Verddier v. NEAL BLUN COMPANY
Verddier v. NEAL BLUN COMPANY
Opinion of the Court
This is a products liability case. Mariah Verddier sued Frantz Manufacturing Co., the
Based upon the pleadings, interrogatories and certain affidavits in the record, Neal Blun Co., moved for judgment on the pleadings, which was treated as a motion for summary judgment. The motion was sustained and judgment entered dismissing this defendant from the proceeding. Appeal is from that judgment. Held:
In her complaint, insofar as it relates to defendant Neal Blun Co., the plaintiff alleges that Blun "is and was at all times material to this action the agent of the above named corporate defendant [defendant Frantz Manufacturing Co.], engaged in distributing the products of the latter.” In answer to an interrogatory the plaintiff stated that Blun was sued as "the supplier of the garage door.” No acts of negligence are alleged against Blun in the complaint or are shown in any of the answers to interrogatories and affidavits in support of or opposing the motion for summary judgment. Certain negligent acts are alleged against the manufacturer (defendant Frantz Manufacturing Co.) but not against the alleged agent and distributor, Blun. It is elementary that the principal is liable for the torts of its agent committed within the scope of his authority. Code §§ 105-108, 4-311. However, it is generally recognized that an agent is not liable to third persons for the failure of the principal to discharge
As the same applies to actions ex contractu, the plaintiffs claim against defendant Blun is controlled by Code Ann. § 109A-2 — 318 (Ga. L. 1962, pp. 156, 191) to wit: "A seller’s warranty whether expressed or implied extends to any natural person who is in the family or household of his buyer or who is a guest in his home if it is reasonable to expect that such person may use, consume or be affected by the goods and who is injured in person by breach of the warranty. A seller may not exclude or limit the operation of this section.”
The evidence, construed most favorably for the plaintiff and against the defendant as movant for summary judgment, at most shows that the garage door was manufactured by defendant Frantz Manufacturing Co., which sold the same to Neal Blun Co., which in turn sold the same to one Terry Harmon, a subcontractor on the house being constructed by one Dan McGee, which said house was subsequently purchased by defendant Doukas, the plaintiffs employer.
It is uncontroverted that the plaintiff was employed by defendant Doukas as a maid at the time she sustained the injury complained of. As such, the plaintiff simply does not fall into the category of persons benefiting from an implied warranty under Code Ann. § 109A-2 — 318, supra. Further, under this statute, a warranty does not run with the article sold except as specified therein. See Smith v. Williams, 117 Ga. 782, 784 (45 SE 394, 97 ASR 220) for the rule prior to Ga. L. 1957, p. 405 (formerly Code Ann. § 96-307) which was repealed with enactment of the UCC in 1962 (Ga. L. 1962, pp. 156, 427).
In this case there is no privity between the plaintiff and
Consequently, the trial court was correct in sustaining the defendant Neal Blun Co.’s motion for summary judgment.
Judgment affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. Mariah Verddier sued Frantz Manufacturing Co., the manufacturer; Neal Blun Co., its alleged agent and distributor of its products in the State of Georgia; and George Doukas, the owner of the property in whose home she was employed as a maid, and where she was injured by the use of the product on the day the alleged injury occurred. Plaintiffs injury occurred when her finger was amputated in the closing of a garage door. Certain aluminum strips in the door became a lethal instrument as she attempted to close the garage door, and the folding panels of the door amputated her finger.
Based upon the pleadings, interrogatories and certain affidavits in the record, Neal Blun Company moved for judgment on the pleadings, which was treated as motion for summary, judgment. The motion was sustained and judgment entered dismissing this defendant from the proceeding.
Affidavits were submitted for the purpose of showing that movant was not the agent of the manufacturer, but
The majority contends that "certain negligent acts are alleged against the manufacturer (Frantz Manufacturing Co.) but not against the alleged manufacturer and distributor Blun,” but the pleadings do not support this contention. The complaint names two corporate defendants, to wit: Frantz Manufacturing Company (a foreign corporation) and Neal Blun Company (a Chatham County corporation). Then the complaint proceeds to allege that certain negligence was committed by "the corporate defendant,” without specifying which corporate defendant, and under our notice pleadings, same must be construed most favorably to the pleader. In paragraph 4 the complaint alleges:
"(4) Said accident was caused by the negligence of the corporate defendant, which negligence consisted, among other things, of the following:
"(a) Failure to warn by statement on the garage door, in any manne’r, of the danger to be encountered when attempting to close the door.
"(b) Failure to warn that the door is equipped with sharp aluminum strips at the bottom of each panel which closes in an guilotine [sic] like manner as the door is closed from an overhead position.
"(c) Failure to warn that by so closing, the aluminum strips would become a lethal instrument, causing permanent and disabling injury should a finger or hand of a user of said product be caught between the panels.
"(d) Failure to design the garage door in such a manner as to avoid or minimize the extreme risk to users of the door should the aluminum strips attached to each panel come in contact with a part of the body of a user of said product.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Thus, it will be seen that four separate acts of negligence are alleged against "Blun” — contrary to the statement set forth in the majority opinion.
If we construed the pleadings most strongly against the
For all the foregoing reasons, I dissent. I would reverse the judgment of the lower court.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- VERDDIER v. NEAL BLUN COMPANY Et Al.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published