N. B. Lumber Corp. v. Boisvert

51 Mass. App. Dec. 186
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedJune 11, 1973
DocketNo. 52; No. 5188
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 51 Mass. App. Dec. 186 (N. B. Lumber Corp. v. Boisvert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
N. B. Lumber Corp. v. Boisvert, 51 Mass. App. Dec. 186 (Mass. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

Rider, J.

This is an action in contract on the common count of goods sold and delivered. The defendant’s answer consists of a general denial, Statute of Frauds, Statute of Limitations, payment and accord and satisfaction.

The court found for the plaintiff in the sum of $552.66 with interest of $36.00 to the date of the writ, and costs.

All pleadings and all exhibits introduced at the hearing are incorporated by reference in the report. The exhibits are transferred to the Appellate Division without reproduction.

At the trial there was evidence tending to show that:

[188]*188The defendant had been in the construction business since the late 1950’s and in August, 1968 he formed a corporation known as Pilgrim Remodeling & Building, Inc., of which he was president, treasurer and one of the three directors. The clerk and a director was Pauline L. Boisvert, of 271 Tarklin Hill Road, New Bedford, which was also the residential address of the defendant. The defendant personally appeared at the plaintiff’s place of business in October, 1968 and asked for a personal line of credit. There was no conversation or mention of Pilgrim Remodeling or Pilgrim Remodeling & Building, Inc. The defendant denied that this conversation took place. According to the exhibits, the plaintiff sold merchandise on October 22, 1968 in the amount of $144.20, on November 13, 1968 in the amount of $120.39, and on November 15, 1968 in the amount of $288.07. All invoices bore the statement “Sold to Pilgrim Remodeling, Nauset St. (or 128 Nauset St.) N. B.” Until after January 17, 1969, all statements were sent by the plaintiff to “Pilgrim Remodeling, Nauset Street, New Bedford, Mass.” On that date, the defendant as president of Pilgrim Remodeling & Building, Inc., 128 Nauset Street, New Bedford, Mass, wrote to the plaintiff concerning the financial reverses of the corporation and requested that any correspondence be addressed to “Pilgrim Remodeling & Building, Inc., P. O. Box No. N1156, New Bedford, Mass.” [189]*189Thereafter all billing went to Pilgrim Bemodeling & Building, Inc. until September, 1969 when the account was turned over to plaintiff’s attorneys for collection. Prior to commencement of this action, no bills were ever sent to Leo Boisvert individually. There were no delivery instructions on the invoice of October 22, 1968. The invoice of November 13, 1968 bore the instruction “Del. to 1028 Pleasant St.” The invoice of November 15, 1968 bore the instruction “Del. to 215 Walnut St., N.B.” There was no evidence as to who actually ordered the merchandise nor as to who extended credit to Pilgrim Bemodeling.

- At the close of trial and before the final arguments, the plaintiff filed the following requests for rulings, which were allowed by the court:

1. The evidence warrants a finding that the plaintiff had no knowledge that it was doing business with a corporation when purchases were made by Leo Boisvert, the defendant.

2. The evidence warrants a finding that the goods were sold and the line of credit offered to Leo Boisvert and not Pilgrim Bemodeling & Building, Inc.

At the close of trial and before the final arguments, the defendant filed the following requests for rulings:

1. The evidence does not warrant a finding that the defendant individually contracted with the plaintiff.

[190]*1902. The evidence does not warrant a finding that the defendant purchased the goods in question.

3. This action is barred by the provisions of General Laws chapter 106, section 2-201.

4. As a matter of law, this is [an action] to enforce a contract for the sale of goods for a price of five hundred dollars or more.

5. The evidence warrants a finding that if any debt is owed the plaintiff the same is owed by the corporation Pilgrim Eemodeling & Building, Inc.

6. The evidence does not warrant a finding that the. defendant is indebted to the plaintiff.

The court took the following action on the defendant’s requests for rulings:

1. Allowed, there was evidence by the defendant which if believed would warrant a finding that the defedant did not individually contract with the plaintiff, but I do not believe it.

2. Allowed, (see 1).

3. Denied, these were three separate transactions on three separate occasions and each less than $500.

4. Denied, (see 3).

5. Allowed, (see 1 and 2).

6. Allowed, (seeland2).

[191]*191The court filed the following Memorandum of Findings of Fact:

“This is an action of contract in the amount of $600, commenced by writ dated January 8, 1970. The declaration seeks in one count on an account aimed (sic) for $552.66 and interest. The defendant alleges a general denial, Statute of Limitations, Statute of Frauds, Payment and Accord and Satisfaction.
I find that on October 22, 1968, the defendant saw one LeBlanc, the general manager of the plaintiff corporation, and asked him if his corporation could supply him (Boisvert, the defendant) with materials. The defendant was a contractor. I find that there was no mention by the defendant that he represented a corporation, and that LeBlanc cleared the defendant for credit on his character and his former acquaintance with him. I find that LeBlanc called the lumberyard and told someone to extend the defendant credit. I find that the bookkeeper, one Andrade, billed the goods to “Pilgrim Remodeling” and no mention was made to her of a corporation.
I find that the defendant purchased goods on November 13, 1968, for $120.39; November 15, 1968, for $288.07, and November 22, 1968, for $144.20. They were all separate purchases and each less than $500.00.
I find that the plaintiff corporation, through Andrade, billed the defendant several times at “Pilgrim Remodeling” and on January 17, [192]*1921969, first received a letter from, the defendant indicating that his firm was a corporation and that they could not pay at that time. I find that this was the first notice of the plaintiff of the fact that the defendant was a corporation and that credit originally was not extended to the defendant’s corporation but to the defendant personally.
I find $552.66 to be a fair and reasonable bill.”

The defendant claiming to be aggrieved by the allowance of the plaintiff’s requests for rulings and the allowance of the defendant’s requests for rulings numbered 1, 2, 5 and 6, but with special findings and references, and the denial of defendant’s requests for rulings, numbered 3 and 4, with special findings and references, and by the court’s Memorandum of Findings of Fact as not being warranted by the evidence, claims a report to the Appellate Division for determination.

We consider first the defendant’s claim that he is aggrieved by the findings of fact made by the trial judge. There is no merit to such a contention. A party may claim a report to the Appellate Division only with respect to rulings of law and not to findings of fact. G.L. c. 231, § 198, as amended. Castano v. Leone, 278 Mass. 429, 430. Butler v.

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1984 Mass. App. Div. 255 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div., 1984)
Corcoran v. Healey
1981 Mass. App. Div. 83 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div., 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
51 Mass. App. Dec. 186, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/n-b-lumber-corp-v-boisvert-massdistctapp-1973.