Southern Distributors Inc. v. Jax Ice & Cold Storage Co.
Southern Distributors Inc. v. Jax Ice & Cold Storage Co.
Opinion of the Court
Jax Ice and Cold Storage Company (hereinafter referred to as "plaintiff”) sued Southern Distributors Incorporated (hereinafter termed "defendant”) "on open account for merchandise purchased and delivered to it.” The itemized statement of account attached to the petition is made up of two invoices for malt beverages. The first invoice is dated May 22, 1935, and shows items aggregating $365, which with protest fee added totals $366.50. The second invoice is dated May 23, 1935, and shows items amounting to $381, which with protest fee added totals $382.50. The defendant filed its sworn answer admitting that it was a corporation and admitting jurisdiction of the court, but denying that it owed the plaintiff anything. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff for the full amount sought to be recovered, and the defendant excepted to the overruling of a motion for new trial on the general and certain special grounds. It appears that the truck-driver of the defendant received from his employer in Savannah, Georgia, an order'for each of the two loads of beer represented by said two invoices, with a check to pay for same, drove to Jacksonville, presented said order and check to the plaintiff, receipted for the load delivered to him by the plaintiff, and hauled it to the place of business of his employer in Savannah. On each bill of lading sent with each of the two loads of beer was written: '"Title to this shipment of beer remains in our name until it reaches destination. Jax Ice & Cold Storage
The substance of the charge, to the jury, as complained of in the first special ground is as follows: '“Now, if the plaintiff has proved that this beer was sold to the defendant, and that the account is just, true, due, and unpaid, and that the defendant has failed and refused to pay it, then, in that event, you should find for the plaintiff.” Error is assigned because “this was not the essential law of the case, and was in direct conflict to and contrary to the issue raised by the evidence, because the evidence disclosed that the item of May 22, 1935, should not have been submitted to the jury, and if submitted . . and a verdict rendered against the defendant on that particular item, to wit, $366.50, a verdict could not law
It is averred in the second special ground that the court erred in charging the jury that “any sale which was after May 23d was legal, and for that the defendant would have to pay,” because “the evidence disclosed . . that the contract of sale was effectuated in the State of Georgia prior to the time and date of either one of the shipments, and prior to the legalization of the sale of beer.” We do not agree to the contention of the plaintiff in error that the testimony of the witness H. Wallace Sipple as to the conversation between himself and Mr. Jenkins in Savannah, Georgia, before May 23, 1935, constituted a contract for the sale of the beer in
As appears from what has already been said, we are of the opinion that the court did not err "in submitting to the jury the question of the delivery of May 22, 1935,” and charging the jury: "Now, when was that beer under the item of May 22, 1935, for $366.50, delivered in Savannah?” We therefore hold that the third special ground discloses no reversible error. It is averred in ground 4 that the court erred in failing to charge the jury that "the plaintiff could not recover as to the item of May 22, 1935, or the item May 23, 1935, if the contract for the purchase of the beer and ale, as set out in the bills of particulars dated May 22, 1935, and May 23, 1935, which are the basis of the action, was entered into in .the State of Georgia . . prior to May 23, 1935.” The assignment of error is based on the contention that the "uncontradicted evidence” shows that "the contract for the purchase of the articles was made in this State, and that their price was a part of the consideration of the sale of the articles in the State of Georgia.” There was no special request to charge, and the court did charge: "Now, I charge you that the defendant would not have to pay for the account, under the law, if that was an illegal consideration,” etc. We do not think that the '"uncontradicted evidence” shows that said purchase was made in the State of Georgia before May 23, 1935. We therefore hold that this last ground is not meritorious.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.