Thompson v. Stone
Thompson v. Stone
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
In this action of assumpsit the plaintiffs sought to recover damages for the breach of a certain contract made in May, 1907, whereby the plaintiffs agreed to deliver, and the defendants agreed to accept and pay for, twenty-five cases of cambric at the price of seven and five-eighths cents per yard. A memorandum of the terms of the contract was made by the plaintiffs and delivered to the defendants, by which it appears that the goods were to be delivered in the following September, October, November and December, and that the defendants were to have sixty days after delivery for payment and were
The principal controversy arises out of what took place at a conference on the afternoon of February 10, 1908, between James Bryson, one of the plaintiffs, and Morris Stone, one of the defendants. The testimony on the subject was in conflict and the court submitted to the jury the determination of the question whether the version given by Bryson or that given by Stone was the correct one, but instructed them that if they found the latter to be correct their verdict should be for the defendants. It is important, therefore, to see what his version was. He says that he made the proposition that if the plaintiffs would extend the time to take the remaining cases of
Upon the question of the right to recover commissions on a resale, the learned judge instructed the jury that the proofs were insufficient to sustain the claim, and in that conclusion we concur.
• We have not gone into as full discussion of the case as might be warranted, because we think it is very clearly stated in the opinion of the learned judge refusing a new trial. We have endeavored to point out the reasons for our inability to agree with him as to the legal effect of the agreement entered into on February 10, 1908, assuming the defendants’ version of what took place in the afternoon of that date to be correct.
The judgment is reversed and a venire facias de novo is awarded.
Reference
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- Contracts — Cancellation—Sale—Evidence. 1. Parties to a contract, so long as it is executory, may at any time rescind it either in whole or in part by mutual consent, and the surrender of their mutual rights is sufficient consideration; but there can be no cancellation unless the intention of the parties be clearly shown. This may be by express agreement to that effeet, or it may be shown by the circumstances of the case. But it must be shown. 2. In an action for the breach of a contract to accept goods agreed, to be bought on monthly deliveries, it appeared that both parties waived strict compliance with the terms of the contract except in respect to the times of deliveries. After the time specified in the contract for the last delivery had expired for a considerable period the parties met. One of the defendants testified that at this meeting he made the proposition that if the plaintiffs would extend the time to take the remaining goods and permit the defendants to take them as their business would allow them to do, they, the defendants, would pay for them the prevailing prices in the market at the time the goods were delivered, and that plaintiffs assented to this proposition. There was evidence, that subsequently to the alleged supplemental agreement the defendants wrote to the plaintiffs that they considered the contract as canceled, and that if the plaintiffs wished to continue to do business they would have to submit them new samples .with prices. After some further correspondence the plaintiffs notified defendants that unless they took the remainder of the goods without further delay, they would sell them in the market and hold them for any loss. Subsequently the goods were sold, and suit was brought for the loss. The trial judge charged that if the defendants’ version of the transaction was a correct one, it was conclusive of the question of cancellation. Held, that the instruction was erroneous inasmuch as such evidence was only to be taken into consideration with all that had gone before and came afterwards upon the question whether the contract was rescinded by mutual agreement of the parties.