Weiner v. Armstrong Cork Co.

7 Pa. D. & C.3d 470, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 263
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lawrence County
DecidedJuly 20, 1978
Docketno. 882 of 1977
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Pa. D. & C.3d 470 (Weiner v. Armstrong Cork Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lawrence County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weiner v. Armstrong Cork Co., 7 Pa. D. & C.3d 470, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 263 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1978).

Opinion

HENDERSON, P.J.,

This action arose from plaintiffs’ purchase of a floor covering [471]*471manufactured and distributed by defendant. Eventually the floor covering discolored. Plaintiffs seek damages claiming that defendant breached its express guarantee and also the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. After the pleadings were closed, defendant filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings. Defendant argued that the express warranty was not breached since the time limitation in that guarantee had passed before any defect was noticed and that any implied warranties were barred by the statute of limitations or, alternatively, that plaintiff failed to state a cause of action upon which relief can be granted. We now grant defendant’s motion.

A motion for judgment on the pleadings is in the nature of a demurrer. Therefore all of plaintiffs’ well-pleaded allegations are viewed as true and only those facts specifically admitted by them may be considered against them: Bata v. Central-Penn National Bank of Philadelphia, 423 Pa. 373, 224 A. 2d 174 (1966); Miller v. Prudential Insurance Company of America, 239 Pa. Superior Ct. 467, 362 A. 2d 1017 (1976). Such a motion should only be granted where the moving party’s right to prevail is so clear that a trial would be a fruitless exercise: Wade v. Heisey, 243 Pa. Superior Ct. 8, 364 A. 2d 423 (1976).

Plaintiffs ordered $273 worth of Armstrong Cushioned Coronelle floor covering from Marlin Furniture, an authorized agent of defendant, no later than October 15,1971. Defendant, throughits agents and advertising program, represented to plaintiffs that this type of floor covering would be fit for covering the floors at plaintiffs’ home. An express guarantee (attached as Exhibit A to plaintiffs’ complaint) given by defendant warranted that the [472]*472floor covering would be free from manufacturing defects in material and workmanship. The floor covering was completely installed no later than February 28, 1972. In December of 1975, plaintiffs noticed that the floor covering was discoloring and developing unsightly spots. They immediately informed defendant of this problem. In a letter dated March 25, 1976, and attached to the complaint as Exhibit B, a representative of defendant notified plaintiffs that the spots on the floor were caused by the exposure of the floor to strong sunlight and that defendant was granting plaintiffs a credit for 50 percent of the original value of the floor covering. In another letter from a representative of defendant, dated June 3 and attached to the complaint as Exhibit C, it is admitted that plaintiffs’ problem, classified as sun scorching, takes two or three years to develop and plaintiffs were granted an additional adjustment which amounted to a full allowance on the material involved. Plaintiffs claim that because of the defects which were known by defendant they are required to replace the floor covering, incurring additional damages. The complaint was filed in November of 1977, with plaintiffs asking for damages in the amount of $2,706.12.

From these facts it appears that plaintiffs were untimely in filing their complaint unless some events occurred which would toll the time limitations normally applicable to the warranties upon which the claim for relief is based. The express guarantee specifically states that Armstrong will make no adjustment of any kind for either the flooring material or labor when notified of a defect more than three years after the date of purchase. Defendants were not notified of the defect until December of 1975, which was clearly more than three [473]*473years after the date of purchase, so that recovery cannot be made upon the express warranty.

Since this case involves a transaction in goods, the applicable statute of limitations for any implied warranty is found in section 2-725 of the Uniform Commercial Code of April 6, 1953, P.L. 3, as amended, 12A P.S. §2-725. The pertinent portions of this section read as follows:

“(1) An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within four years after the cause of action has accrued. By the original agreement the parties may reduce the period of limitation to not less than one year but may not extend it.

“(2) A cause of action accrues when the breach occurs, regardless of the aggrieved party’s lack of knowledge of the breach. A breach of warranty occurs when tender of delivery is made, except that where a warranty explicitly extends to future performance of the goods and discovery of the breach must await the time of such performance the cause of action accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered.

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‘(4) This section does not alter the law on tolling of the statute of limitations nor does it apply to causes of action which have accrued before this Act becomes effective.”

Under this statute, the fact that the defect was undiscoverable when tender of delivery was made does not alter the accrual of the cause of action and the commencement of the running of the statute unless the action is brought under a warranty which explicitly extends to future performance. Plaintiffs did not allege, nor does it appear, that the warranties under which they seek recovery [474]*474explicitly extend to future performance. See Binkley Co. v. Teledyne Mid-America Corp., 460 F. 2d 276 (8th Cir. 1972), aff'g 333 F. Supp. 1183 (E. D. Mo. 1971). Here the tender of delivery would not have occurred any later than February 28, 1972, the time of installation: see Perry v. Augustine, 37 D. & C. 2d 416 (Mercer Co. 1965), which is more than five and a half years before the complaint was filed. The four year period was obviously exceeded: Rufo v. The Bastian-Blessing Co.,417 Pa. 107, 207 A. 2d 823 (1965).

Plaintiffs do not dispute this but seek to avoid the application of the statute and the time limitation in the express guarantee by maintaining that the statute has been tolled. They base this argument upon two grounds: (1) that defendant knew of and concealed the defect from plaintiffs and (2) that the letters from defendant which are attached to the complaint are a waiver of the statute of limitations. Since section 2-725(4) expressly provides that the law on tolling of the statute of limitations is not altered by this section, we must look to the decisions of the courts of this Commonwealth to determine the validity of plaintiffs’ position.

Plaintiffs allege that the letters attached to the complaint show that defendant had knowledge of the latent defect in the floor covering. Assuming that this is correct, it must now be determined whether defendant’s mere failure to notify plaintiffs of the latent defect constitutes such fraudulant concealment as to toll the statute of limitations. The law in this state estops a defendant from utilizing the bar of the statute to shield himself from liability when he, through fraud or concealment, causes another to relax his vigilance or deviate [475]*475from his right of inquiry: Schaffer v. Larzelere, 410 Pa. 402, 189 A. 2d 267 (1963).

Plaintiffs do not allege any affirmative acts of concealment on the part of defendant but argue that non-disclosure of a defect known to defendant which plaintiffs would be unable to find after reasonable investigation is in itself an act of concealment which would toll the statute.

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Related

Schaffer v. Larzelere
189 A.2d 267 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
Miller v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America
362 A.2d 1017 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Overfield v. Pennroad Corporation
146 F.2d 889 (Third Circuit, 1944)
Binkley Company v. Teledyne Mid-America Corporation
333 F. Supp. 1183 (E.D. Missouri, 1971)
Bata v. Central-Penn Nat. Bank of Phila.
224 A.2d 174 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Med-Mar, Inc. v. DILWORTH
257 A.2d 910 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1969)
Wade v. Heisey
364 A.2d 423 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Rufo v. the Bastian-Blessing Co.
207 A.2d 823 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1965)
Deemer v. Weaver, Exrx.
187 A. 215 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Huffman Estate (No. 3)
36 A.2d 640 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1944)
Smith v. Blachley
47 A. 985 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1901)
Markee v. Reyburn
101 A. 993 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1917)
Gest v. Heiskill
5 Rawle 134 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1835)

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Bluebook (online)
7 Pa. D. & C.3d 470, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weiner-v-armstrong-cork-co-pactcompllawren-1978.