McLachlan v. Wilmington Dry Goods Co.

22 A.2d 851, 41 Del. 378, 2 Terry 378, 1941 Del. LEXIS 34
CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedNovember 19, 1941
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 22 A.2d 851 (McLachlan v. Wilmington Dry Goods Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McLachlan v. Wilmington Dry Goods Co., 22 A.2d 851, 41 Del. 378, 2 Terry 378, 1941 Del. LEXIS 34 (Del. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

Layton, Chief Justice:

The plaintiff sued in assumpsit to recover special damages resulting from a breach of warranty. The declaration contains two counts, to both of which the defendant has demurred.

The first count alleges that the plaintiff, at the defendant’s store in Wilmington, informed its agent or servant that she desired to buy a two piece play suit; that the servant “¡thereupon exhibited and recommended to the plaintiff that she purchase a certain two piece play suit, stating to the plaintiff at that time, that she would find the dress and the quality of said dress to be excellent; that the dress was of a color, and that the sizing therein or any other material therein was not injurious; that the defendant guaranteed the said dress in accordance with the above [381]*381statement and warranted that the said dress was suitable for wear; that the plaintiff upon the receipt of the said dress wore the same in the customary manner in which such dresses are intended to be worn and in reliance upon the representation given her by the defendant; that the dress was not reasonably fit for the purpose for which the defendant had made known to the plaintiff, but the said dress was unfit for use and wear, or to come in contact with the said plaintiff’s skin, and unfit for use; that the said dress contained substances poisonous and wholly irritating and injurious to the skin; that as a result of the wearing of the said dress, and almost immediately in consequence thereof, the plaintiff’s skin, on the face, neck and body, broke out in eruptions * * * causing much pain which became so violent that she was made ill, and was obliged to be treated by physicians * * Special damages were alleged with particularity.

The objections offered to the count are these: That the statements made by the defendant’s agent were seller’s talk or puffing expressions and did not constitute a warranty; that there is no averment that the garment contained substances poisonous or otherwise which would likely cause harm to any wearer; that the defendant is not charged with knowing or having reason to know of the harmful contents and ingredients of the garment; that there is no allegation of the kind of poisonous substances which rendered the garment inherently harmful to the plaintiff; that the special damages sought are not such damages as are recoverable in an action of assumpsit for breach of warranty; and that there is no sufficient averment of consideration.

By the Sales Act, Sec. 5991, Rev. Code 1935, an express warranty is defined as follows: “Any affirmation of fact or any promise by the seller relating to the goods is an [382]*382express warranty if the natural tendency of such affirmation or promise is to induce the buyer to purchase the goods and if the buyer purchases the goods relying thereon. No affirmation of the value of the goods, nor any statement purporting to be a statement of the seller’s opinion only shall be construed as a warranty.”

The statement that the dress was of a color, and that the sizing or any other material therein was not injurious is an affirmation of fact, not mere seller’s talk or the expression of an opinion. The common-sense interpretation to be given the statements as a whole is that the garment was suitable for wear and contained nothing that would cause injury to the plaintiff. The warranty differs essentially from that in Meyer v. Rich’s, Inc., 63 Ga. App. 896, 12 S. E. 2d 123, 124, where the statement, inter alia, “you would be perfectly safe in wearing this suit,” was construed to be no more than a warranty that the quality and workmanship of the suit would prove satisfactory. But in that case the presiding judge dissented, being of the opinion that the express warranty should not be construed so as to exclude a warranty against the presence of foreign substances injurious to the wearer in the course of normal use. Nor is the warranty here similar to that in Birdsinger v. McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., 183 N. Y. 487, 76 N. E. 611, 3 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1047, 5 Ann. Cas. 586. There the warranty was that a corn husker and shredder would do good work, was well made, of good materials, and was durable if used with proper care. It was held that the warranty was one of fitness for the purpose of the buyer, and not an insurance against accidents to the person resulting from a breaking down of the machine. The court went on to say that if the warranty had stated that the machine was safe for use, it would be clear that the parties had in mind the idea of danger and of some assurance against it. And [383]*383here one judge, dissenting, was of opinion that the warranty should be extended to cover the case of injury to the plaintiff in the course of operation of the machine. It is apparent here from the language of the statements alleged to have been made that the idea of safety in the use of the garment was in the minds of the parties. The warranty is similar in its effect to that in the case of Tyler v. Moody & Offut, 111 Ky. 191, 63 S. W. 433, 54 L. R. A. 417, 98 Am. St. Rep. 406. There the warranty was that a gas generator was absolutely safe and unable to generate enough gas to explode; and it was held that the idea of personal injury to the operator was in the contemplation of the parties.

The question is not whether the garment contained substances harmful to the skin of any wearer of it. The warranty is express. Cases in which the action was based on an implied warranty of fitness or suitability with resulting injury to an allergic or idiosyncratical person are not in point. See Biancki v. Denholm & McKay Co., 302 Mass. 469, 19 N. E. 2d 697, 121 A. L. R. 460; Ross v. Porteous, etc., Co., 136 Me. 118, 3 A. 2d 650; Zirpola v. Adam Hat Stores, 122 N. J. L. 21, 4 A. 2d 73; Gerkin v. Brown & Sehler Co., 177 Mich. 45, 143 N. W. 48, 48 L. R. A. (N. S.) 224. In the case of an implied warranty of fitness or suitability, it may well be, as said in Flynn v. Bedell Co., 242 Mass. 450, 136 N. E. 252, 27 A. L. R. 1504, and in Ross v. Porteous, etc., Co., supra, that the scope of such warranty does not extend to fitness in respect of matters wholly unknown to the dealer and peculiar to the individual buyer. That is not the case here.

The ancient remedy for a false warranty was an action on the case sounding in tort. The remedy by assumpsit is of more modern development. Either mode of procedure may be adopted, but whether the declaration be in assumpsit or tort it need not aver a scienter. Sehuchardt [384]*384v. Allen, 1 Wall. 359, 17 L. Ed. 642. In an action on the case in tort for a breach of a warranty, the scienter need not be laid in the declaration, nor, if charged, proved. 1 Chitty, Pleading, 137. Where the warranty is implied, knowledge of unfitness on the part of the defendant need not be shown. Bianchi v. Denholm & McKay Co., supra; and where the warranty was expressly made, it makes no difference whether the warrantor knew it was false, or did not know whether it was true or false. Tyre v. Causey, 4 Harr. 425, Ellison v. Simmons, 6 Penn. 200, 65 A. 591. In such case it is entirely unnecessary to allege knowledge of falsity of the representation. Tyler v. Moody & Offutt, supra; Shippen v. Bowen, 122 U. S. 575, 7

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Bluebook (online)
22 A.2d 851, 41 Del. 378, 2 Terry 378, 1941 Del. LEXIS 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclachlan-v-wilmington-dry-goods-co-delsuperct-1941.