Palmucci v. Brunswick Corp.

710 A.2d 1045, 311 N.J. Super. 607
CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedMay 21, 1998
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 710 A.2d 1045 (Palmucci v. Brunswick Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Palmucci v. Brunswick Corp., 710 A.2d 1045, 311 N.J. Super. 607 (N.J. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

710 A.2d 1045 (1998)
311 N.J. Super. 607

Russell PALMUCCI, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
BRUNSWICK CORPORATION d/b/a Mercruiser and Sanborn Marine Center, Defendants-Respondents.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Argued March 24, 1998.
Decided May 21, 1998

Ira Gottlieb, Roseland, for plaintiff-appellant (Lasser Hochman, attorneys; Mr. Gottlieb, on the brief).

Kevin M. McKeon, Marlton, for defendant-respondent Brunswick Corporation (Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, attorneys; Mr. McKeon, on the brief).

William E. Paulus, for defendant-respondent Sanborn Marine Center (Charles P. Hopkins, II, attorney, Shrewbury; Laura G. Degnan, Hackensack, on the brief).

Before Judges STERN, KLEINER and KIMMELMAN.

The opinion of the court was delivered by *1046 KLEINER, J.A.D.

In this appeal, we are required to compare two separate provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code: N.J.S.A. 12A:2-608 and N.J.S.A. 12A:2-719.

N.J.S.A. 12A:2-608 provides:

(1) The buyer may revoke his acceptance of a lot or commercial unit whose non-conformity substantially impairs its value to him if he has accepted it

(a) on the reasonable assumption that its non-conformity would be cured and it has not been seasonably cured; or

(b) without discovery of such non-conformity if his acceptance was reasonably induced either by the difficulty of discovery before acceptance or by the seller's assurances.

(2) Revocation of acceptance must occur within a reasonable time after the buyer discovers or should have discovered the ground for it and before any substantial change in condition of the goods which is not caused by their own defects. It is not effective until the buyer notifies the seller of it.
(3) A buyer who so revokes has the same rights and duties with regard to the goods involved as if he had rejected them.

N.J.S.A. 12A:2-719 provides:

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) of this section and of the preceding section on liquidation and limitation of damages,

(a) the agreement may provide for remedies in addition to or in substitution for those provided in this Chapter and may limit or alter the measure of damages recoverable under this Chapter, as by limiting the buyer's remedies to return of the goods and repayment of the price or to repair and replacement of non-conforming goods or parts; and

(b) resort to a remedy as provided is optional unless the remedy is expressly agreed to be exclusive, in which case it is the sole remedy.

(2) Where circumstances cause an exclusive or limited remedy to fail of its essential purpose, remedy may be had as provided in this Act.
(3) Consequential damages may be limited or excluded unless the limitation or exclusion is unconscionable. Limitation of consequential damages for injury to the person in the case of consumer goods is prima facie unconscionable but limitation of damages where the loss is commercial is not.

I

Plaintiff, Russell Palmucci, a boat enthusiast, purchased from defendant Sanborn Marine Center (Sanborn) a new 5.7 liter engine manufactured by defendant Brunswick Corporation d/b/a/ Mercruiser (Brunswick). Sanborn installed the engine in a boat which plaintiff already owned. After approximately three to five hours of use, it developed problems of an unknown cause. Plaintiff brought the boat back to Sanborn which, after consulting with Brunswick, agreed to fix the problem. However, plaintiff demanded either a new engine or a refund. When Sanborn refused either to provide plaintiff with a new engine or to refund the purchase price, plaintiff placed the boat in storage. Plaintiff then filed a complaint alleging breach of warranty under the Uniform Commercial Code, violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, N.J.S.A. 56:8-1 to -47, strict liability in tort, and negligence.

Prior to trial, plaintiff sought to call Brunswick's expert witness as a witness in his direct case. Plaintiff's application was denied. At trial, when plaintiff rested his case, the trial judge granted defendants' joint application for a directed verdict pursuant to Rule 4:37-2 and Rule 4:40-1.

Plaintiff appeals, contending that he did, in fact, prove a prima facie case under each count of his complaint, thus precluding a directed verdict, and that the trial court erred when it barred him from using Brunswick's expert as a witness in his direct case. We disagree and affirm.

*1047 II

On July 25, 1995, plaintiff took delivery of his boat with the new engine sold to him and installed by Sanborn. On that same date, plaintiff was given a warranty book containing the following conspicuously written engine warranty:

Our obligation under this Warranty shall be limited to repairing a defective part, or at our option, refunding the purchase price or replacing such part or parts as shall be necessary to remedy any malfunction resulting from defects in material or workmanship as covered by this Warranty.

The warranty also conspicuously provided that all incidental or consequential damages were excluded and that there were no warranties of merchantability and fitness. Other implied warranties were limited to the life of the warranty, which was one year from the date of purchase. The warranty also stated: "Engine noise does not necessarily indicate a serious engine problem. If diagnosis indicates a serious internal engine condition which could result in a failure, condition responsible for noise should be corrected under the warranty."

Plaintiff explained at trial that on the date of delivery he drove the boat from the Sanborn location to his home in Point Pleasant. That trip took approximately one hour. Two weeks later, plaintiff took a boat trip with some friends. They traveled one hour to their intended destination. On the return trip, the engine began to make a loud noise. Plaintiff indicated the noise sounded like the engine had no oil. Plaintiff shut the engine down immediately.

Plaintiff indicated that he opened the hatch and looked for oil on the engine and any parts that might have come loose. He discovered that the engine did have oil. Based on his prior boating experience and his own experiences working with and repairing engines, he concluded that the noise he heard was "definitely in the valve train." He restarted the engine and proceeded to his home. He estimated that the total use of the new engine was between three and five hours.

The following day plaintiff contacted Sanborn. Plaintiff was directed to bring the boat in for inspection. Thereafter, plaintiff was informed by telephone by a Sanborn employee that the "studs pulled." When plaintiff returned to Sanborn, he was advised that Sanborn intended to replace the heads.[1] Plaintiff informed Sanborn he did not want the boat repaired. He explained that he had bought a new engine and he wanted a new engine. Plaintiff testified that Sanborn informed him that Brunswick would not replace the engine.

III

The warranty in this case is permitted under the provisions of N.J.S.A. 12A:2-719, supra, because the parties' intent to limit remedies was "clearly expressed." N.J.S.A. 12A:2-719 cmt. 2. Plaintiff contends that N.J.S.A. 12A:2-608 permitted him to revoke acceptance of the engine because the defect substantially impaired the product's value to him.

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Bluebook (online)
710 A.2d 1045, 311 N.J. Super. 607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/palmucci-v-brunswick-corp-njsuperctappdiv-1998.