Rackliff v. Coronet Construction Co.

321 P.2d 50, 157 Cal. App. 2d 419, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2256
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 4, 1958
DocketCiv. No. 22535
StatusPublished

This text of 321 P.2d 50 (Rackliff v. Coronet Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rackliff v. Coronet Construction Co., 321 P.2d 50, 157 Cal. App. 2d 419, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2256 (Cal. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

WHITE, P. J.

Defendant appeals from a $5,000 judgment in favor of plaintiff in his action for damages arising out of the bailment of two DW-21s, rubber tired motor scrapers, valued at about $30,000 each. The agreement between the parties was admittedly a “bare rental” at $2,000-monthly for each of the scrapers beginning June 13, 1955, defendant to hire and pay certain operators, and to pay plaintiff’s oiler for four [421]*421hours daily for oiling the machines. After the end of the first month, $4,000 rent was paid by defendant and the use of the scrapers was continued.

It is alleged in the complaint and found to be true that “by the terms of said oral agreement of hire . . . said motor scrapers were not to be used in rock . . . and were to be returned to plaintiff at his Lincoln and Manchester Yard in the same condition in which they were received, reasonable wear and tear excepted . . that defendant “used said motor scrapers continuously, commencing on June 13, 1955, and continuing to and including July 26, 1955, and that on July 27,1955, defendant. .. notified plaintiff that it no longer needed said motor scrapers and . . . tendered to plaintiff a check for the rental thereof in the approximate amount of $1,300 as rental for the period from July 13, 1955 through July 26, 1955, and . . . told plaintiff the location of said motor scrapers and demanded that plaintiff call for them”; that plaintiff refused said tender and demanded that the motor scrapers be returned to his yard “in as good condition and repair as when received by the defendant . . . reasonable wear and tear excepted . . . that defendant . . . failed and refused to comply with any and all of said demands and that plaintiff took possession of said motor scrapers on or about August 1,1955, caused them to be repaired on the first, second and third days of August, 1955, and that plaintiff returned said motor scrapers to its own use and service on August 4, 1955”; that plaintiff paid $80 for transporting said scrapers to its own yard; that the agreed rental from July 13th to August 1st was $2,451.60; that the reasonable value of the use of said motor scrapers for the period from August 1st to August 3d, inclusive, was the further sum of $387.10; that defendant “during the period July 13, 1955 to July 26, 1955 did not take proper care of said motor scrapers and used the same on rock with the result that the water pumps thereon were damaged, the head on one of the two motor scrapers was cracked . . . the seals and gaskets on both motor scrapers were damaged, the cutting bits were completely worn down and ruined, the tires were badly cut and torn, the rotor bits were broken and worn, the motors were damaged, the step on one motor scraper was bent alongside the machine, the belly pan on one motor scraper was bent up to the crankcase, the engines were difficult to start and missed, the water line on one motor scraper was broken, both motor scrapers built up [422]*422pressure in the cooling system, the lock washers were broken on top of the transmissions, and other damage was done.”

Judgment was awarded for the rental from July 13th to August 1st, $2,451.60, with interest thereon from August 1, 1955; the cost of returning said scrapers to plaintiff’s yard which was $80; and the reasonable cost of repairing the damage found to have been done to them by plaintiff, $2,468.40; making the total amount of the judgment $5,000.

Appellant contends that there is no substantial evidence to support the findings that the bailed property was not to be used in rocky ground, the amount of the court’s award for damage to the scrapers, or the cost of cartage.

The record discloses that plaintiff testified that before delivering the machines he went to the job site and told the superintendent on the job that he did not want the machines worked in rock and the superintendent said he would not work the machines in rock; and that on the same day he talked with Mr. Cravitz, the president of defendant corporation, and told him the equipment was not to be used in rock; later he went to the job and saw the equipment working in rock, told the foreman he should not work the machines in rock and the foreman replied that they were only stripping some dirt off so the rock could be blasted; that later when he went to the job the equipment was again working in rock, he spoke to the superintendent who removed the equipment into dirt. Chester Thompson, the operator of one of the machines, testified that plaintiff came to the job on one occasion and told him “either to stay out of rock or take it down and park it,” that the foreman then directed him to work on the lower road, and that after plaintiff left the equipment was returned to the rock. That testimony is sufficient to support the finding that the agreement was not to use the scrapers in rock, and for the purposes of this appeal evidence in conflict with it is of no concern.

The finding that “by reason of the damage done” to said scrapers “plaintiff was damaged in the sum of $2,468.40” is supported by evidence that repairs costing $4,044.28 were made immediately after the plaintiff repossessed the scrapers included items ranging in amount from “welding supplies $12.00” to “2 tires damaged beyond repair and excessive wear on remaining tires $2,501.30.” The record also includes testimony that some of the needed repairs were not then made or included in said $4,044.28. Under the facts and circumstances [423]*423of the instant action, the amount of damages so found— $2,468.40—does not appear to be unreasonable or arbitrary.

There is in the record some testimony that the reasonable cost of moving said scrapers from the defendant’s job to the plaintiff’s yard was $80, and that defendant agreed to return the equipment to plaintiff’s yard.

Appellant urges that the judgment must be reversed because “there was a waiver by plaintiff of the alleged restriction prohibiting the use of the bailed property in rocky ground.” In support of this contention it relies upon the fact that plaintiff insisted upon defendant’s hiring of certain operators for the machines and cites some testimony to the effect that plaintiff knew the machines were working in rock and failed to repossess them. The operators were on defendant’s payroll, taking their orders from defendant, and were not the agents of plaintiff. Their knowledge was not imputed to plaintiff. When plaintiff first became aware that the scrapers were being used in rock, he could have ended the bailment. (Civ. Code, § 1930.) Instead, he insisted that defendant remove them from the rock, which was done. Usually waiver is a question of fact. (Lyons v. Brunswick-Balke etc. Co., 20 Cal.2d 579, 583 [127 P.2d 924, 141 A.L.R. 1173].) In the instant action, plaintiff’s leaving the scrapers with defendant did not waive, as a matter of law, the defendant’s use of the scrapers in rock thereafter.

The finding that defendant did agree not to use the equipment in rock and that defendant broke that agreement causing damage to the equipment is supported by substantial evidence. Defendant’s statement that a bailee is not an insurer of the equipment and owes no duty beyond ordinary care, therefore, is not applicable to the facts now engaging our attention.

Damage to plaintiff’s equipment caused by defendant’s breach of its expressed agreement not to use said equipment in rock is sought and awarded. The cases ex delicto cited and relied upon by appellant are not determinative of any question presented to us herein.

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Related

Lyons v. Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.
127 P.2d 924 (California Supreme Court, 1942)
McNeal v. Greenberg
255 P.2d 810 (California Supreme Court, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
321 P.2d 50, 157 Cal. App. 2d 419, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 2256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rackliff-v-coronet-construction-co-calctapp-1958.