Maduro v. Ford Motor Co.

7 V.I. 425, 1970 V.I. LEXIS 2
CourtMunicipal Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedJuly 15, 1970
DocketCivil No. 591-1969
StatusPublished

This text of 7 V.I. 425 (Maduro v. Ford Motor Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Municipal Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maduro v. Ford Motor Co., 7 V.I. 425, 1970 V.I. LEXIS 2 (vimunict 1970).

Opinion

HOFFMAN, Municipal Judge

[427]*427OPINION

This is an action for breach of an implied warranty of merchantability arising from the purchase of a new automobile. After brief testimony was taken on June 24, 1970 the parties stipulated on the record that the case be submitted on the testimony taken and on the April 4, 1970 depositions of Godwin Maduro and Robert Ramsay; the stipulation as to exhibits dated July 6-7, 1970; the so-called examination before trial of Godwin Maduro sworn to March 24, 1970 as limited by counsel on the record; and the pleadings and memoranda of law submitted by the parties.

From a careful review of all of the above it is clear that there exists little dispute between the parties concerning the facts which are relevant to this case. The Court makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACTS

1. On February 16, 1968 the plaintiff purchased from the defendant, Ramsay Motors, Inc., an agent for the defendant, Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer, a 1968 Mercury Montego for $3847.00.

2. The Plaintiff selected the car himself.

3. At the time of the purchase, it was made clear to the plaintiff by means of a conspicuous writing and by word of mouth that there was an express warranty of “6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first.”

4. A number of problems and inconveniences with respect to this new car were encountered by the plaintiff and brought to the attention of the defendant, Ramsay Motors, Inc., during this six month period including trouble with the gas gauge, the steering arm, the alternator, and the brakes. These conditions were, however, substantially repaired by Ramsay Motors.

[428]*4285. Some 8 1/2 months after purchasing the car and after it had been driven almost 11,000 miles, the plaintiff brought the car back to Ramsay Motors, Inc., complaining about serious transmission trouble.

DISCUSSION

It is the plaintiff’s contention that beyond the express warranty of “6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first” there also arose by operation of law an implied warranty which affords coverage to the transmission trouble which seems to be at the heart of the dispute.

In order to determine whether the plaintiff’s contention has merit we must carefully consider the appropriate sections of the Uniform Commercial Code adopted in the Virgin Islands and set forth in Title 11A of the Virgin Islands Code for it is this Act which governs the present transaction. The sections with which we are primarily concerned are 2-314 Implied Warranty: Merchantability; 2-315 Implied Warranty: Fitness for Particular Purpose; 2-316 Exclusion or Modification of Warranties; & 2-317 Cumulation and Conflict of Warranties Express or Implied.

At the outset, we will dispose first with the plaintiff’s contention that there was an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose under section 2-315 since the car was to be used as a taxi. Section 2-315 Implied Warranty Fitness for Particular Purpose, states that:

Where the seller at the time of contracting has reason to know any .particular purpose for which the goods are required and that the buyer is relying oh the seller’s skill or judgment to select or furnish suitable goods, there is unless excluded or modified under the next section an implied warranty that the goods shall be fit for such purpose.

This section does not appear to be applicable to the present case. It does not appear that the plaintiff actually relied “on the seller’s skill or judgment to select or [429]*429furnish suitable goods”. First of all, it appears that the plaintiff selected his own car. Secondly, section 2-315 was probably not intended to cover situations such as this. The “particular purpose” to which section 2-315 refers is a specific use that a given buyer is concerned with (such as shoes to go mountain climbing in — see section 2-315, comment 2). It is not concerned with the ordinary purposes for which certain goods are normally used. Here the car is still going to be used for transportation. The fact that the driver intends to charge people for riding in it does not change its basic use.

The pertinent provisions of the sections we are primarily concerned with are set forth as follows:

2-314 Implied Warranty: Merchantability
(1) Unless excluded or modified (Section 2-316), a warranty that the goods shall be merchantable is implied in a contract for their sale if the seller is a merchant with respect to goods of that kind. . . .
(2) Goods to be merchantable must be at least such as . . . (c) are fit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are used. . . .
2-316 Exclusion or Modification of Warranties
(2) Subject to subsection (3), to exclude or modify the implied warranty of merchantability or any part of it the language must mention merchantability and in case of a writing must be conspicuous. . . .
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2)
(a) unless the circumstances indicate otherwise, all implied warranties are excluded by expressions like “as is”, “with all faults” or other language which in common understanding calls the buyer’s attention to the exclusion of warranties and makes plain that there is no implied warranty. . . .
2-317 Cumulation and Conflict of Warranties Express or Implied
Warranties whether express or implied shall be construed as consistent with each other and as cumulative, but if such construction is unreasonable the intention of the parties shall de[430]*430termine which warranty is dominant. In ascertaining that intention the following rules apply:
(c) Express warranties displace inconsistent implied warranties other than an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.

As section 2-314 makes clear, unless excluded or modified, there arises by operation of law in every sale within the Act by a merchant seller, an implied warranty of merchantability. It is the plaintiff’s contention that beyond the express warranty of “6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first” there also existed this implied warranty of merchantability which was sufficient to cover the transmission trouble. Whether or not an implied warranty of merchantability on a new car is sufficient to cover transmission difficulties experienced approximately eight months after purchase is unnecessary to decide because under the present set of facts no implied warranty of merchantability arose. This is because under section 2-316(3) (a), this warranty was plainly excluded by the express warranty “6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first.” This warranty was written boldly across the sales invoice which was presented to the plaintiff before the sale was consummated and as the record shows, it was also verbally brought to his attention at this time. It was evident from the very nature of the language used that the only warranty the purchaser was to receive was this warranty and if anything major were to go wrong with the car the buyer could only hope that it would occur during this limited period, otherwise he would not be covered. This was the nature of the risk the buyer assumed when he entered the contract.

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Related

Duckworth v. Ford Motor Company
211 F. Supp. 888 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1962)
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161 A.2d 69 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 V.I. 425, 1970 V.I. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maduro-v-ford-motor-co-vimunict-1970.