McCray Refrigerator & Cold Storage Co. v. Woods & Zent

58 N.W. 320, 99 Mich. 269, 1894 Mich. LEXIS 679
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 20, 1894
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 58 N.W. 320 (McCray Refrigerator & Cold Storage Co. v. Woods & Zent) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCray Refrigerator & Cold Storage Co. v. Woods & Zent, 58 N.W. 320, 99 Mich. 269, 1894 Mich. LEXIS 679 (Mich. 1894).

Opinions

Hooker, J.

Plaintiff’s action is brought to recover the contract price of a patented apparatus for a refrigerator furnished to the defendants upon the following contract:

[270]*270“This contract, made this 6th day of January, 1891, by and between McCray Refrigerator and Cold Storage Co., of Kendallville, Noble county, Indiana, of the first part, and Woods & Zent, of Sturgis, county of St. Joseph, State of Michigan, of the second part:
“Witnesseth, That, whereas, the party of the second part is desirous of adopting the McCray patent system of refrigeration in their 20x40 refrigerator: Now we, McCray Refrigerator Company, party of the first part, agree with the party of the second part, whose name or names are hereto attached, to furnish everything requisite to the putting in of our patent in said 20x40 refrigerator, including lumber, racks, pans, rims, trough, filling material, labor, etc., etc., and in short everything necessary to the completion of our patent in said refrigerator, for $475 cash. Woods & Zent, party of the second part, agree to accept said patent, and pay $475 cash, when party of the first part shall have completed above work and contract.
“It is hereby understood that the McCray Refrigerator Company will not be responsible for any promises made by their agents that are not made a pa.rt of this contract, and attached thereto, either printed or written.
“ For a faithful and full performance of our respective parts of the above contract, we bind our heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns.
“Executed in duplicate this 6th day of January, 1891.
“Homer McCray, “McCray Refrigerator and Cold Storage Co.
“E. E. McCray, Sec. and Treas.
“Woods & Zent.
“We also agree to furnish-bill of lumber and plans for said building, and send man to superintend the building of same, at $3 per day and board; also, agree to furnish deed for said building.”

Upon the trial the defendants attempted to prove an express warranty that the apparatus would preserve fresh-meats from 30 to 50 days, or for most any time desired, and that, upon repeated trials, it failed to do so.

The court was requested to charge the jury as follows:

“ The contract in this case is in writing, and I instruct you that any conversation had between the parties that tends to controvert or vary the terms of such agreement [271]*271before the signing of the contract is not admissible evidence. You should not consider any such conversation in this case.”

On the contrary, the court instructed the jury as follows:

There was a written contract between the parties, and no parol evidence can change that agreement. All its stipulations are binding upon the parties to it. And I instruct you that any conversations had between the parties that tend to contradict or vary the items of such agreement before the signing of the contract cannot be considered by you as evidence in the case. What this written contract says, to the' extent which it goes, controls, beyond all parol evidence; that is, all talks and conversations. And it must be conclusively considered that all such conversations were merged in the writing, and that the agreement so written expresses the real contract between the parties; and, in making up your verdict, you must give full effect to the - stipulations so written. The defendants, however, were permitted to offer proof upon the trial to the effect that the .plaintiff, at the time of making the agreement, represented and warranted that the WcCray system of refrigeration, which was proposed to be put in for defendants, would keep fresh meats 30, 40, or 50 days. You will remember, gentlemen, that the plaintiff denies that any such warranty was given or representations made. The written contract is silent upon •this question. And, gentlemen, I here instruct you, as requested by the counsel for the defendants, if the jury find from the evidence that the plaintiff represented to the defendants that the refrigerator would keep fresh meat 30 to 50 days, then I charge you that would be a warranty that this refrigerator would keep fresh meat 30 to 50 days; and, if you find from the evidence that the plaintiff had not given defendants such a cold storage as it agreed it would, it cannot recover. If you believe from fihe evidence that no such oral representation or warranty was in fact made, then you should disregard all that has been testified to upon that subject, and confine yourselves to the stipulations of the written contract.”

This instruction seems to be based upon the proposition that, inasmuch as the writing was silent upon the subject [272]*272of warranty, one might be proved by parol. This was error. The true rule is that a written contract cannot be varied or added to by parol. The addition of a warranty is as objectionable as any other. Mr. Parsons, in his work on Contracts (vol. 1, p. 547), uses this language:

“A warranty in the sale of a chattel is an essential part of the bargain, and should be stated in the bought and sold notes.”

In Peltier v. Collins, 3 Wend. 466, Marcy, J., remarked, in giving the opinion of the court:

“Suppose the contract had been with warranty, and the memorandum in the plaintiffs’ sales book had been signed by the defendant, but the warranty clause omitted, and suppose the rice had been delivered and had proved to be of an inferior quality, could the defendant have shown the warranty by parol? The authorities to which I have referred show most abundantly that he could not.”

Again, the author says (1 Pars. Cont. p. 548):

“ It is clear that parol evidence of a warranty not mentioned in the writing is not admissible in a suit brought by the purchaser for damages for breach of warranty;” citing Reed v. Wood, 9 Vt. 285.

Mr. Parsons, on pages 589 and 590, again refers to the subject, saying:

“ And where the contract of sale is in writing, and contains no warranty, there parol evidence is not admissible to add a warranty;” saying, in a note, that “ this was distinctly adjudged in Van Ostrand v. Reed, 1 Wend. 424. It rests upon the familiar principle that the writing is supposed to contain all the contract.”

The general rule is too well understood to require the citation of authorities. But see 17 Am. & Eng. Enc. Law, p. 420, and note.

Some Michigan cases may be supposed to support the defendants’ contention. Phelps v. Whitaker, 37 Mich. 72. This was an order for a windmill, signed only by the purchaser. The Court said that the paper did not constitute [273]*273such a contract as would exclude evidence of the conversation when it was made.

Trevidick v. Mumford, 31 Mich. 469, holds that a deed- and a bill of sale made by the plaintiff were not meant, to contain all of the obligations of the defendant. This is-familiar doctrine, the papers being mere incidents of the contract, and made to carry out some of its provisions-1 Pars. Cont. 590.

Richards v. Fuller, 37 Mich. 161, was similar to the case of Trevidick v. Mumford,

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Bluebook (online)
58 N.W. 320, 99 Mich. 269, 1894 Mich. LEXIS 679, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccray-refrigerator-cold-storage-co-v-woods-zent-mich-1894.