Uncle Johnny Mills v. Artesia Alfalfa Growers Ass'n

279 P.2d 864, 59 N.M. 107
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1955
DocketNo. 5824
StatusPublished

This text of 279 P.2d 864 (Uncle Johnny Mills v. Artesia Alfalfa Growers Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Uncle Johnny Mills v. Artesia Alfalfa Growers Ass'n, 279 P.2d 864, 59 N.M. 107 (N.M. 1955).

Opinion

KIKER, Justice.

Plaintiff’s suit was for the recovery of damages for breach of an alleged contract for the sale by defendant to it of twelve carloads of alfalfa meal.

After trial, judgment was entered for plaintiff and defendant appealed.

In the complaint it is alleged that the defendant contracted to sell to plaintiff twelve carloads, each of thirty tons, of 17% protein, fine ground dehydrated alfalfa meal, 100,000 I.U. vitamin “A” on arrival guaranteed; and that six carloads were to be delivered in January, 1951 at a price of $65 per ton and six carloads were to be delivered in February of the same year at $67 per ton, all to be delivered at plaintiff’s warehouse in Houston, Texas.

Plaintiff alleges further that defendant shipped only five carloads of the alfalfa meal in January and that there was a vitamin deficiency which fact was made known to defendant and that an agreement resulted whereby plaintiff was to be credited for the deficiency,- as determined by certain' technical laboratories, at an agreed rate per-ton. It was further stated that defendant shipped no alfalfa meal to the plaintiff in the month of February and that plaintiff bought six carloads from others and was compelled to pay $71 per ton for three carloads and $71.80 for three carloads. Plaintiff claimed damages on account of the vitamin deficiency and on account of having to pay an increased price for the alfalfa meal bought elsewhere in February.

Defendant admitted the contract, as pleaded by plaintiff, except as to the words “Vitamin ‘A’ on arrival guaranteed”; and that six carloads of alfalfa meal were to be shipped to plaintiff in February, 1951, to Houston, Texas, but denies that delivery was to be at the warehouse of plaintiff. Defendant admitted that it shipped five carloads of alfalfa meal and denies that'there was any vitamin deficiency. All other allegations of the complaint were denied by defendant.

The record shows that the agreement between the litigants was made through an agent, dealing in feedstuffs, requested by the plaintiff to buy twelve carloads of alfalfa meal as described. On December 14, the agent sent to plaintiff a confirmation of sale, showing the purchase of the alfalfa meal from the defendant. There was introduced in evidence also a purchase contract dated December 14, 1950, addressed to the Artesia Alfalfa Growers Association, confirming the purchase of the alfalfa meal for the plaintiff.

There is in evidence also a confirmation from Artesia Alfalfa Growers Association showing the sale to plaintiff of the twelve cars of alfalfa meal.

In evidence there is also a letter dated January 13, 1951, written by the manager of defendant company to the president of the plaintiff company. In this letter there is a declaration showing that plaintiff had a right to expect shipment of “twelve cars 17% dehydrated alfalfa meal 100,000 I.U. vitamin ‘A’ on arrival guaranteed.” It is then stated that one car of meal had been shipped but that defendant company was having difficulty getting meal “with the 100,000 units of ‘A’ in it.” It is further stated that the defendant was doubtful that it would be able to ship meal which would come up to the minimum vitamin requirements and asked to hear from plaintiff regarding the deficit with advice as to some type of adjustment that might be worked out.

On July 31, 1953 there was filed in the office of the court clerk plaintiff’s requested findings of fact and conclusions of law.

On September 10, 1953 there was filed in the office of the clerk the decision of the court embodying findings of 'fact and conclusions of law.

The findings of the court are substantially the facts stated in plaintiff’s complaint with the finding of damages to the extent plaintiff alleged.

On the 21st day of September, 1953, the defendant filed a motion requesting the court “to amend its findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with the requested findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted herewith by the defendant.”

The defendant had in no way taken exception to the court’s findings or conclusions before filing the motion which was in effect to substitute the defendant’s draft of findings and conclusions for those filed by the court.

On the 27th day of October, 1951, an order was entered overruling the motion .of the defendant for amendment of the court’s findings and conclusions to conform to the requested findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by defendant and on that date judgment was entered for the plaintiff in accordance with the findings of fact and conclusions of law made by the court.

The sole attack shown in the record upon the .judgment is the motion of the defendant to substitute its findings of fact and conclusions of law in the place and stead of the findings and conclusions made and given by the court.

It should be noted in this case that no reasons were given in the trial court for the request that defendant’s prepared findings of fact and conclusions of law should be substituted in the place and stead of the court’s findings and conclusions.

The court’s finding of fact No. 1 merely states the domicile of each of the parties.

The last finding made by the court, numbered 8, states that the method used by plaintiff in testing the vitamin content of the alfalfa meal was the regular and accepted method of so testing and is a method in general use throughout the alfalfa meal industry.

The assignments of error do not attack either the first or the last of the court’s findings of fact, but they do attack each of the others by declaring that the court erred in making the findings, making the statement as to each separately and quoting the finding without more.

The defendant assigned error on the part of the court in denying defendant’s requested findings. Defendant then assigned error upon the making of the conclusions of law by the court. In like manner the defendants assigned error as to the refusal of the court to give its findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The motion in this case to substitute findings requested by defendant was not a motion to amend. The motion actually requested the court to strike out all findings by it made except the finding as to residence of the parties and as to the method of ascertaining the vitamin content of alfalfa meal and to substitute for the court’s findings, when stricken, findings proposed by the defendant.

The findings of fact made by the trial court, unless set aside, are the facts upon which the case must rest in this court. In re White’s Estate, 41 N.M. 631, 73 P.2d 316; Witherspoon v. Brummett, 50 N.M. 303, 176 P.2d 187.

In its brief, appellant states three points under which it presents the attack upon the findings of the trial court and the judgment entered in the case.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Chesher v. Shafter Lake Clay Co.
115 P.2d 636 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1941)
Weeks v. Bailey
263 P. 29 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1927)
Witherspoon v. Brummett
176 P.2d 187 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1946)
In Re White's Estate
73 P.2d 316 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1937)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
279 P.2d 864, 59 N.M. 107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/uncle-johnny-mills-v-artesia-alfalfa-growers-assn-nm-1955.