Fruen Cereal Co. v. Chenoweth
Fruen Cereal Co. v. Chenoweth
Opinion of the Court
Action to recover damages against the seller for delivering a carload of wormy flour instead of .the flour alleged to have been bought and paid for. Defendant 'had a verdict and plaintiff appeals from the order denying a new trial.
Plaintiff’s contention, as alleged in the complaint, was that it purchased the 'Test patent old spring wheat” flour, and defendant’s that
The assignments of error are all upon rulings excluding testimony. The first group of questions, to which objections were sustained, relate to whether or not the carload in question was “best patent wheat flour.” When the rulings -were made, the order for the purchase had not been offered and it had not appeared that a letter of confirmation, written by plaintiff to defendant, containing the terms of the contract, as claimed by plaintiff, had ever been received by defendant. In fact, no orcler was ever offered in evidence, and defendant denied the receipt of the letter of confirmation. In that state of the evidence the court deemed it proper not to permit the questions, but to hold them in abeyance until it was seen what would develop. Afterwards defendant expressly admitted that the flour was not of the grade known as “patent” flour. So that, were it conceded that the questions were proper when asked, the subsequent admission established the fact sought to be elicited, and no prejudice resulted from the rulings.
The next question sustained was this: “Is the grade patent or best patent Wheat flour a well known ’and recognized grade of flour in the trade?” In the discussion which followed the court stated that he saw no harm in permitting an answer, but then plaintiff’s counsel said he proposed to follow the inquiry by showing that the only way one could tell whether a sample was “patent flour” or “straight flour” was by a chemical analysis. At this point defendant conceded and admitted that the flour delivered was not “patent” but “straight flour,” the only grade he malees, and the plaintiff’s counsel, seemingly satisfied, dismissed the witness, saying: “If that is conceded, that is all.”
The disputed issues in the case were clearly and concisely submitted to the jury. The remark of the learned trial court, in the early stage of the trial, that the proof indicated a sale by sample, could not have harmed plaintiff, for, when the testimony was all in, it was left to the jury entirely to determine whether or not the sale was by description also. The contention that plaintiff did not have the opportunity to prove damages on the theory of a sale by description, appears to us to be of no merit. The only witness on values and damages was plaintiff’s manager who made the deal, and he testified that the price paid, $10.80 per barrel, was the fair market value of the flour he intended to buy, and that the flour delivered was worth only $6 per barrel. There was no offer to show the difference in value between the grade known as “patent” flour and that known as “straight” to which any assignment of error is directed.
The order is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FRUEN CEREAL COMPANY v. E. J. CHENOWETH
- Status
- Published