Simmons Cohn Co. v. Weil

244 S.W. 562, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1291
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 18, 1922
DocketNo. 712.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 244 S.W. 562 (Simmons Cohn Co. v. Weil) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simmons Cohn Co. v. Weil, 244 S.W. 562, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1291 (Tex. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

O’QUINN, J.

Appellant sued appellee to recover $447.50, the price of 45 suits of men’s clothes, ordered by appellee of appellant and by them shipped to him, 36 of which suits appellee refused to receive and pay for, op the grounds that they were not of the kind, quality, sizes, or workmanship ordered. The case was tried before a jury upon special issues, upon the answers to which judgment was rendered in favor of appellant for $85.50, and that each party pay óne-half of the costs, from which judgment appellant appeals.

Appellant’s first assignment of error is that “the court erred in refusing to give special charge No. 1, asked by plaintiff,” which was for a peremptory instruction in appel *563 lant’s favor. By its first proposition under said assignment appellant asserts that—

“It is the duty of a purchaser of goods under an executory contract upon delivery to him to promptly inspect the same, and if found defective either reject the same and rescind, or accept them and abide by the contract.”

As an abstract proposition, this is unquestionably the law. The evidence shows that appellant’s traveling salesman called on ap-pellee on November 12, 1918, and exhibited samples of Palm Beach goods to appellee, who selected and ordered. 45 suits for March, 1919, delivery; that on January 21, 1919, appellant shipped that number of suits by freight to appellee, same purporting to be the suits ordered by appellee; that said shipment was delivered to appellee on February 7, 1919; that upon delivery appellee opened the box in which they were shipped, but, finding its contents to be summer goods, and the same having not been ordered to arrive at that time, laid same aside without inspection. On March 30, 1919, appellee opened said shipment, intending to place said goods on sale, and discovered that in only one lot, lot No. 5226, consisting of 9 suits, were all of the suits in every respect the goods as ordered by him; that in each of the other lots some of the suits were objectionable, in that they wore either not of the sizes ordered, or the lot numbers ordered, or were not of the same pattern (that is shade or color) ordered, or were shopworn or moth-eaten, or of inferior workmanship; that appellee thereupon placed said suits not acceptable back in the original box in which they were shipped, and on April 2, 1919, wrote appellant that the goods, with the exception of lot No. 5226, 9 suits, were not as ordered by him, notified the express company to call for said box, and on April 15, 1919, returned to appellant by express said suits, except the said 9 suits in lot No. 5226, which he accepted, and for which, before the filing of this suit, he remitted to appellant payment in full, which appellant refused to accept and returned to appellee. Appellant also refused to receive the goods returned.

The court submitted to the jury two special issues, to wit:

“Special issue No. 1: Was the merchandise in question such as ordered by defendant?”

To which they answered “No.”

“Special issue No. 2: Did the defendant return said merchandise to plaintiff within a reasonable time from the time he received them?”

To which they answered “Yes.”

The undisputed evidence, according to the agreed statement of facts, shows that some of the suits were not in accordance with the order given. There were five different kinds of goods — lot numbers — with a specified number of suits of each. The order was given for March delivery, 1919. As no date in March was named, delivery at any time in that month would have been a compliance, so far as delivery was concerned. Although the goods were not to be shipped until March, appellant shipped same in January, and they reached appellee on February 7th, far in advance of the time contracted. Upon their being delivered to him, appellee opened the box, and, seeing that it contained summer goods, and not having ordered them to be shipped until March, and it not being seasonable for them at that time, he, without taking them out of the box for inspection, placed them aside until March 39th, and then opened the box, intending to put them in his stock for sale, and found that only one lot, No. 5226, was in accord with his order. These he accepted, placed the others back in the box in which they were shipped, and three days later notified appellant that they were not acceptable by reason of not being such goods as he had ordered.

Where sales are made by sample, there is an implied warranty that the goods delivered shall correspond with the sample. Also, where goods are ordered by one dealer and sent by another, there is ah implied warranty that the goods sent shall correspond to the order and be of the quality described. Brantley v. Thomas, 22 Tex. 271, 73 Am. Dec. 264; Keeler v. Palus Mfg. Co., 43 Tex. Civ. App. 555, 96 S. W. 1097; Shoe Co. v. Hamilton, 18 Tex. Civ. App. 283, 44 S. W. 405; 27 L. R. A. (N. S.) 922. Appellee was not under any obligation to receive the goods at the time they reached him, and we do not believe, under the circumstances, was bound to inspect them at that time, but that he had the right to rely upon appellant’s having shipped him goods that in every way complied with his order, and hence was not under any obligation to open up and inspect them to see if such was the case, until the time arrived when, according to contract, they were to have been shipped and received.

While it is elementary that where, under an executory contract for the delivery of personal property, if the property delivered is not such as the contract calls for, the purchaser may rescind for breach of warranty if he acts within a reasonable time after discovering the defects by giving notice to the seller arid tendering back the property, if it be not worthless, still, he is entitled to have a reasonable and fair opportunity, under all the circumstances surrounding the transaction, for inspecting the goods and thus determining for himself whether they are according to contract, and what is a reasonable time in which to do this is a ques-, tion of fact for the jury. C. Aultman & Co. v. York, 71 Tex. 263, 9 S. W. 127; Boehringer v. Richards Medicine Co., 9 Tex. Civ. App. 284, 29 S. W. 511; Pontiac Shoe Mfg. Co. v. Hamilton, 18 Tex. Civ. App. 283, 44 S. W. 405; Mueller v. Simon (Tex. Civ. App.) 183 S. W. 63; Brantley v. Thomas, 22 Tex. *564 271, 73 Am. Dec. 264; Scalf v. Tomkins, 61 Tex. 481; Andrews v. Hensler, 6 Wall. 254, 18 L. Ed. 737; Gay Oil Co. v. Roach, 93 Ark. 454, 125 S. W. 122, 27 L. R. A. (N. S.) 918, 137 Am. St. Rep. 95. We do not believe, that appellee’s receiving the goods and opening the box and finding that they were summer goods, not ordered to be received and displayed at that time, and putting them away without inspecting them until such time as they were ordered to be shipped and received, and then taking them out for the purpose of placing them on sale, and finding that they were not as ordered, amounted to an acceptance of same as a matter of law. Planters’ Oil Co. v. Whitesboro Oil Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 146 S. W. 225.

Appellant’s second proposition is that—

“The acceptance of a part of a shipment of merchandise, bought under an entire purchase and delivered at the same time, constitutes an acceptance of the whole.”

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Bluebook (online)
244 S.W. 562, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 1291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simmons-cohn-co-v-weil-texapp-1922.