiff, packed 252 baby layette boxes; that each of said boxes was packed with 70 individual pieces or items of infant’s apparel and accessories thereby assembling and packing one complete baby layette set in each of the said 252 boxes; that in assembling and packing said boxes, affiant used the list marked ‘Exhibit 2’ in selecting the individual pieces to be included in each set; that upon April 18, 1941, and April 19, 1941, the said boxes containing said layette sets and which had theretofore been packed, except those sets which were then or theretofore shipped to defendant, were then stacked in piles in the store room at 305 West Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois, and that said baby layette sets and boxes were then and thereafter the only complete baby layette sets in the store and storage rooms of the plaintiff.”

The defendant cites in support of the suggestions that were offered by it the case of Feder v. Midland Casualty Co., 316 Ill. 552, in which the plaintiff was a beneficiary under a policy of insurance. In her declaration among other things, there was an allegation that notice was given to the insurance company of the death of the assured. The plaintiff in her proof showed that the notice was orally given to the defendant insurance company, whereas the policy of insurance provided that written notice of injury must be given to the insurance company. The court in that case said:

“The object of a declaration in an action at law is to state the facts constituting the plaintiff’s cause of action upon which he relies to recover, so as to enable the defendant to prepare his defense and meet the facts alleged with appropriate evidence. In order to recover the plaintiff must prove the case alleged in his declaration. It is a primary and elementary principle that a plaintiff can recover only on the case made in his declaration. He cannot make one case by his allegation and recover on a different case made by the proof.”

Defendant also cites the case of Ward Hamilton Co. v. Channel Chemical Co., 327 Ill. 362, upon questions that may be of material interest herein. The court in that case said:

“There is more than a variance in this case — there is a failure of proof. Where the allegations of the declaration are unproved in their entire scope and meaning, a motion by the defendant to instruct for a finding in its favor should be allowed. There is no rule of practice permitting a plaintiff to make one case by his declaration and another by his proof.”

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Bluebook (online)
48 N.E.2d 729, 319 Ill. App. 71, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lowenstern-bros-v-marks-credit-clothing-inc-illappct-1943.