Hyman v. . Broughton

Supreme Court of North Carolina
Hyman v. . Broughton, 147 S.E. 434 (N.C. 1929)
197 N.C. 1; 1929 N.C. LEXIS 126
Brogden

Hyman v. . Broughton

Opinion of the Court

Brogden, J.

The defendant in bis counterclaim or cross-action does not allege or offer evidence tending to show that notice was given to the vendor as required by the written warranty, but the defendant says that this principle does not apply because the property was utterly worthless and that be attempted to offer competent evidence to that effect, which was erroneously excluded by the court. This aspect of the case is governed by the principle declared in Swift v. Aydlett, 192 N. C., 330, 135 S. E., 141. “It ought not and cannot be held as law that a vendor who has sold a well-known article which has value only for a definite, specific purpose, by implication of law, warrants that the article delivered is the article sold, and may in the contract of sale stipulate that be shall be relieved of bis obligation to deliver the very article which be has agreed to deliver in performance of bis contractual obligation.” In other words, if a vendor contracts to sell a gin, be cannot receive the purchase money for a gin and deliver junk. Such transaction would result in a total failure of consideration for the note evidencing the purchase price. Of course, in the absence of fraud, the defendant cannot recover upon bis counterclaim in the light of the facts presented in the record, merely because the gin was of poorer quality of workmanship than be anticipated. His right to recover upon the record as now presented depends *4 entirely upon the application of the principles of law announced in the Aydlett case, supra, and the case of Furniture Co. v. Mfg. Co., 169 N. C., 41, 85 S. E., 35.

The evidence of the worthlessness of the property or total failure of consideration of the note sued on should have been submitted to the jury with proper instructions from the court. Failure to do so constituted error, and a new trial is awarded.

New trial.

Reference

Full Case Name
T. G. Hyman v. N. L. Broughton.
Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published