National Metal Edge Box Co. v. American Metal Edge Box Co.
National Metal Edge Box Co. v. American Metal Edge Box Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
This is an appeal from the refusal of the court below to enter judgment for plaintiff, for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense. The docket entries are not printed, but it is stated that the action is in assumpsit. In the statement of claim, it is averred that plaintiff is a corporation engaged in the manufacture of straw board boxes bound with metal edges, and defendant is a corporation engaged in the business of punching flat wire and thereby making it available as metal strips; that at various dates in 1911 plaintiff bought, paid for, and caused to be delivered to defendant at its factory in Montrose, Pa., flat wire to the amount of 24,009 pounds; that plaintiff delivered the wire to defendant solely for the purpose of being punched and made available as metal strips for plaintiff, and that defendant agreed to punch the same and immediately thereafter to return it to plaintiff so punched, for a certain price, which plaintiff agreed to pay; that defendant punched the wire, but in violation of its agreement, failed to return any part of it to plaintiff, but sold and delivered it to various persons, and received in payment various sums of money, aggregating at least $2,071.83, which was a fair and reasonable market price for the wire; that plaintiff protested against defendant’s action in the premises, and defendant stated that it would pay the plaintiff the exact cost of the wire, which was $2,071.83, or else would order similar metal wire, and return the exact quantity to
It is suggested by counsel for appellee, that the court below is the best judge of its own rules; that principle is, of course, recognized and accepted, but there is nothing in this record to show that the court below, under
We agree with the contention of counsel for appellant, that the claim of “set-off” made in the suit in the Federal Court, cannot in any proper sense be regarded as a bar to the maintenance by the plaintiff of its claim in the present action; the numerous authorities which they cite in support of their argument fully sustain their position. See Filbert v. Hawk, 8 Watts 443; Stroh v. Uhrich, 1 W. & S. 57; Russell v. Miller, 54 Pa. 154; Gilmore v. Reed, 76 Pa. 462; Somerset Colliery Co. v. John, 219 Pa. 380; Cochran v. Cutter, 18 Pa. Superior Ct. 282; Snyder v. Lingo, 30 Pa. Superior Ct. 651. Counsel for appellee cite the case of Penna. R. R. Co. v. Davenport, 154 Pa. 111, as authority for the contrary view. That decision is not to be extended in any way beyond its own specific facts. It cannot be held to overrule the sound principle, supported by abundant authority, that the mere pendency of a suit upon a claim, will not prevent the same claim from being used as a set-off in another action; or vice versa, that the introduction of a claim as a set-off in one action, will not create a bar to a suit in another court, in a direct action upon the same claim.
The assignments of error are sustained, the action of the court below in discharging the rule for judgment, is reversed, and judgment is here entered for plaintiff in the sum of $2,071.83, with interest from December 1, 1911.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- National Metal Edge Box Company v. American Metal Edge Box Company
- Cited By
- 6 cases
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- Syllabus
- Affidavit of defense — Sufficiency—Contracts—Implied contract —Lis Pendens — State and Federal Courts — Judgment for plaintiff. 1. The mere pendency of a suit upon a claim will not prevent the same claim from being used as a set-off in another action, and vice versa, the introduction of a claim as a set-off in one action, will not create a bar to a suit in another court in a direct action upon the same claim. 2. A statement of claim alleged that defendant was a corporation engaged in the business of punching flat wire to make it available as metal strips for the edges of strawboard boxes; that plaintiff had delivered wire to defendant to be punched, which defendant agreed to punch and return immediately thereafter to plaintiff for a certain price; that defendant punched the wire, but in violation of its agreement, sold the same and received sums aggregating $2,071.83 in payment therefor, which was the reasonable market price thereof; that defendant stated that it would pay plaintiff said sum or would return the exact quantity of wire to plaintiff which plaintiff had delivered to defendant, but that defendant had done neither; that defendant received said sum for the use of plaintiff and was bound to pay said sum to plaintiff but refused so to do. The affidavit of defense failed either to admit or deny many averments of the statement and alleged that the statement of claim was defective, because it did not state whether the contract was oral, written or implied, as required by a rule of court, although it appeared from facts averred that it was implied; and that there was pending a suit in equity to enjoin plaintiff’s alleged infringement of a patent instituted by defendant in aFederal Court wherein plaintiff claimed damages for the conversion of such wire by way of set-off which was a bar to the action. The lower court discharged a rule for judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense without filing an opinion so that it did not appear that the court based its action upon a construction of its own rule. Held, that the affidavit of defense was insufficient, and judgment should have been entered for the plaintiff.