Wood v. Hub Motor Company

137 S.E.2d 674, 110 Ga. App. 101, 1964 Ga. App. LEXIS 557
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 30, 1964
Docket40568, 40569
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 137 S.E.2d 674 (Wood v. Hub Motor Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wood v. Hub Motor Company, 137 S.E.2d 674, 110 Ga. App. 101, 1964 Ga. App. LEXIS 557 (Ga. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinions

Hall, Judge.

In 1957 the General Assembly imposed implied warranties by manufacturers of personal property sold in this State. Ga. L. 1957, p. 405; Code Ann. § 96-307: “The manufacturer of any personal property sold as new property, either directly or through wholesale or retail dealers, or any other person, shall warrant the following to the ultimate consumer, who, however, must exercise caution when purchasing to detect defects, and, provided there is no express covenant of warranty and no agreement to the contrary: 1. The article sold is merchantable and reasonably suited to the use intended. 2. The manufacturer knows of no latent defects undisclosed.” This law has now been repealed (Ga. L. 1962, pp. 156, 427), but was in effect at the time of the sale upon which these actions are founded. (Under § 109A-2—314 of the Georgia Uniform Commercial Code, effective January 1, 1964, “a warranty that the goods shall be merchantable is implied in a contract for their sale if the seller is a merchant with respect to goods of that kind.” Ga. L. 1962, p. 156.

The petition of Mr. Wood, who purchased the automobile, alleged: The automobile was not merchantable and reasonably suited for the uses intended in that, while it was being driven in a normal and careful way it suddenly, unexpectedly, and without warning became unmanageable and uncontrollable and veered into the wrong lane of traffic and collided with another vehicle, and both of them were demolished. Latent mechanical defects between the steering mechanism and the front wheels, which existed at the time of manufacture, caused the malfunc[104]*104tion. At the time he purchased the automobile he exercised caution to detect defects, but discovered none, and neither he nor Mrs. Wood knew of the defects until the time of the collision. The automobile had been driven approximately 11,500 miles at the time of said collision; it was reasonably expected to provide safe and efficient transportation for at least two years or 25,000 miles, whichever came first. Between the time of the purchase of the automobile and the collision, the automobile was not involved in any other wreck, was driven with caution, and serviced in accordance with instructions furnished by defendants. At the time of the collision, the automobile was being operated in a normal and safe manner and no external cause of failure (other than the latent defects) made it veer into the wrong lane of traffic and collide with another vehicle. The innumerable parts of the steering mechanism were so badly damaged that it was impossible for the plaintiff to allege what particular part caused the automobile to become unmanageable and uncontrollable.

The trial court sustained the general demurrer as well as special demurrers attacking the above allegations, piecemeal and generally, as being conclusions unsupported by facts alleged, too indefinite and uncertain, and insufficient to put the defendant on notice as to the plaintiff’s contentions as to the nature and location of the alleged latent defects and enable the defendant to properly prepare its defense.

The statutory implied warranty is “an obligation that the law places on a party as a result of some transaction entered into”; it is not a contractual obligation. Bookholt v. General Motors Corp., 215 Ga. 391, 394 (110 SE2d 642). Accord: Bond & Maxwell v. Perrin, 145 Ga. 200, 209 (88 SE 954); Colt Co. v. Bridges, 162 Ga. 154, 158 (132 SE 889); A. D. L. Sales Co. v. Gailey, 48 Ga. App. 798 (173 SE 734); Smith v. Eastern Light Co., 49 Ga. App. 593 (176 SE 545). It remains effective for a reasonable time. 46 Cornell L. Q. 607, 612. Breach and consequent damages complete a cause of action on an implied warranty. A petition which makes both of these elements appear is not subject to demurrer. Welfare Finance Corp. v. Waters, 98 Ga. App. 20, 23 (104 SE2d 669). This petition shows a transaction cov[105]*105ered by the statute. The plaintiff need only show that the automobile was not reasonably suited for the purposes for which it was commonly intended and that because of its unsuitability he was damaged.

Negligence is not an element of breach of warranty. If goods do not conform to the warranty, the warrantor’s utmost care will not relieve him of liability. We may assume that proof would show that the defect and failure of the machine to function properly was not due to any negligence of the manufacturer. This will not impair the plaintiff’s cause of action under the statute. Accord Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc., 32 N. J. 358 (161 A2d 69); Greeman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc., 59 Cal. 2d 57 (377 P2d 897); Goldberg v. Kollsman Instrument Corp., 12 NY2d 432 (191 NE2d 81). The purpose of the statute is . . that the enterprise which causes losses should lift them from the individual victims and distribute them widely among those who benefit from the activities of the enterprise. . . . This would include strict liability on the part of the manufacturer upon an implied warranty for unreasonable dangers lurking in any kind of product.” James, “General Products—Should Manufacturers Be Liable Without Negligence?”, 24 Tenn. L. Rev. 923, 924, 925; Noel, “Strict Liability of Manufacturers”, 50 American B. J. 446; 1 Williston On Sales 617, § 237.

We recognize that some negligence cases have held that facts which in evidence would give rise to an inference of negligence without proof of a specific negligent act are insufficient to pass the test of pleading wffien no specific act of negligence is alleged; “res ipsa loquitur” cannot aid pleadings. See Hudgins v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., 122 Ga. 695 (50 SE 974). These precedents are not applicable, however, in this action upon statutory implied warranties. Certainly “res ipsa loquitur,” a rule of negligence law, has no application to a suit upon a statutory implied warranty.

Our courts have always held that the facts of a cause of action must be so plainly and fully and distinctly set forth as to inform the opposite party of the grounds of the plaintiff’s action, and enable him to prepare his defense; to enable the jury to [106]*106find an intelligible and complete verdict; and to enable the court to declare distinctly the law of the case. Murphy v. Lawrence, 2 Ga. 257, 258; Southern R. Co. v. Lunsford, 50 Ga. App. 829, 834 (179 SE 571), reversed on other grounds, 297 U. S. 398 (56 SC 504, 80 LE 740); Georgia-Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. White, 55 Ga. App. 706, 713 (191 SE 265).

“While a plaintiff is required to set out his cause of action in a full, complete, and definite manner, in order that the defendant may, without difficulty, understand the nature of the plaintiff’s charge or demand, and make preparation to meet it (Civil Code § 5538), this requirement is to be liberally construed [Kemp v. Central &c. R. Co., 122 Ga. 559, 50 SE 465), and a plaintiff is not required to allege impossible particulars or unnecessary details (Bittick v. Georgia &c. R. Co., 136 Ga. 138, 70 SE 106), nor is a plaintiff required to set forth in his petition the evidence relied on to make out his cause of action, it being sufficient if he alleges enough to inform the opposite party of the grounds of his action, and to enable the jury to find an intelligible and complete verdict, and enable the court to declare distinctly the law of the case. Cedartown Cotton &c. Co. v. Miles, 2 Ga. App. 79 (58 SE 289); Wrightsville &c. R. Co. v. Vaughn, 9 Ga. App.

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137 S.E.2d 674, 110 Ga. App. 101, 1964 Ga. App. LEXIS 557, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wood-v-hub-motor-company-gactapp-1964.