Parks v. Hallett & Davis Piano Co.
Parks v. Hallett & Davis Piano Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is trover and bail brought by the Hallett & Davis Piano Company against W. Y. Parks, for a certain piano. The petition alleges, that defendant is in possession of the instrument “to which petitioner claims title;” that defendant “refused to deliver the above-described property to your petitioner or to pay him the value thereof.” Defendant gave the statutory bond required in the bail proceeding. In his answer to the trover suit de
“Atlanta, Jan. 8, 1912. Georgia.
“Hallett & Davis Piano Co. is not responsible for any agreement or promise other than written or printed on the face of this agreement.
“$300.... For value received I, the subscriber, of No. 316 Oak St., town of Atlanta, County of Fulton, and State of Georgia, promise to pay to the order of Hallett & Davis Piano Co. (a corporation of Boston, Mass.) the sum of Three Hundred Dollars, at its office in Boston, Mass., as follows: Advertising Seventy dollars, One Electric Fan valued $13.50, Thirteen 50/100, Bal. $6.00 July 30, and six dollars each succeeding month, with interest on each of said sums at the rate of six per annum from date until paid, with exchange. The consideration for the payment of the above amounts is the sale by the said Hallett & Davis Piano Co. to the subscriber of one piano made by Connay, No. 24692, style 10, upon the following terms and conditions: The title to the said instrument shall remain in said Hallett & Davis Piano Co., until each and every of said amounts, together with interest thereon, have been fully paid. In the event the subscriber shall make default in the payment of any of said amounts, or of interest thereon, at the time and place above specified, or shall sell, incumber, assign, or remove, or attempt to incumber, dispose of, or remove said instrument from the place above mentioned without the written consent of said Hallett & Davis Piano Co., its agents or assigns, the subscriber shall, on the demand of said Hallett & Davis Piano Co., its agents or assigns, deliver said instrument in as good condition as when received (reasonable use and wear thereof excepted), or the said Hallett & Davis Piano Co., its agents or assigns, may at its option, without notice or demand, take immedi
The plaintiff elected to take a money verdict, and the court
The written contract shows beyond question that it was the understanding and agreement between plaintiff and defendant that the piano should be placed in the designated house of the defendant, and that he should not remove or attempt to remove it therefrom, or sell or encumber, or attempt to do so, before the entire purchase-price should be paid, without the written consent of the plaintiff, its agents or assigns; and should defendant violate any of these obligations, then he should, on demand of the plaintiff, its agents or assigns, deliver up the instrument, the title to which remained in the plaintiff till all of the purchase-price should be paid. It is true that it does not appear from the written contract who was to place the instrument in the defendant’s home, but this is not material. The defendant’s answer and testimony showed that he sold the instrument to one Khinehart without paying all the purchase-money. This of course was a conversion, unless defendant was legally authorized to sell. In view of the express stipulations in the written contract that the plaintiff “is not responsible for any agreement or promise other than written or printed on the face of this agreement,” and of the necessity of a written consent of the plaintiff or its agent to a sale without payment of all the purchase-price, the defendant could not set up, as a valid defense to the action, a verbal agreement on the part of the local general manager or agent of the plaintiff, who sold the piano to the defendant, whereby he was authorized, without paying the full purchase-price, to sell and deliver the instrument to a designated third person. The court did not err in directing the verdict, and accordingly the refusal of a new trial was-not error.
Judgment affirmed,.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.