Dempster Mill Manufacturing Co. v. Fitzwater
Dempster Mill Manufacturing Co. v. Fitzwater
Opinion of the Court
It is difficult in this case to determine of what action or actions of the court the plaintiff in error complains. It is an action brought in the court below by the plaintiff in error to recover the price of certain machinery which it claims to have sold to the defendants upon a written contract set out in its petition, and for the time and expense of an expert furnished under another written contract set out in the petition. The first writing is, in substance and effect, an order by one of the defendants in behalf of all for a well-boring machine. There is appended to this a guaranty. The other writing is an order addressed to the plaintiff Company to send along with the machine an expert to run it.
The answer denies that the writing constituted the contract of purchase of the machinery and denies that there was any written or'printed guaranty whatever, but avers a verbal contract and verbal representations amounting to a warranty that the machinery would perform a certain character of service; that it had failed and was totally worthless ; and that the defendants had been put to loss and damage by reason of the breach of warranty. A counterclaim therefor is set up and judgment asked for $376.
The next contention seems to be that the court erred in refusing to instruct the jury as required by the plaintiff. The first and third instructions proposed, about which complaint is made, are based upon the proposition that the defendants were concluded by the writings. This contention is untenable, as we have heretofore shown.
The next contention is that the court erred in refusing to submit to the jury, and require them to answer, two special interrogatories concerning this same matter— as to the amount of the separate claim of one of the defendants. These interrogatories, for the same reasons, should have been submitted to the jury by the court.
The final contention is that the court erred in denying the plaintiff's motion for a new trial. This we are of the opinion is correct, and the judgment should be reversed and a new trial awarded for the reasons hereinbefore stated.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company v. S. H. Fitzwater
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Warranty — answer denying that unsigned written, attached to contract of sale is part thereof, and alleging parol, and breach, states defense. In an action upon a written order for the purchase of machinery, signed by the defendants, to which is attached a printed form of warranty without signature, an answer denying that the writing set out constitutes the entire contract, denying that the printed form of warranty attached to the order was any part of the contract, and alleging a verbal warranty and a breach thereof, states a defense good against an attack by demurrer for want of facts. 2. - and evidence showing printed, not part of contract, evidence of verbal, admissible. It is not error to permit the defendant, under such an issue, to offer evidence of the verbal warranty, evidence having first been given tending to show that the printed warranty was not a part of the original contract. 3. - defendants jointly claiming damages for breach of, damages accruing to one separately not recoverable. Under an answer by three defendants jointly claiming damages by reason of breach of warranty, damages accruing to a defendant individually and in which the other defendants have no joint interest, cannot be recovered. 4. Aeeidavit eor Continuance — inadmissible except as agreed deposition of absent witness. An affidavit for a continuance cannot be read as evidence in a case, unless under a condition to admit it as the deposition of the absent witness, upon the refusal of such application. 5. Warranty- — breach of, alleged, evidence that other machines like one warranted, made by same company, failed to work well, admissible. It is competent for the defendants in such case to show that other machines of the same kind, made by the plaintiff and handled by competent parties in the same vicinity and under similar circumstances, failed to do the work for which said machines were designed and for which the defendants purchased this machine.