Conheim v. Chicago Great Western Railway Co.
Conheim v. Chicago Great Western Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
The respondent, Conheim, a traveling salesman for a house dealing in men’s wearing apparel, desiring to go from St. Paul to Rochester, Minnesota, purchased a ticket and checked his trunk containing samples necessary for use in his business. This trunk, of the kind and style usually carried by traveling salesmen, was delivered to the appellant’s baggageman at the Union Station in St. Paul at 4:30 p. m. of December 5, 1906. Conheim was known to the baggageman, who had seen his samples and knew that he was a traveling man. When the trunk was checked, Conheim told the baggageman that it must be sent forward to Rochester, Minnesota, on the Chicago Great Western train which was to leave the station at 5:40 p. m. of that day. There was no other conversation between the parties. Conheim went to Rochester on that train, and did not learn until the next morning that the trunk had not accompanied him. It finally reached Rochester at 1:30 p. m. of that day, and in an action for damages Conheim claimed that, through the negligence of the railway company in failing to forward this trunk as directed, he lost one day’s time, to his damage in the sum of $50. The trial court awarded him $17.50, and this appeal was taken from an order denying defendant’s motion for a new trial.
Under the rule announced in McKibbin v. Great Northern Ry. Co., 78 Minn. 232, 80 N. W. 1052, and McKibbin v. Wisconsin Central Ry. Co., 100 Minn. 270, 110 N. W. 964, 8 L. R. A. (N. S.) 489, 117 Am. St. 689, the plaintiff established a cause of action for nominal damages, at least, against the railway company; but we regret to say that it is necessary to reverse the order because of the application of an erroneous rule for determining the damages and the indefinite and unsatisfactory nature of the evidence offered to prove damages.
When the agent of a'railway company knows the nature of the
It was not pleaded, and there was no evidence to show, that the defendant’s baggageman was notified that any special reason existed for expediting the delivery of this trunk. In a case very like this (Katz v. Cleveland, 46 Misc. 259, 91 N. Y. Supp. 720) the court said: “The reason given by plaintiff’s principal witness why unusual damage resulted from the delay was that he needed the samples in order to fulfil engagements already made to meet prospective customers, and that he could not sell goods in the absence of his samples. He did not, however, give defendant any notice of these special circumstances. All he did was to notify defendant’s baggageman that he had a large sample trunk which he wished checked. This certainly was not calculated to convey the intelligence that any special reason existed for expedit
The estimate of the value of his time was also very indefinite. He “figured that his time ran from $35 to $50 a day on the average,” and sometimes more. He “estimated that his time ran not less than $35 per day, and from that up, while he was on the road.” He testified that the only loss he sustained was by reason of the loss of the commissions he might have made; but it appeared that, while he was working on a commission basis, the firm paid him a stipulated sum every month, regardless of his earnings — that is, he received a fixed amount each month to coyer his living expenses. It does not appear what this amount was, although it is conceded fhat it was paid for the day which he claims to have lost. Upon this state of the.evidence it is impossible to estimate with any reasonable degree of accuracy what the value of the use of the property would have been during the time its delivery was withheld.
The order is therefore reversed, and a new trial granted.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LEO CONHEIM v. CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY
- Status
- Published