Dunn v. Pittsburg Jewelry Manufacturing Co.
Dunn v. Pittsburg Jewelry Manufacturing Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
In this action of assumpsit for the price of goods sold and delivered, it is not disputed that plaintiff’s declaration was sufficient and it called for an affidavit of defense. Upon rule and argument, the court below held the affidavit insufficient and' refused to permit a supplemental affidavit to be filed because the defendant’s counsel failed to comply with the rule and order of the court upon that subject. The sole question for determination is raised by the single specification of error: “That the court erred in making absolute the rule for judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense.”
The plaintiff’s claim was for goods sold and delivered
The above comprises substantially all- of the affidavit of defense and we quite agree with the court below that it is insufficient to prevent judgment under the rule found in Gould v. Gage, 118 Pa. 559; Ogden v. Beatty, 137 Pa. 197; Weed v. Weinberger, 12 Pa. Superior Ct. 12; American Watch Tool Co. v. Reed Mfg. Co., 18 Pa. Superior Ct. 24. In the first place the allegation of a warranty is very doubtful and the affidavit is evasive and uncertain in respect of the goods alleged to have been warranted. It is not clear that the alleged warranty applied to any goods except those purchased on September 5, 1907. The language of the alleged warranty is not clearly stated, nor does it appear whether it was written or verbal.
“The mere averment of a warranty, without more, as we said in Kaufman v. Cooper Iron Mining Co., 105 Pa. 537, is bad; the affidavit should disclose whether it was express or implied, set forth its terms, and state when, by whom, and by what authority it was made:” Gould v. Gage, 118 Pa. 559. To the same effect is Dailey v. Green, 15 Pa. 118; Genesee Paper Co. v. Bogert, 23 Pa. Superior Ct. 23.
The averment that immediately upon discovering the inferiority of said chains defendant notified plaintiff thereof, etc., is insufficient. The defendant was bound to show that it had exercised its right to rescind the pur
The defendant’s averment that it has in its possession in a blackened and tarnished condition chains invoicing about $500 and customers are still continuing to return the same to defendant’s almost daily, is vague and confusing. The plaintiff only claimed for $390.40 worth of goods sold and delivered to the defendant which had neither been returned nor paid for. But the affidavit avers that the defendant has in its possession $500 worth of chains purchased from the plaintiff and the affidavit discloses that there were chains still in the hands of defendant’s customers. These facts, we think, strongly indicate that the defendant received the plaintiff’s goods from time to time for a period extending from September 5, 1907, to May 4, 1908, and during all that time sales were being made from that stock and chains being returned to defendant, and this negatives the idea that there is any merit in defendant’s averment that plaintiff was notified of the inferiority of the chains and an offer made to return the same and that said chains are still at defendant’s place of business. How many of them are
In the present case it is very apparent, from the affidavit of defense, that the defendant was not at any time in a position to rescind the purchase and return the goods, because portions of the chains had been sold to defendant’s customers and the evasive language used warrants the inference that at no time was the defendant in a position to rescind the contract and return all of the goods. Therefore, the defendant stood in the position of the defendant in Ogden v. Beatty and was bound to file an affidavit of defense that would meet the requirements of the rule therein stated.
The specification of error is overruled and the judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Dunn v. Pittsburg Jewelry Manufacturing Company
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Affidavit of defense — Practice, C. P. — Warranty. 1. In. an action to recover for a large number of articles of jewelry sold and delivered, an affidavit of defense is insufficient which alleges a warranty, but does not show whether the warranty was written or verbal, and which is evasive and uncertain in respect of the goods alleged to have been warranted. 2. Such an affidavit is also insufficient which avers that the defendant immediately upon discovering the inferiority of the goods notified plaintiff thereof. The defendant is bound to show that he exercised the right to rescind within a reasonable time, and he must therefore set out sufficient facts to show the court what was the actual time at which he gave the notice of rescission. 3. Such an affidavit is also fatally defective if it furnishes no basis whatever for assessing the damages suffered by the defendant on account of the inferiority of the goods.