Koolbergen v. Yates
Koolbergen v. Yates
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The plaintiffs are nurserymen and brought this action to recover the prices of certain shrubs and plants alleged in the statement to have been sold and delivered to the defendants, upon an express contract to pay for them at the prices stated. The defendants filed an affidavit of defense as to a part of the claim, which the court below held to be insufficient and made absolute a rule for judgment for the whole amount of plaintiffs’ demand. The defendants appeal from that order.
The allegations of defense can be most satisfactorily stated separately as to the items above mentioned. The only objection to the first two items, for “Box Bush,” stated in the affidavit of defense is that the plants were not of the height averred in the statement, which height the contract required them to be. The plants had been received by the defendants in October, 1910, and they had at that time paid the duty and ocean freight. They had retained and used the plants and, so far as the record indicates, the first complaint that they had ever made as to the size of the plants was when they filed this affidavit, in March, 1912.- The size of the plants was a matter that wouíd become evident as soon as the defendants received them and they were at that time required to inspect the goods. The duty was upon the defendants, after a reasonable time for inspection, to either accept or reject the goods, and, if they rejected, to promptly notify the plaintiffs: Tete Bros. v. Eshler, 11 Pa. Superior Ct. 224; Krauskopf v. Yarn Finishing Co., 26 Pa. Superior Ct. 506. The learned judge of the court below was clearly right in holding that the defendants having retained the “Box Bush” for so long a time without complaint, must pay for that item according to contract.
With regard tp the “Cupresses Erecta Virides,” for which $25.00 is claimed, an entirely different question is presented. The affidavit distinctly averred that, at the time the order was given the defendants informed the plaintiffs that they were not familiar with this particular variety of plant, “and if they were hardy in the American climate they would order 100 of them; whereupon the plaintiffs in order to induce affiant to give said order
With regard to the charge of $27.50 for 250 “Conifers Alumi,” the affidavit of defense avers “that the variety of plants delivered by the plaintiffs to the defendants was not Conifers Alumi, the variety ordered, but that said plants were of a different variety; that Conifers Alumi, the variety ordered, were a hardy plant; that the variety delivered was not hardy; that the variety delivered received all proper care and attention; but solely because of the fact that they were not of the variety or
With regard to the two items amounting to $70.00 for 140 lilacs the affidavit averred that no order was ever given by the defendants or either of them, directly or indirectly for said lilacs, and that the plaintiffs had no authority whatever to charge the defendants for the same. The affidavit contained the following explanation aas to the manner in which the lilacs came into the possession of the defendants: “Upon the arrival of said lilacs in this country, the defendants notified John Dunn, Jr., who was acting as plaintiffs’ agent, that the defendants had not ordered said lilacs; said Dunn requested the defendants to receive said plants and make the best use of them they could; solely at this request of said Dunn, acting as agent of said plaintiffs, the defendants received said lilacs, paid the duty, ocean freight and charges on same amounting to $50.94; and gave said plants proper care and attention; sold the cut flowers therefrom at full market value, for which the defendants received not over the sum of $50.00, which amount they had already paid out in paying duty, ocean freight and other charges on same. The defendants, therefore, aver that they are not
The judgment is reversed with a procedendo.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.