Sargent v. Mason

112 N.W. 255, 101 Minn. 319, 1907 Minn. LEXIS 566
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJune 14, 1907
DocketNos. 15,131-(114)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 112 N.W. 255 (Sargent v. Mason) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sargent v. Mason, 112 N.W. 255, 101 Minn. 319, 1907 Minn. LEXIS 566 (Mich. 1907).

Opinions

LEWIS, J.

The complaint alleges that in May, 1902, respondent leased of defendants from month to month a certain house, No. 9 East Tenth street, St. Paul; that such house, with a number of others immediately adjacent, was owned and controlled by defendants, and heated by means ■of a steam plant also owned and controlled by them; and that at the time of leasing the premises it was agreed between the parties that, so long as respondent should remain in possession of the house, defendants would furnish sufficient heat to comfortably warm the house ■during the fall and winter months at the rate of $15 per month. This action is founded upon a breach of the contract to furnish enough heat. Defendants moved to dismiss, and the motion was granted as against William F. Mason, who, it appeared, acted as agent for appellant. [321]*321Respondent obtained a verdict of $550, and, as we understand the case, the appeal presents two questions only which require special consideration.

1. Respondent occupied the premises from May, 1902, until April, 1904, and during all that time leased the house from month to month, paying the rent each month in advance, and the heat was paid for at the agreed price of $15 at the end of each month. It was shown at the trial that appellant gave separate receipts each month for the rent of the house and the heat, and upon this fact appellant urges that each month was a separate transaction, and all differences settled and disposed of accordingly. It is further claimed that, in paying for the heat each month and taking1 receipts, without specifying any insufficiency of heat, and in delaying action for nearly two years after vacating the house, respondent is estopped from maintaining the action.

As we understand the complaint and evidence, there were two separate contracts — one, for rental of the house, payable monthly"i'h ’advance; and the other, for furnishing sufficient heat to comfortably warm the house, at $15 a month, payable at the end of each. Whether the transaction amounted to one entire contract, or two separate ones, is immaterial. The house was leased from month to month, and either party might have terminated it at the end of any month; but the contract for heat was a continuing one, viz., for the period during which respondent should occupy the house, which might be one month, one year, or two years. Consequently, under the terms of respondent’s contract, she was not forced to vacate the premises simply because the-heat was not sufficient, and appellant is not in a position to complain because he permitted her to remain longer than he need haye done. It was within his power to bring the contract to a close at any time; but he did not do so, and bjr permitting her to remain he was called upon to make good his contract to give enough heat to make the house comfortable.

Appellant designates the furnishing of heat under his contract with' respondent as a sale of personal property, and seeks to apply to the case the rule applicable where a vendee purchases personal property, uses the same, and pays for it, and cites Armstrong v. Latimer, 165 Pa. St. 398, 30 Atl. 990, where it was held that voluntary payments prevented [322]*322the vendee from afterwards raising the question that the coal was deficient in quantity. That class of cases has no application. By the-terms of the contract under consideration the lessee did not agree to-purchase “hot air” by measure or weight, with the implied understanding that, if it was not sufficient in amount, she must return it. The-transaction was in no sense a sale or delivery of personal property, but an agreement by appellant to perform certain duties, viz., to make the-premises comfortable.

Respondent testified that she made frequent complaints as to the insufficiency of the heat; that appellant repeatedly promised that heat: enough would be furnished in the future, and also told her that if she-did not like the amount of heat furnished she could leave; but that she-had rented the house for the express purpose of subletting rooms, and' it was not possible for her to move out in the middle of the winter without great loss, and so she preferred to remain and make the best, of things. The fact that respondent paid for the heat at the end of each, month, without specifying in the. receipts that she was not satisfied,, and that this action was not commenced for nearly two years after she-vacated the house, did not necessarily estop her from maintaining the-action. It was proper for the jury to take all such matters into consideration, in determining whether or not the house was comfortably1 heated, and whether she had accepted the same without complaint, The evidence supports respondent’s claim that the contract was broken,, and that' she preserved her rights, although she paid the bills every month, and did not commence the action for two years after vacating, the premises.

2. There were five causes of action, two of which only are involved' on this appeal. The first, based upon damages which accrued by reason of inability to sublease the rooms of the house because they were-not warm enough. It was alleged in the complaint, and substantiated by the evidence, that the house was rented to respondent for the express-purpose of subletting rooms, which appellant knew, and the damages alleged under this cause of action were $300. The second, based upon a claim of $2,000 damages caused by the physical inconvenience, pain, and suffering of respondent during the time she occupied the premises-by reason of the low temperature of the house.

[323]*323Appellant does not question the validity of the first cause of action, provided that any amount can be recovered at all, but contends that the court erred in charging the jury as follows as to the third cause of action:

Gentlemen, on the second item of damages — that is, the personal suffering and inconvenience of the plaintiff herself, by reason of her being compelled to remain in these alleged cold rooms during these two winters, and catching cold and personal suffering and inconvenience, on that I simply say that the plaintiff would be entitled to recover, if she is entitled to recover at all in this case, such a sum as you in your good judgment» from the evidence, believe would fairly compensate her for her suffering and inconvenience. She has not proved in this case any pecuniary loss in that respect. She has not proved any damages for expenses for medicines, or doctors’ bills, or anything of that kind, but simply on that her own personal suffering and, inconvenience, as nearly as you can measure it in money.

It is stated in 1 Sutherland, Dam. (3d. Ed.) § 45: “An important distinction is to be noted between the extent of responsibility for a tort, and that for breach of contract. The wrongdoer is answerable for all the injurious consequences of his tortious act which, according' to the usual course of events and general experience, were likely to ensue, and which, therefore, when the act was committed, he may reasonably be supposed to have foreseen and anticipated. But for breaches of contracts the parties are not chargeable with damages on this principle. Whatever foresight at the time of the breach the defaulting party may have of the probable consequences, he is not generally held for that reason to any greater responsibility.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
112 N.W. 255, 101 Minn. 319, 1907 Minn. LEXIS 566, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sargent-v-mason-minn-1907.