Bratton v. Howard
Bratton v. Howard
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
We do not deem it necessary to state the facts of this case to any great length. In brief, the facts stated in the dedlaration are as follows: The Trustees of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Mississippi, the appellant being the president of same, owned a certain tract of land in Warren county, Miss., and desired to build a schoolhouse. To this end the trustees had an architect prepare plans and specifications of same, together with certain designations as to some grading and fills necessary to get the surface of the ground, as desired. On the 22d day of May, 1908, in answer to the notifications of the trustees to contractors to appear and submit bids for the work, .appellee on that day submitted a bid for the work at the price of $3,829. In the bid submitted on above date appellee specified in the bid that he would include in the bid all grading to be done, provided it was not more than 1,200 yards cut and 1,500 yards fill, and concluded the bid by stating that, if the cuts and
The declaration stating the above facts was demurred to-, and demurrer overruled. There was other pleading in the- cause ; but we deem it unnecessary to follow further the course of the pleading, since under our view the demurrer settles the case. All previous negotiations became merged in the contract of June 22d, and, since the particular feature of the negotiation contained in the bid of May 22d was not included in the contract, it is just as if it had never occurred. The contract alone speaks all the enforceable provisions of same, and all liability on account of this contract must be determined under it. The liability here claimed grows out- of the claim that the bid be
The demurrer to the declaration should have been sustained, and declaration dismissed; and this order is directed to be made here. Reversed and dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Theodore D. Bratton v. Richard B. Howard
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Contracts. Negotiations merged. Building contracts. Where a building was erected and paid for under a written contract, the builder is not entitled to recover additional compensation because of anything in the previous negotiations, written or verbal, not embodied in the contract.