Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. v. Myers

264 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 350, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 90, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 389
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedJuly 12, 1972
Docket1 Div. 67
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 264 So. 2d 893 (Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. v. Myers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. v. Myers, 264 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 350, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 90, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 389 (Ala. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

BRADLEY, Judge.

This is an appeal from a verdict and judgment of the Circuit Court of Mobile County rendered for appellee and against appellant for $2,500 and interest at 6% per annum for two years, amounting to a total of $2,800.00.

The original complaint contained six counts and was directed against appellant and Chrysler Corporation, a corporation, “jointly and individually,” charging them with a breach of warranty in the manufacture and sale of a 1969 Chrysler automobile.

*352 There were several amendments to the complaint and the amended complaint resulting contained four counts. To this amended complaint pleas of the general issue were filed and a trial was had before the court and a jury.

The jury’s verdict was for appellee and against appellant, Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc., in the amount above stated. Motion for new trial was overruled and appeal was taken to this court.

The tendencies of the evidence reveal that the appellee purchased a 1969 Chrysler Newport automobile from appellant on September 10, 1969, and from the beginning, appellee says that there were many defects in the automobile, such as leaks around the windshield, the windshield was cracked, doors were sprung and the rubber insulation around the doors was cut into and chewed up, pad on dashboard was cracked, leak around back window, engine would run after ignition turned off, right side of automobile out of alignment, brakes ■did not function properly, air conditioning leaked and did not function properly.

Appellee says he carried the automobile back to appellant for repairs many times, but satisfactory repairs were never made to the automobile. Having failed to receive satisfactory service from appellant, appellee wrote Chrysler Corporation asking that something be done about the defects in his automobile.

No real effort, however, was made to remedy the defective condition of the automobile until after this action was filed in the Circuit Court, although it was stated by an expert witness for Chrysler Corporation that the appellee was requested in the ■early part of 1970 to take the automobile in to appellant’s shop for inspection and repairs. Appellee carried the car to appellant’s shop as directed, but states nothing was done to his car and Chrysler’s witness ■said he was not present and did not know what, if anything, was done to appellee’s ■automobile.

Chrysler’s witness also stated that the defects complained of resulted from faulty workmanship and that appellant could fix the defects.

At the time of purchase in 1969 appellee agreed to pay appellant a total price of $4,420.09 for the automobile. This was the credit price of the 1969 Chrysler. The price was made up of a figure of $3,695 for the car, i. e., cash price, and contained charges of $55.45 for sales tax, $88.87 for life insurance, and $574.72 for finance charges. Appellee made a down payment of $1,450 on the purchase of the automobile.

Appellant’s witness stated the value of the automobile at the time it was purchased was $3,695. Appellee stated that the value of the car at the time he purchased it was what he had to pay for it, i. e., $4,420.09.

There are 18 assignments of error and they are argued in two groups, i. e., group I is based on the premise that the case was tried on the basis of a joint contract between Chrysler Corporation, appellant and appellee, with a recovery being had against only one of the defendants, hence there was a fatal variance; and group II contends that the verdict was excessive mainly because the jury was allowed to consider as a part of the total price paid for the car the interest charged for financing the car.

In arguing the assignments under group I, appellant, in essence, contends that the complaint alleges a joint contract beween Chrysler Corporation, appellant and appellee, but that the proof does not support such a joint contract, for at most it shows an implied warranty from appellant to appellee and an express warranty running from Chrysler Corporation to appellee.

The trial court in its oral charge and in its given written charges instructed the jury to disregard Counts I and III of the complaint and that appellant could only be found liable under Count II on the theory of implied warranty and Chrysler Corpora *353 tion could only be found liable under Count IV on an express warranty.

In answer, appellee says that the defendants, appellant and Chrysler Corporation, were sued “jointly and individually.”

Furthermore, according to appellee, Count II of the last amended complaint asserted that, . . the Plaintiff purchased from the Defendant, Thompson Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc., the agent, servant, employee or dealer of the Manufacturer-Defendant, Chrysler Corporation, One New 1969 Chrysler Newport four-door sedan automobile . ” Appellee says that this allegation indicates a several as well as joint allegation.

Appellee further contends that appellant has waived error, should there be any error, for failure to specifically object to a variance between the proof and averments or to ground its request for the general charge on the alleged variance.

Rule 34, Circuit and Inferior Court Rules, Title 7, Appendix, Code of Alabama 1940, as Recompiled 1958, provides:

“In all cases where there is a variance between the allegations and proof, and which could be cured by an amendment of the pleading, the trial court will not be put in error for admitting such proof unless there was a special objection making the point as to the variance. . Nor will the trial court be put in error for refusing the general charge predicated upon such variance, unless it appears from the record that the variance was brought to the attention of the said trial court by a proper objection to the evidence.”

Where the trial court is sought to be placed in error for a variance between the pleading and proof based on its refusal to grant the general affirmative charge, the rule is that the variance must be pointed out in the requested general charge and also brought to the attention of the trial court by “proper objection to the evidence.” American Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v. Banco Nacional De Nicaragua, 238 Ala. 128, 189 So. 191; and Cassady v. Williams, 234 Ala. 299, 174 So. 485.

The requested affirmative charges that were refused to the appellant by the trial court did not mention a variance nor does the record disclose any objection to the evidence based on this ground. Moreover, the record is devoid of any mention of a variance.

The first time that a question of variance appears is on appeal in appellant’s brief.

We consider that appellant failed to properly apprise the trial court of any alleged variance, and cannot now fault the trial court for failing to rule on a matter that was never presented to it for decision.

The issue raised by appellant’s group II argument is that the verdict and judgment entered thereon is excessive mainly because of the inclusion in the value of the car of the finance charges appellee had been required to pay to finance the said car when he purchased it in September 1969.

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264 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 350, 11 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 90, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 389, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thompson-chrysler-plymouth-inc-v-myers-alacivapp-1972.