Pilson v. Tip-Top Auto Co.

136 P. 642, 67 Or. 528, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 217
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 25, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 136 P. 642 (Pilson v. Tip-Top Auto Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pilson v. Tip-Top Auto Co., 136 P. 642, 67 Or. 528, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 217 (Or. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Ramsey

delivered the opinion of the court.

On or about the 1st day of October, 1911, the defendant was engaged in the business of storing and taking care of automobiles as a warehouseman for hire at Hood River, Oregon, and it carried on its business at two garages. One of them was situate at Columbia and Seventh Streets in the city of Hood River, and the other was located on the property of Charles P. McCan, about a mile southwest of said city. Both of these garages were owned and conducted by the defendant for hire.

On October 1, 1911, the plaintiff owned a Croxton-Keeton automobile. He was going east, and he made a contract with the defendant to store and keep said automobile for him for hire while he should be gone.

The complaint alleges that the plaintiff “delivered said automobile to the defendant and the defendant received the same for storage in its garage, located at Seventh and Columbia Streets in the City of Hood River, Oregon, and upon the express agreement that said automobile should be stored and kept therein, and that said automobile so delivered by the plaintiff to the defendant, as aforesaid, was at the time of said delivery and at all times thereafter, up and until.the time of the damaging thereof through defendant’s negligence, hereinafter referred to, of the value of $1,500; that said automobile was, upon said delivery by plaintiff to defendant, to be by the defendant safely and securely kept for the plaintiff in its said warehouse (garage) at Columbia and Seventh Streets and delivered to plaintiff, on demand, for compensation for such keeping of $3 per month, to be paid by plaintiff to defendant in the regular course of business, upon demand, by defendant therefor.”

[531]*531The complaint further alleges that the plaintiff has duly performed all of the conditions of said contract on his part; and that the plaintiff upon the 18th day of March, 1912, paid to the defendant the sum of $11.20 and demanded of the defendant the return of said chattels, said last-named sum being the amount due to and charged by the defendant for such safekeeping up to the date of said demand, but the defendant then and ever since has neglected and refused to return said chattels, or any part thereof, to plaintiff, except in the damaged condition hereinafter set forth in this complaint.

The said complaint alleged also that the defendant, its servants and agents, carelessly and negligently, and without the consent or authority of the plaintiff, removed said automobile from its storehouse and garage at Seventh and Columbia Streets to its storehouse and garage located about one mile southwest of the City of Hood River, on the property of one Charles P. McCan, such negligent removal having been done by defendant, as aforesaid, shortly after the 1st day of October, 1911, and stored said automobile in said last-named storehouse and garage without the consent of the plaintiff; that, while said automobile was so stored in said last-named garage by defendant, the defendant, its servants and agents, carelessly and negligently permitted snow to accumulate, from day to day, for several days prior to the 12th day of January, 1912, upon the roof of said last-named garage where said automobile was stored, so that the roof of said garage and storehouse became so overloaded with said snow that said roof, by reason of said overloading thereon, by reason of said accumulation of snow and rain negligently permitted to accumulate on said roof, as aforesaid, on the 12th day of January, 1912, gave away and caved in, wrecking said building and falling upon the automobile of plaintiff stored therein, breaking the [532]*532spring and bottom thereof, etc., so as to make said automobile of practically no value to the plaintiff or anyone else; that by reason of the negligence of the defendant, its servants and agents, in removing said machine from its storehouse (garage) at Seventh and Columbia Streets to its storehouse (garage) about one mile southwest of the City of Hood River, without the consent of the plaintiff, and in permitting said overload of snow and rain to accumulate on the roof of said last-named garage, while plaintiff’s machine was stored therein, and neglecting to remove the same, although the defendant and its agents were informed and well knew that the roof of said last-named garage was in a dangerous condition and likely to fall at any time, by reason of the excess weight thereon, said automobile was injured as aforesaid, to the very great damage of plaintiff in the sum of $1,000.

The answer denies most of the allegations of the complaint and admits some parts thereof. It admits that said automobile was removed from one garage to the other, but denies that it was done without the consent of the plaintiff or that it was negligently done, and alleges that it was done in accordance with the agreement with the plaintiff. The answer admits that, while the automobile was in the garage to which it was removed, said garage collapsed, but denies that the collapse was caused by the weight of snow and rain upon the roof thereof, and alleges that said collapse was caused by reason of said building’s having been defectively planned and constructed, and that the defects therein were latent and unknown to the defendant and could not have been discovered by ordinary diligence.

The defendant alleges that, when said automobile was left with it by plaintiff, it was agreed'by the plaintiff and the defendant that it should be kept at said garage on the McCan farm, and that the defendant [533]*533assumed no liability whatever for its safety, preservation or redelivery, save only as against its own willful and intentional misconduct.

The answer admits that the defendant received said automobile about October 1, 1911, and kept it at its garage in the city until about November 29, 1911, and then removed it to the other garage. The defendant admits also that the automobile was damaged by the collapse of the garage to the extent of $120.

The plaintiff claims that the car was to have been kept in the garage in the city. The defendant denies this and asserts that it was agreed that it was to be kept in the garage that collapsed. The answer admits that it was kept in,the garage in the city more than six weeks and then removed to the other garage.

1. If it was the contract that the automobile should be kept at the garage in the city, and it was removed to the other garage outside the city without the consent of the plaintiff, and there damaged by the falling in of the roof of the garage, the defendant would be liable for such damages without reference to the question of negligence, as such acts on the part of the defendant would be wrongful and a violation of such contract of bailment: Kennedy v. Portman, 97 Mo. App. 253 (70 S. W. 1099); Hudson v. Columbia T. Co., 137 Mich. 255 (100 N. W. 402, 109 Am. St. Rep. 679); McCurdy v. W. F. & Co., 94 Minn. 326 (102 N. W. 873, 3 Ann. Cas. 468). However, in this case it is doubtful whether the contract of bailment provided that the automobile should be kept in the garage in the city. It seems that the evidence on that point was conflicting.

2. But it appears clearly from the complaint that the plaintiff did not base his right of action upon the alleged wrongful act of the defendant in transferring the automobile from the garage in the city to the one outside of the city aid the defendant’s failure to deliver it in good condition to the plaintiff on his demand.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 P. 642, 67 Or. 528, 1913 Ore. LEXIS 217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pilson-v-tip-top-auto-co-or-1913.