Van Dyck v. Abramsohn

241 N.W. 461, 214 Iowa 87
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 8, 1932
DocketNo. 41146.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 241 N.W. 461 (Van Dyck v. Abramsohn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Dyck v. Abramsohn, 241 N.W. 461, 214 Iowa 87 (iowa 1932).

Opinion

Wagner, C. J.

The plaintiff began this action at law. The defendant filed her answer, alleging false and fraudulent representations as the inducement to her entering into the contract, and alleging rescission of the contract of purchase of the refrigeration equipment. In a counterclaim or cross-bill, she alleged a contract of purchase by her of the refrigeration equipment; alleged false and fraudulent representations by the plaintiff as the inducement of the purchase by her of said equipment; alleged rescission; alleged therein special damages by reason of the spoilage of meats, because the equipment was not in accord with the representations made by the plaintiff. In her counterclaim or cross-bill, she asked that judgment and decree be entered confirming her rescission; asked for judgment in the sum of $70.00 for the amount which she had previously paid on the purchase price of the equipment; asked for judgment in the sum of $208.97, being the amount of special damages claimed to have been suffered by her by reason of the spoilage of meats; and further asked that a mandatory injunction issue commanding the plaintiff to remove the equipment from her premises, and for such other equitable relief as may be deemed equitable in the premises.

The appellant complains that the court erred in sustain *89 ing appellee’s motion to transfer the cause to the equity side of the calendar for trial. The appellant is not in position to ask a review of this ruling by this court, for the reason that, as disclosed by the record, he preserved no exception to the ruling. See Section 11537 and Section 10949, Code, 1927; Hogan v. Perkins Bros. Co., 213 Iowa 1175; Stork v. Stork, 202 Iowa 196; Jewett Lumber Company v. Anderson Coal Company, 181 Iowa 950. In the recent case Hogan v. Perkins Bros. Co., 213 Iowa 1175, we said:

“The action was begun at law. On defendant’s motion the cause was transferred to the equity calendar for trial. Plaintiff amended and moved to retransfer to law. His motion was overruled. The court ordered a reference. Plaintiff complains of these three rulings. He preserved, however, no exception to either. They are, therefore, not subject to review in this court.”

It is therefore manifest that the plaintiff is in no position to insist upon a review of any claimed error made by the court in transferring the cause to the equity side of the calendar for trial.

The written contract for the sale by the plaintiff to the defendant was entered into on September 11, 1930. In defendant’s answer and counterclaim she alleged, in substance, that, at and prior to the time of the purchase of the refrigeration equipment, the plaintiff orally represented to her that the refrigeration equipment which plaintiff was seeking to sell to the defendant would at all times provide an adequate degree of temperature for the preservation and protection of meats, provisions, and perishable articles kept for sale in a case, cooler, and grocery box in the store operated by the defendant in the city of Des Moines, and that the coils installed would automatically defrost; that, relying upon-such representations, she entered into the contract of purchase, and made a payment in the sum of $70.00; that, at the time said representations were made, she believed them and was induced by said oral representations to enter into the contract of purchase to her prejudice, and but for said representations would not have entered into the contract; that said representations were false and fraudulent, and said refrigeration equipment did not, as represented, maintain an adequate degree of temperature for the preservation and pro *90 tection of the meats and provisions and other articles contained in the said case, cooler, and grocery box in the store operated by the defendant, and that the defendant suffered special damages by reason of the spoilage of meats and provisions as the result thereof, in the amount of $208.97; that the said coils would not automatically defrost as represented; that this defendant called the attention of the plaintiff to the aforesaid matters, and that the plaintiff attempted to remedy the trouble, but without avail; that on or about the 20th day of December, 1930, after repeated efforts by plaintiff to remedy said difficulty, she rescinded the contract and caused to be served upon the plaintiff notice of said rescission, and tendered to the plaintiff -the refrigeration equipment and demanded the return of the cash payment previously made, and that the plaintiff remove the equipment from her premises; that the same is now on her premises, and that defendant continues her tender and demands for removal of the same.

To set out in extenso the testimony as disclosed by the record would be of no benefit to the profession. The testimony in support of the averments of defendant’s answer and counterclaim was received without objection by the plaintiff. We have care-fully read the record and are abidingly satisfied that the representations were made by the plaintiff; that they were relied upon by the defendant, believing them to be true, and that she was induced thereby to act to her prejudice in entering into the contract of purchase; and that the equipment did not comply with the representations made. It is shown by the record that, on December 20, 1930, the defendant served written notice of the rescission of the contract of purchase upon the plaintiff because of the fact that the refrigeration equipment did not comply with the oral representations made by the plaintiff. In said written notice of rescission, she makes tender of the equipment, and demands that plaintiff remove the same from her premises, and asks judgment for the sum of $70.00, the amount previously paid upon the purchase price, and for the special damages alleged to have been suffered by her. We are fully satisfied, from the record, that, because of the false representations, the defendant was entitled to rescind the contract of purchase.

It will be observed that the contract of purchase was entered into on September 11, 1930. The equipment was in *91 stalled in defendant’s premises about that time. It will be observed that the notice of rescission was served on December 20, 1930, or a little over three months after the contract was entered into between the parties. The appellant contends that rescission was not made within a reasonable time. The burden is upon the defendant to establish rescission within a reasonable time after ascertaining the falsity of the representations previously relied upon by her. See Blecher v. Schmidt, 211 Iowa 1063; Brennan & Cohen v. Nolan Laundry Company, 209 Iowa 922; State Bank of Iowa Falls v. Brown, 142 Iowa 190; German Savings Bank v. Des Moines National Bank, 122 Iowa 737. What is a reasonable time must be considered with reference to all of the circumstances. A lapse of time which would be unreasonable in one case may be entirely reasonable in another. Blecher v. Schmidt, 211 Iowa 1063. Inducements by the seller for the buyer to retain the equipment, with the assurance that he will make it comply with his representations previously made, are quite important in the determination of this question. See Brennan & Cohen v. Nolan Laundry Company, 209 Iowa 922; Fulton Bank v. Mathers, 161 Iowa 634. In the latter case, we said:

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241 N.W. 461, 214 Iowa 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-dyck-v-abramsohn-iowa-1932.