Pictorial Paper Package Corp. v. Lane Drug Stores Inc.
Pictorial Paper Package Corp. v. Lane Drug Stores Inc.
Opinion of the Court
On. an agreed statement of facts tliis case was tried by a judge of the municipal court of Atlanta, sitting without a jury. The controlling question was whether there was an implied promise by the defendant to pay for the goods received by it from the plaintiff; and there was sufficient evidence in the agreed statement of facts to resolve that issue in favor of the defendant, and the judge did not err in rep
Judgment affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. The Pictorial Paper Package Company of Aurora, 111., prior to January 1, 1932, acting under an order from Lane Drug Stores Inc., made up a certain named amount of boxes and labels used in connection with the prescription business of Lane Drug Stores Inc., which merchandise so made up was to be held for shipping instructions from the buyer, and to be shipped to it as directed, and payment made therefor as shipped by the 10th of the month. This order and contract was similar to a prior course of business between the parties. On January 19, 1932, a receiver was appointed for Lane Drug Stores Inc., and on June 3, 1932, it was adjudicated a bankrupt and a trustee appointed. Neither the receiver nor the trustee ever gave any shipping instructions for said merchandise. The schedule of creditors filed did not list the Pictorial Paper Package Company, nor did the inventory of the Lane Drug Stores Inc. include the boxes and labels which the plaintiff had manufactured and stored in its warehouse in Aurora, 111. On June 17, 1932, the trustee in bankruptcy under an order of the referee sold the assets of the bankrupt to the defendant in this case, a new, separate, and independent corporation. The pertinent portions of the bill of sale to the defendant conveyed as follows: “all the assets of the Lane Drug Stores Incorporated (the bankrupt) in his hands as trustee, being all of the stock of goods, wares and merchandise, and the furniture and fixtures and equipment of every kind and character owned by said trustee and located in the stores and warehouses, a schedule of which stores and warehouses being hereto attached [the schedule not listing the merchandise in Aurora, 111.] . . also all other assets owned by said trustee of whatever kind or character wherever situated.” At said sale it was announced that the trustee had ordered shipment of some merchandise for the stores, which had not been received, and that the purchaser at the sale was at liberty to
The Code of 1933, § 3-107 (Civil Code of 1910, § 5513), provides: “Ordinarily, when one renders services or transfers property valuable to another, which the latter accepts, a promise is implied to pay the reasonable value thereof.” Section 20-1007 (Civil Code of 1910, § 4317) provides that “Payments . . made through ignorance of the law, or where the facts are all known, and there is no misplaced confidence, . . are deemed voluntary and can not be recovered.” The plaintiff in the present case relied-on the truthfulness of the defendant’s statement, which was itself made in good faith, that the defendant was the purchaser of the merchandise which the plaintiff had manufactured for the bank-
The bona fides of the defendant’s claim to merchandise, which was assented to by plaintiff under a mistake of fact, does not prevent the plaintiff from maintaining an action against the defendant on an implied promise to pay. I think, under the evidence submitted, the plaintiff was entitled to a judgment for the value of the goods. In the original contract between plaintiff and bankrupt, the goods manufactured by plaintiff were to be shipped out as ordered, and those shipped were to be paid for by the 10th of the succeeding month. It is inferable that upon a failure of the bankrupt so to pay, the plaintiff might decline to make further shipments. The present defendant, through a mistake of fact, procured the plaintiff to refund money already paid and ship the remainder of the goods. Even though the defendant would not have ordered the remainder of the goods shipped had it known they were not included in the sale of bankrupt’s assets, equity and good conscience demand that it pay for what it has used and gotten the
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.