Youngs v. Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.

184 N.W. 535, 215 Mich. 682, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 809
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 3, 1921
DocketDocket No. 23
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 184 N.W. 535 (Youngs v. Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Youngs v. Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., 184 N.W. 535, 215 Mich. 682, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 809 (Mich. 1921).

Opinion

Sharpe, J.

In 1916 plaintiff purchased a threshing machine engine from the defendant. Later, in the same year, he purchased a grain separator, giving therefor his five promissory notes, aggregating $989, secured by a chattel mortgage on the engine and separator. This separator did not do good work. Defendant made several ineffectual efforts to make it do so. The machine was finally returned to the defendant and a new one furnished plaintiff. The negotiations to this end were consummated on August 29, 1917, by plaintiff’s executing a written order for the new machine, which was accepted in writing by the defendant. It provided for a return of the machine purchased in 1916, the payment of $6.60 in cash and the giving of three promissory notes, one for $50, due December 1, 1918, one for $125, due December 1, 1917, and one for $125, due December 1, 1918. The payment of these notes and those unpaid on the former machine, amounting in all to $959, was secured by a chattel mortgage of same date on the engine and the new separator. There was attached to the mortgage the affidavit of plaintiff required by the statute. The contract thus made contained the following warranty:

“Said machinery is warranted to> be well made and of good material, and with proper use capable of doing as good work as any other machine of the same kind, size and rated capacity, working under like conditions, but any machine or part thereof not manufactured for or by vendor, or which is second[685]*685hand, rebuilt or repaired, is not warranted, by statute or otherwise.”

It also provided:

“There are no representations, warranties or condition express or implied, statutory or otherwise, except those herein contained and no agreement collateral hereto shall be binding upon either party unless in writing hereupon or attached hereto, signed by purchaser and accepted by vendor at its head office.”

At the same time plaintiff executed and delivered to the defendant the following writing:

“Satisfaction Certificate.
“Dated at Ypsilanti, Mich., Aug. 29, 1917.
“Received of Advance-Rumely Thresher Company, Inc., a corporation of LaPorte, Ind., an exchange of separators per terms of order bearing even date herewith, in consideration of which I hereby acknowledge full satisfaction and settlement of all demands of any nature whatsoever against Advance-Rumely Thresher Company, Inc., or growing out of the purchase and sale or relating to certain machinery heretofore purchased from Advance-Rumely Thresher Co. (describing it), and expressly waive all counter claims, set-offs and defenses against the collection of any note or notes given therefor or indebtedness relating thereto and any renewal or renewals thereof,, and I hereby acknowledge to owe Advance-Rumely Thresher Company, Ltd., aforesaid for the purchase price of said machinery the sum of $659.00 \$iich sum I promise to pay with interest.
(Signed) “Bert Youngs.
“Witness:
“E. D. Lanigan.”

This machine was received in due time by plaintiff. He claims it did no better work than the former one. Several efforts were made by the defendant’s employees to make it work properly but, as plaintiff claims, without effect. Much correspondence passed between the parties. On September 18, 1917, plain[686]*686tiff advised defendant by telegram that he had “ordered car will load separator soon as ear is ready,” to which the defendant replied on the following day:

“If you load separator you will do so at your own risk as we refuse to accept it. Wilcox will be there this afternoon.”

On October 1st, plaintiff wrote that the changes made by Wilcox “failed to make this separator clean and save grain.” Defendant’s manager replied on October 3d, saying Wilcox would be at plaintiff’s place again on the next day and he had “entire confidence that he will be able to please you. and that you will pronounce the machine A-l before he leaves you.” On October 30, 1917, plaintiff advised defendant that the machine would not work, “is of no use to me,” and asked for directions what to do with it. The defendant answered on November 3d, saying that when last seen running by their expert, Mr. Wilcox, it was doing good work and assuring plaintiff that the machine was all right. The machine remained with plaintiff.

On January 17, 1918, plaintiff filed the bill of complaint herein. As amended, it sets forth the dealings between the parties as above stated. In paragraph 11 it alleges:

“That owing to the complete failure of the said separator and its equipment to perform its work properly or at all, and the failure of the said defendant, its experts and agents after due and proper notice, to remedy the defects of the same, the threshing season of the summer of 1916 was a great loss and damage of many thousand dollars to this plaintiff and loss to him in the confidence and patronage of the many customers for whom he had attempted to thresh with said separator and its equipment and this defendant (meaning plaintiff) through and by means of said failure largely lost his threshing patronage in said community.”

[687]*687After stating the ineffectual efforts of defendant to make the machine work in a proper manner, it alleges the refusal of defendant to exchange the same for a new machine unless plaintiff would pay in cash a note given on the original purchase, amounting with interest to about $350. It further alleges that, owing to the “embarrassing and hopeless condition” in which plaintiff was placed and the danger of losing the business he had theretofore carried on successfully, he was—

“obliged to yield and did yield to the promise of this defendant to purchase from it a new separator for the sum of $1,350 upon the express condition and representation * * * that the said new separator was absolutely perfect * * * that it had been tried out for three years; that he would guarantee it in every detail;”

that after many trials, it being found that the machine would not work properly, he offered to ship it back to defendant but was notified that defendant would not accept it. Plaintiff further alleges—

“that) he was induced to sign and did sign said satisfaction certificate by the representation to plaintiff on the part of defendant that the said separator and its equipment * * * would perform satisfactorily and in a good and workmanlike manner, the purposes for which the same was purchased * * * that said defendant knew that said plaintiff relied upon said representation, * * * that defendant made the representations knowing or under circumstances by virtue of which it ought to have known that said representations were false and that * * * the inducement as aforesaid by said defendant of this plaintiff to sign said'satisfaction certificate constituted a fraud upon this defendant (meaning plaintiff), and as such and because of the same should in a court of equity, be set aside and held for naught.”

The relief prayed for was a cancellation of the satisfaction certificate and the notes and mortgage [688]*688and an accounting of the sums paid by plaintiff on both machines and the losses sustained by him resulting from the failure of the machines to do good work, and that a money decree be granted plaintiff therefor.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
184 N.W. 535, 215 Mich. 682, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 809, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/youngs-v-advance-rumely-thresher-co-mich-1921.