Segall v. Finlay

126 Misc. 625, 213 N.Y.S. 540, 1925 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1052
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 126 Misc. 625 (Segall v. Finlay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Segall v. Finlay, 126 Misc. 625, 213 N.Y.S. 540, 1925 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1052 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1925).

Opinion

Page, Referee.

The negotiations for the sale of sugar by the defendants to the plaintiff were carried on by means of telephone conversations, which were confirmed by the defendants either by telegrams or letters. The parties have stipulated the receipt and contents of these telegrams. The principal questions of fact arise from statements alleged to have been made over the telephone. The parties had on February 19, 1923, entered into a contract for the sale of 3,000 tons of sugar, payment for which was guaranteed by the State Commercial and Savings Bank under the provisions of the contract, “ buyers to furnish approved banker’s guaranty of their performance of contract immediately.” . This 3,000 ton?, of sugar was delivered direct to the National Sugar Refining Com - pony for account of the plaintiff, and payment made by that company for plaintiff’s account. The transfer of this contract to the National Sugar Refining Company was prior to February 27, 1923. On February 27, 1923, the plaintiff telephoned to the defendants and made a bid of five and one-eighth cents a pound, cost and freight New York, for 8,000 tons of Cuban sugar April shipment from Cuba. The defendants on the same day, wrote a letter to plaintiff, with the sole purpose of making a record of the oral conversation, for this letter, in due course of the mail, could not be received by the plaintiff before ten o’clock the following morning,. and was in fact received by plaintiff on March 1, 1923. The- letter read as follows: “We beg to confirm telephone conversation with you to-day and thank you for your bid of 5|jé C. & F. New York for [627]*6278,000 tons of Cuban centrifugal sugar, April shipment from Cuba, subject to reply leaving us not later than 10 A. m. to-morrow morning. Same terms as last.”

On February 28, 1923, prior to ten a. m., defendants signed and sent to the plaintiff a telegram, which plaintiff received about eleven a. m. on the same day, as follows: “ Accept bid four thousand tons Cuban centrifugal basis ninety-six five and one-eighth cents cost and freight New York April shipment from Cuba terms and conditions as customary subject satisfactory bank guaranteeing or confirmed credit by wire to-day.”

After the receipt of this telegram the plaintiff called the defendants on the telephone, and had a conversation with Mr. Jager, the employee of the defendants who was acting in its behalf in this transaction. The plaintiff’s testimony in regard to this conversation is that he called up to inquire about the other 4,000 tons for which he had bid. In this conversation Jager said, referring to the accepted bid: “ What about the bank on this 4,000 tons? ” Plaintiff replied: “ Well, it will be the State Commercial and Savings Bank.” Jager said: “ Could you give us any other bank? ” Plaintiff replied: “We were doing business almost exclusively through the State Commercial and Savings Bank, and that would be the bank that we would give them.” Jager said: “Well, we have already got a guaranty from that bank for 3,000 tons of sugar and We would like some other bank.” Plaintiff said: “We could not give you any other bank.” Jager said: “ Then would you do this, instead of the guaranty this time, would the State Commercial and Savings Bank give us a letter of credit? ” Plaintiff replied: “Yes, sir; they would.” Jager then said: “All right, then you have your bank wire us that they will put up this letter of credit.” Plaintiff replied: “ You understand the bank won’t take out this letter of credit until you have your formal sales contract before them, so that the letter of credit will conform to the sales contract.” Jager said: “That is all right.” Plaintiff then said: “ You mail your contract, and the State Commercial and Savings Bank will put up the letter of credit.” Jager said: “All right; but in the meantime have your bank wire us immediately that they will do so.” Plaintiff said: “All right, and you confirm the conversation.” And Jager said: “All right.”

Jager’s testimony was that, when he received the bid on February 27, 1923, he asked plaintiff whether his bid was subject to a satisfactory bank letter of credit or satisfactory bank guaranty being furnished by a bank other than the State Commercial and Savings Bank, and plaintiff told him he would do that; there would be no difficulty about it. He further testified: “At about prior to 10 [628]*628-o’clock February 28, 1923, Finlay & Co. accepted Butler, Ward & Co.’s bid for 4,000 tons sugar, subject to a satisfactory irrevocable letter of credit being received the same day. Butler-Ward then called up and said that the bank did not know how to make up the details of the letter of credit until they received our contract, but that in the meantime they Would wire that such a letter of credit would be provided. Again I asked Mr. Segall if a bank other than the State Commercial and Savings Bank would wire to guarantee that letter of credit would be provided when our contract reached Chicago, and he said, ‘ Yes, it would; some other bank.’ ”

When there is a conflict in the oral testimony, and there is in evidence contemporaneous writings, the latter have great probative value, and especially when they were intended by the parties to be confirmation of the oral conversations. In the letter written by the defendants on February 27, 1923, confirming the telephone conversation, there was no mention whatever that the bid was subject to a satisfactory bank letter of credit or a satisfactory bank guaranty being furnished by some bank other than the State Commercial and Savings Bank. On the contrary, it did state, Same terms as last,” which referred to the contract of February nineteenth, which, as we have stated, required the plaintiff to furnish “ approved banker’s guaranty,” for which the guaranty of the State Commercial and Savings Bank was accepted by the defendant. If so important a condition was to be imposed upon the bid, the defendants would have embodied it in the letter of confirmation. Mr. Jager was also mistaken that the conversation with reference to the bank issuing a confirmed letter of credit instead of a bank guaranty occurred before the telegram which defendants sent prior to ten a. m. on February twenty-eighth, for that telegram read: Subject satisfactory bank guaranteeing or confirmed credit by wire to-day.” Therefore, I shall accept the plaintiff’s version that the conversation in regard to the issuing of a confirmed letter of credit upon the receipt of the contract Was after, and not before, the telegram accepting the bid for 4,000 tons. The defendants sent a telegram confirming the final understanding of the parties on February 28, 1923, at about twelve-thirty p. m., which was received by the plaintiff at about one-forty-five p. m., as follows: “ Confirming understanding that upon receipt our sales contract to you for four thousand tons Cuban centrifugal sugar basis ninety-six degrees at five and one-eighth cents cost and freight New York April shipment from Cuba on usual terms and conditions you will furnish us with satisfactory confirmed irrevocable letter of credit, in meantime your bank to wire us today that they will provide letter of credit therefore ” (sic).

[629]*629This written confirmation of the understanding, written by the defendants, is in exact accordance with the plaintiff’s version of the oral agreement, and contrary to Jager’s version of it, and became the final contract of the parties. In accordance with this contract the State Commercial and Savings Bank at about noon on February twenty-eighth signed and sent to defendants a telegram, which defendants received prior to two-thirty p. m., as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 Misc. 625, 213 N.Y.S. 540, 1925 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1052, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/segall-v-finlay-nysupct-1925.