Web Press Services Corp. v. New London Motors, Inc.

525 A.2d 57, 203 Conn. 342, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1386, 1987 Conn. LEXIS 839
CourtSupreme Court of Connecticut
DecidedMay 5, 1987
Docket12832; 12833
StatusPublished
Cited by230 cases

This text of 525 A.2d 57 (Web Press Services Corp. v. New London Motors, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Web Press Services Corp. v. New London Motors, Inc., 525 A.2d 57, 203 Conn. 342, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1386, 1987 Conn. LEXIS 839 (Colo. 1987).

Opinion

Dannehy, J.

These two appeals were consolidated for argument. They raise identical questions. The appeal in Docket No. 12832 must be dismissed because it was prematurely brought. The appeal in Docket No. 12833 will be separately considered.1

The plaintiff brought this action against the defendant, a corporation engaged in selling new and used automobiles. The complaint was in five counts. In the first count the plaintiff alleged that in July, 1984, the defendant sold to the plaintiff a used 1980 model Ford Bronco (the vehicle), to be used for off-the-road driving. The plaintiff paid the purchase price and took delivery of the vehicle. Mechanical defects developed in the vehicle almost immediately, substantially impairing the vehicle’s value to the plaintiff. The defendant several [344]*344times attempted to remedy those defects, but without success. In October, 1984, the plaintiff tendered back the vehicle to the defendant and notified the defendant that it was revoking its acceptance pursuant to General Statutes § 42a-2-608.2 The plaintiff requested the return of the purchase price. The defendant refused to return the purchase price.

The four other counts claimed damages by specific reference to the first count. The second count sought damages on the ground that there was a breach of an implied warranty of merchantability, the third count, for breach of an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and the fourth count, for breach of express warranties. The fifth count sought damages on the ground that the defendant had engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), General Statutes § 42-110a et seq. The defendant, in its answer, denied most of the material allegations of the complaint and also set up a special defense charging that any mechanical defects in the vehicle resulted from the plaintiffs misuse and abuse of the vehicle.

At trial, there was evidence to show that during the time the plaintiff possessed the vehicle, it experienced various mechanical problems. These problems included leakage and a noise from the left rear of the vehicle and problems with the brakes, muffler, power steering and air conditioning. Most of these difficulties were remedied by ordinary repairs which the defendant performed without cost to the plaintiff. The trial court, [345]*345in fact, characterized these problems as “mostly minor.” Clearly, however, a structural defect in the rear axle was hardly minor. The vehicle continued to present problems to the plaintiff, especially on the left rear side. The defect was not detected by the defendant, but was later discovered upon inspection by a certified mechanic.

The court’s basic finding was that the plaintiff had failed to prove that the defendant had violated General Statutes § 42a-2-608, had breached any express or implied warranties or that the defendant’s actions violated CUTPA.

General Statutes § 42a-2-608 provides in part that a buyer may revoke his acceptance of an item if there is a nonconformity in the item which “substantially impairs” its value to him. After considering the language of § 42a-2-608, and decisions interpreting that statute, the court concluded that the plaintiff could not revoke acceptance of the vehicle because “the defects in the vehicle did not substantially impair its value to the plaintiff.” The court further found that the plaintiff had not established a breach of any express or implied warranty except to the extent that a limited warranty provision in the sales agreement had been breached. The court also concluded that the plaintiff had failed to present sufficient evidence to sustain its CUTPA claim. As to the special defense asserted by the defendant, the court found that the evidence was insufficient to prove abuse or misuse of the vehicle by the plaintiff. The court subsequently heard evidence as to the cost of repairing the defective axle on the vehicle and awarded damages of one half of the cost of repairing the axle, or $300, plus costs to the plaintiff. The plaintiff appeals from this judgment. We turn then to the attacks upon the judgment made by the plaintiff.

The general rule with regard to appeals of this nature is that the judgment appealed from will not be reversed [346]*346in matters of fact unless it clearly appears to be erroneous. Pandolphe’s Auto Parts, Inc. v. Manchester, 181 Conn. 217, 221-22, 435 A.2d 24 (1980). The plaintiff first contends that the trial court committed reversible error in concluding that since the vehicle was “used,” its numerous defects did not substantially impair the value of the vehicle to the plaintiff. Particularly, it is urged that the trial court erred in applying a standard for substantial impairment different from the standard applicable to new vehicles. We disagree.

After the close of the evidence, the trial judge solicited the views of counsel regarding the issue of revocation of acceptance. Specifically, the court inquired whether § 42a-2-608 was applicable to used motor vehicles. The court invited counsel to submit briefs on this issue. Counsel accepted the invitation. In its memorandum, the court noted that our jurisdiction has not determined whether the revocation provision of the Uniform Commercial Code applies to the sale of used vehicles, but that other jurisdictions have concluded that the Uniform Commercial Code does apply. See, e.g., O’Neal Ford, Inc. v. Early, 13 Ark. App. 189, 681 S.W.2d 414 (1985); Jackson v. H. Frank Olds, Inc., 65 Ill. App. 3d 571, 382 N.E.2d 550 (1978). Accordingly, the court concluded that “§ 42a-2-608 may be applied to the sale of a used automobile.”

Section 42a-2-608 (1) provides in pertinent part that “[t]he buyer may revoke his acceptance of a lot or commercial unit whose nonconformity substantially impairs its value to him if he has accepted it . . . (b) without discovery of such nonconformity if his acceptance was reasonably induced either by the difficulty of discovery before acceptance or by the seller’s assurances.” Whether the value of goods has been substantially impaired by a nonconformity is a question of fact. Conte v. Dwan Lincoln-Mercury, Inc., 172 Conn. 112, 121, 374 A.2d 144 (1976). The test for substantial impair[347]*347ment is both subjective and objective; it focuses first, on the needs and circumstances of the particular buyer seeking to revoke, and then considers whether, from an objective standpoint, the value of the goods to the buyer has in fact been impaired. See Keen v. Modern Trailer Sales, Inc., 40 Colo. App. 527, 578 P.2d 668 (1978); Jorgensen v. Pressnall, 274 Or. 285, 545 P.2d 1382 (1976).

In the present case, the court noted that all of the problems with the vehicle except for the defective axle, which was not immediately discovered, had been corrected at the defendant’s expense.

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525 A.2d 57, 203 Conn. 342, 3 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1386, 1987 Conn. LEXIS 839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/web-press-services-corp-v-new-london-motors-inc-conn-1987.