Baird v. Western Union Tel. Co.
Baird v. Western Union Tel. Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court w&s delivered by
This is an appeal from ‘an order overruling a demurrer to the 'complaint, and refusing to strike out certain allegations thereof, to wit, those that are italicized in the foil-lowing copy of the complaint:
I. “That 'the defendant is a corporation; duly organized and chartered under the laws of one of the States of the United States, which State is unknloiwn to plaintiff.
II. “That the defendant carries on a telegraph -business in the States of South' Carolina and North Carolina, transporting and transmitting messages from] one place to- another for hire.
III. “That on November 11, 1903-, at Winston-Sal'emi, N. C., a telegram! of the following tenor and -words -was delivered to the defendant -and' 'charges prepaid thereon, for transmission and delivery to the plaintiff at Dlarlington, S. C.:
*312 “ ‘Winston-Salem, N. C., Nov. 11th. H'. S. Baird, Darlington, S'. C. Draw on tibisi bank with 'Coleman’s check attached. People’s National Bank.’
“But in utter disregard of plaintiff’s' rights the defendant carelessly, willfully, negligently and recklessly changed the said telegram as fallows:
“ ‘Winston-Salem, N. C., Now. 11th. H'. S. Baird, Darlington, S. C. Drawl on this bank with 'Cbiennan’s check attached. John Coleman.’
IV. “Thai the plaintiff was pt the times herein mentioned, and is now, engaged in the insurance business as agent far several companies at Darlington, S. C., and acting in Ms capacity as such, he issued insurance ta John Coleman in large amounts on tobacco, wMcli the said Coleman had stored in Darlington. That pt the time above-mentioned there was due as premiums on the said insurance from John Coleman to the plaintiff the sum of four hundred thirty-two md 5-100 dollars, and on October 28, 1903', the said John 'Coleman gave to the plaintiff a check on the Peoples National Bank, Winston, N. C., for the sum of four hundred thirty-two and 5-100 dollars, in settlement of the premiums then due, which said Check was duly deposited in the People's Bank at Darlington, S. C., for collection, and wias presented! to the Peoples National Bank of Winston-Salem far payment, hut was returned1 to plaintiff unpaid.
V. “That thereupon on November 11, 1903, as above set forth, the Peoples National Bank of Winsitou-S'alemi, N. C., telegraphed the plaintiff as set forth above, which telegram, if it had been delivered in its proper form, would have instructed plaintiff wHat disposition to make of the returned check, and plaintiff would thereby have collected the amount of said check, but the defendant having carelessly, wilfully, negligently and recklessly changed said 'telegram and delivered it in its changed condition, plaintiff was not instructed thereby, and could not pay proper attention to it, and the Peoples National Bank of Winston^Sblemi paid out the money then in its hands to pay this check, and when the *313 plaintiff drew on said bank later, to wit, November 20, 1903, his draft was returned unpaid' and' this plaintiff thereby lost the sum of money aforesaid.
VI. “That on account of the carelessness, wilfulness, recklessness and negligence of the defendant above set forth, this plaintiff has been -financially embarrassed, has had to allozo matters to remain long overdue against him, and has been injured in his credit and in Ms -financial standing, and humiliated, and' has been damaged thereby in the sum of nineteen hundred cmd fifty dollars.”
iWe will first consider whether there was error in refusing to strike out said allegations on the ground that they were irrelevant and redundant.
The italicized allegations of the complaint do not contain material facts constituting grounds of relief and should have been struck out.
The grounds of demurrer were as follows:
*314
■Second. “Because it appears- on the face- of the complaint that the Peoples National Bank of Wi-nston-Sdlenr, by sending- the telegram in question, assumed no obligation to pay plaintiff’s draft when presented, and the telegram in .its- correct form did not 'give notice to the telegraph company that tíre said hank had! assumed such obligations.”
The plaintiff did not draw on' -the Peoples National Bank, for the reason that the telegram Was not transmitted as presented, and tire allegations show that the failure to transmit correotilly caused him pecuniary loss to the amount of the Check.
It is the judgment of this Court, that the order of the Circuit Court be modified in the particulars herein mentioned.
Dissenting Opinion
These allegations set up special consequential damages. Damages- beyond the amlount of the 'check cam not be recovered, because there was no notice on the face of the telegram, or otherwise, that anything, more than the amount of tire check was involved in prompt and accurate transmission of the message. Mood v. Tel. Co., 40 S. C., 524, 19 S. E., 67; Capers v. Tel. Co., 71 S. C., 29, 50 S. E., 537; Jones v. Tel. Co., 70 S. C., 540, 50 S. E., 198; Rogers v. Tel. Co., *315 72 S. C., 290, 51 S. E., 773; Key v. Tel. Co., 76 S. C., 301; Traywick v. Ry. Co., 71 S. C., 82, 50 S. E., 549; Wesner, etc., Co. v. R. R. Co., 71 S. C., 211, 50 S. E., 789; Wehman v. Ry. Co., 74 S. C., 286; McKerall v. R. R. Co., 76 S. C., 338.
The allegation as to the plaintiff’s humiliation is irrelevant because the plaintiff can not recover damages for mental anguish for failure to transmit properly a business message. Capers v. Tel. Co., 71 S. C., 29, 50 S. E., 537.
1 am unable to' discern any good reason for striking out the italicized portion of the fifth paragraph of the complaint. It was by no means unimportant for the plaintiff to allege, if the telegram' had been correctly transmitted it would have instructed him what disposition to malee of the draft, and thus would have enabled himi to collect the debt represented .by the draft. 'Indeed, without some allegation that the draft would have been presented and plaid, the 'complaint wlould have been fatally defective, for there would have been no damage to the plaintiff growing out of the mistake in the telegram, unless such mistake prevented the collection of the draft. Wallace v. R. R. Co., 34 S. C., 62; 12 S. E., 815; Capers v. Tel. Co., supra.
No opinion is expressed as toi what would be the measure of the plaintiff’s -damages, if any, in the event i-t should appear the -bank was legally bound to- pay the draft, when it was -actually presented notwithstanding the delay. The -demurrer does not raise that question but, on .the -contrary, rests on the proposition that the bank Was never legally liable to pay th-e draft.
In only opinion- the mot-ion to strike out should be -granted so far as it relates to the fourth and sixth- paragraphs of the -complaint, and denied so far as it relates to the fifth paragraph; and the demurrer should be overruled.
Reference
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