Thomas G. Jewett, Jr. Inc. v. Keystone Driller Co.

185 N.E. 369, 282 Mass. 469, 87 A.L.R. 1298, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 928
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 185 N.E. 369 (Thomas G. Jewett, Jr. Inc. v. Keystone Driller Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thomas G. Jewett, Jr. Inc. v. Keystone Driller Co., 185 N.E. 369, 282 Mass. 469, 87 A.L.R. 1298, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 928 (Mass. 1933).

Opinion

Crosby, J.

In these actions of tort the declaration in each case alleges conversion by the defendant of one “Model 4-25 Front Crawler Gasoline Shovel,” the property of the plaintiff. The defendant in each case filed a general denial, and the defendant in the first case, in addition thereto, filed a further answer, as follows: “the defendant says that the shovel referred to in the plaintiff’s declaration was furnished to the plaintiff by the defendant under an agreement dated June 17, 1925, a copy of which is hereto annexed marked ‘A’; that in and by the terms of said contract the title and right of possession remained in the defendant until full compensation therefor had been paid by the plaintiff, in accordance with the terms of sale; that the plaintiff failed to make payments as stipulated in the said agreement and the defendant therefore had the right to remove the said shovel as its property.”

The plaintiff was a Massachusetts corporation with a usual place of business in New Bedford. The defendant Keystone Driller Company, hereinafter referred to as the company, was a corporation having a usual place of business in the State of Pennsylvania and was represented in this Commonwealth by the defendant George R. Conyne, who was its agent in charge of its business in New England.

On June 17, 1925, the plaintiff by a written" contract made in Worcester in this Commonwealth bought from the defendant company through its agent, Conyne, the [473]*473gasoline shovel above referred to. The terms of the contract so far as material were as follows: The defendant company “agreed to furnish f. o. b. Manchester, New Hampshire,” to the plaintiff at the price of $7,735 the gasoline shovel with starter including essential equipment. The purchase price was to be paid as follows: $200 with the order, $2,335 on the arrival of the machine at its destination, and the balance of $5,200 in four notes of $1,300 each, payable in two, four, six and eight months respectively, with interest at six per cent, at the Merchants National Bank in New Bed-ford, in this Commonwealth. All the notes were dated July 13, 1925, and signed in the name of the plaintiff corporation by Thomas G. Jewett, junior, treasurer. The last two notes were due January 13, 1926, and March 13, 1926, respectively. The contract provided that the title and right of possession of all the equipment sold should remain in the company whatever be its mode of attachment to the realty or otherwise until fully paid for in accordance with the terms of. sale; that upon failure of the purchaser to make all payments as stipulated in the contract, the company “shall have the lawful right to retain any or all partial payments which have been made and be free to enter the premises where said equipment may be located and to remove the same as its property without prejudice to any further claims.”

The gasoline shovel was duly delivered to the plaintiff at Manchester, New Hampshire, in accordance with the terms of the contract. The plaintiff made all payments and complied with the terms of the contract, except as to the payment of the last two notes of $1,300 each, which left a balance of $2,600 to be paid with interest, expenses and charges. There was correspondence between the plaintiff’s attorney and the defendant Conyne with reference to an extension of time for payment of the last two notes, but the ■ company refused to extend the time beyond April 13, 1926, and the notes due on that day were not paid. Thomas G. Jewett, junior, the president and treasurer of the plaintiff corporation, testified that on May 28, 1926, he went to Conyne’s place of business in Worcester and tendered to [474]*474him a certified check for $2,645.60; that Conyne refused to take the check and told him that he had sold the shovel. Conyne testified that on May 10, 1926, he went to Manchester where the shovel was stored, took possession of it, and on May 12 shipped it by rail to one DeMarco at New Haven, Connecticut, for storage. He denied that Jewett ever tendered him any check or money. Jewett, on cross-examination, testified that other than to offer the check he never made any payment or offer to pay the last two notes; that when he went to Conyne’s office on May 28 he had the check for $2,645.60; that the rate of interest on the two notes was six per cent and would amount to about $130 so that the check tendered would be insufficient to cover the principal of the notes and interest on the date that he made the tender. Conyne testified that when he took possession of the shovel on May 10 he did it under the terms of the conditional sales agreement, and gave no notice to the plaintiff that he had taken such possession; that he took an assignment of the contract and the notes two days later; that he shipped the shovel to DeMarco, who was a contractor in New Haven and had space to store it, because he believed it might later be sold in that locality; and that on June 4, 1926, he sold it to DeMarco. The evidence was conflicting as to whether the sale was made before June 4. The plaintiff’s requests numbered 11 and 12 were granted and the finding in each case was for the defendant; it is therefore apparent that the judge found the company did not sell the shovel before the plaintiff’s right to redeem under G. L. (Ter. Ed.) c. 255, § 11, had expired.

The plaintiff offered in evidence Pub. Laws of New Hampshire, c. 217, relating to the enforcement of liens on personal property. Under these statutes fourteen days’ notice is required before the sale of the property by posting and by publication, and notice to the owner if the owner is “resident in the county.” It is admitted by the defendants that no notice was given the plaintiff under the statutes of New Hampshire. At the close of the evidence the plaintiff made certain requests for rulings. The second, third, fourth, sixth, eighth, and [475]*475the last sentences of the fifth and seventh rulings requested were refused subject to the plaintiff’s exception. As the contract between the plaintiff, a Massachusetts corporation, and the company through its agent in Worcester, in this Commonwealth, was made in Worcester, it was a Massachusetts contract and the judge so ruled. We are of opinion that the law of New Hampshire is not applicable to this contract. The rule is that the nature, validity, and interpretation of a contract are to be governed by the law of the place where it is made. “The law of the place where the contract is made is, without any express assent or agreement of the parties, incorporated into and forms a part of the contract. Contracts are presumed to be made with reference to the law of the place where they are entered into, unless it appears that they were entered into with reference to the law of some other State or country.” Baxter National Bank v. Talbot, 154 Mass. 213, 216. Atwood v. Walker, 179 Mass. 514. Clark v. State Street Trust Co. 270 Mass. 140, and cases cited at page 150. The rule above stated prevails in other jurisdictions. Central Bank of Washington v. Hume, 128 U. S. 195, 206, 207. Gross v. Jordan, 83 Maine, 380. Barrett v. Kelley, 66 Vt. 515. The trial judge at the request of the plaintiff ruled that the conditional sale agreement was a Massachusetts contract. This ruling was plainly right; but whether right or wrong, the plaintiff is bound by it and cannot complain because it was a ruling made at its request.

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185 N.E. 369, 282 Mass. 469, 87 A.L.R. 1298, 1933 Mass. LEXIS 928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-g-jewett-jr-inc-v-keystone-driller-co-mass-1933.