Welter v. Bowman Dairy Co.

47 N.E.2d 739, 318 Ill. App. 305, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 885
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 10, 1943
DocketGen. No. 41,974
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 47 N.E.2d 739 (Welter v. Bowman Dairy Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Welter v. Bowman Dairy Co., 47 N.E.2d 739, 318 Ill. App. 305, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 885 (Ill. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Burke

delivered the opinion of the court.

On August 29,1940 Sandra Marie Welter, an infant, by her father and next friend, Fred J. Welter,' and Fred J. Welter filed in the municipal court of Evanston, their praecipe, four count complaint and jury demand against the Bowman Dairy Company, a corporation. On motion of plaintiffs, counts 3 and 4 and certain subparagraphs were stricken. Count 1 alleges that plaintiff Sandra Marie Welter is a child of tender years, the daughter of Fred J. Welter; that on April 18, 1940, Bowman Dairy Company was engaged in the sale of milk in the city of Evanston, such sale being carried on by drivers of its milk wagons; that Bowman Dairy Company bottled its products in glass bottles, used machinery and appliances for cleansing the bottles, other machinery for filling the bottles, and sold and delivered its products to its customers; that on April 18, 1940 defendant sold and delivered to Fred J. Welter for his use and consumption, as well as the use of his family, certain milk in a glass bottle warranting that the milk was good and wholesome and safe to drink; that at such time there was in full force and effect section 15 of the Uniform Sales Act (sec. 15, eh. 12D/2, 111. Eev. Stat. 1941 [Jones 111. Stats. Ann. 121.Í9]) reading:

“Subject to the provisions of this act and of any statute in that behalf, there is no implied warranty or condition as to the quality or fitness for any particular purpose of goods supplied under a contract to sell or a sale, except as follows:

“(1) Where the buyer, expressly or by implication, makes known to the seller the particular purpose for which the goods are required, and it appears that the buyer relies on the seller’s skill or judgment (whether he be the grower or manufacturer or not), there is an [an] implied warranty that the goods shall be reasonably fit for such purpose. . . .”

that defendant carelessly and negligently sold and delivered milk which was not good and wholesome, but was unwholesome, adulterated, poisonous, dangerous and unfit to drink; that plaintiff, Fred J. Welter, without notice as to the unfit condition of the milk, permitted the said milk to be fed without fault on his part to the plaintiff, Sandra Marie Welter, who drank the milk without fault on her part; that as a result plaintiff, Sandra Marie Welter, became sick and will remain sick during the remainder of her life; that she has been permanently injured, suffered great pain and agony, loss of health, mental and physical power, to her damage in the sum of $100,000; that the said Fred J. Welter was compelled to expend large sums of money for medical and hospital care for the said Sandra Marie Welter, and will continue to become liable to expend such moneys, to the damage of Fred J. Welter in the sum of $100,000. Count 2 realleged the capacity of plaintiffs and the defendant, and further alleged that on April 18, 1940 Bowman Dairy Company sold and delivered to the home of Sandra Marie Welter, milk in a glass bottle for her use and consumption ; that it was the duty of defendant not to cause or allow paint or other poisonous substances to be placed in such bottle of milk; that at that time there was in full force and effect section 16 of the Pure Food Regulations (sec. 16, ch. 56%, 111. Rev. Stat. 1941 [Jones 111. Stats. Ann. 53.016]) reading:

“No person, firm or corporation shall offer for sale, or sell to any person, firm or corporation, creamery or cheese factory, any unclean, unhealthful, unwholesome, or adulterated milk or cream, or any milk or cream which has not been well cooled or to which any water or any other foreign substance has been added, or milk or cream which has been handled or transported in unclean or unsanitary vessels or containers. . . .”

This count charged that the defendant, well knowing its duty, failed and omitted to do one or more of the following acts, as a result of which Sandra Marie Welter sustained injuries and damages: (a) carelessly and negligently permitted the impure substance to be placed in and remain in the bottle of milk; (b) carelessly and negligently failed to inspect the bottle of milk so as to ascertain the dangers connected with the sale and delivery of the same; (c) carelessly and negligently failed to warn of the danger of using the milk; and (d) carelessly and negligently violated the provisions of section 16, chapter 56% of the Pure Food Regulations. This count further alleged that Mrs. Welter, mother of Sandra Marie Welter, while in the exercise of due care and caution, fed the milk to Sandra Marie, and in consequence Sandra Marie became sick and will remain sick during the remainder of her life; that Sandra Marie, suffered damages in the sum of $100,000; that by reason of the premises, Fred J. Welter became compelled to expend and will hereafter be compelled to expend large sums of money for medical and hospital care for Sandra Marie to his damage in the sum of $100,000. Plaintiffs prayed judgment in the sum of $200,000.

A motion filed by defendant to quash the service of summons was overruled. Defendant then filed a written motion to dismiss the complaint on the ground that the court had no jurisdiction, and to strike count 1 on the ground that the cause of action stated therein is upon an implied contract and that .there was no contractual relation between the defendant and Sandra Marie, and that the count failed to state a cause of action on behalf of Fred J. Welter. The court denied this motion. Answering count 1, the defendant denied any failure to exercise all manner of care and caution in the preparation of the milk; denied that it ever sold any product which was unwholesome, adulterated, dangerous, poisonous and unfit to drink; denied that Fred J. Welter was in the exercise of due care and caution; alleged that he should have discovered any contamination of milk; and denied that Sandra Marie Welter, or Fred J. Welter have been damaged in the sum of $100,000 each, or in any sum whatever. ■ Answering count 2, defendant alleged that it was at all times in the exercise of all due, necessary and proper care to maintain sanitary conditions of its products; denied that defendant ever suffered, permitted or allowed paint or any other substance whatsoever to ° be placed in and remain in any bottle filled by the defendant; and denied specifically each charge of negligence in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d); de-, nied that Mrs. Fred Welter was in the exercise of due care and caution for the safety of .Sandra Marie; and denied that either of the plaintiffs was damaged as the proximate result of the negligence of the defendant, or that either was damaged in any sum whatever. It will be seen that the action is based upon the delivery to the Welter home of a quart of milk containing a foreign substance. The first count is based on a breach of warranty and the second count upon charges of negligence. A trial before the court and a jury resulted in a verdict finding the defendant guilty on both counts as to Sandra Marie Welter, and assessing her damages at the sum of $30,000, and finding the defendant not guilty on both counts as to Fred J. Welter. Motions by the defendant for a directed verdict, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and for a new trial were overruled, and judgment was entered on the verdict, to reverse which this appeal is prosecuted.

Plaintiff’s theory is that defendant’s implied warranty that the milk was- fit for human consumption is available to Sandra Marie Welter, a member of the family of the purchaser, Fred J.

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Bluebook (online)
47 N.E.2d 739, 318 Ill. App. 305, 1943 Ill. App. LEXIS 885, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/welter-v-bowman-dairy-co-illappct-1943.