Lee v. Neumen
Lee v. Neumen
Opinion of the Court
This is an action in claim and delivery to recover possession of certain threshing machinery and other personal property. Special verdict and judgment in favor of defendants, and the plaintiff appeals. The action was based on a chattel mortgage given by the defendants to secure the payment of notes for about $2,600 given in payment of said threshing machinery. The defendants in their answer set up in substance, that the threshing machinery was purchased by the defendant Henry Neuman, and at the time the same was purchased the plaintiff was acting as the agent of Russell & Co., of whom the machinery was purchased. And the defendants in their answer claim that the engine was warranted to do certain work; that it failed to perform the work as warranted, and that
The plaintiff claims a reversal of the judgment on the following grounds: (1) That it appears upon the face of the record that all of the issues raised by the pleadings were not submitted to or passed upon by the jury. (2) That no defense had been pleaded or found as to a certain note for $250, the purchase price of one Massillon stacker, and that therefore the plaintiff was entitled to judgment on the pleadings for the personal property described in the mortgage. (3) That the court erred in overruling the plaintiff’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the special verdict of the jury. (4) That the court erred in rendering judgment that the defendants recover of the plaintiff their costs and disbursements. (5) That the court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion for a new trial. (6) That there is no' evidence to sustain or justify the second finding of the jury.
The question as to whether or not there was a rescission of the contract was left to the jury by the court- — not in terms, it is true, but as to the facts which would constitute a rescission. It will be noticed that, by the third interrogatory propounded to the jury, they are required to find whether or not there was any change in the agreement between the defendant and the plaintiff after he became the assignee of the mortgage and notes, and that the jury found that there was such a'change, and that under the agreement, as changed, the plaintiff agreed that, in case the machinery failed to comply with the warranty, he would send to the defendant’s farm and get
It is further contended on the part of the appellant that, by the terms of the original contract between the defendant Henry Neumen, and Russell & Co., it was stipulated that, if the defendant Neumen retained and used the property six days, that should be conclusive evidence that the machinery worked in accordance with the warranty, and that the evidence in this case shows conclusively that the said Neuman did use the engine for more than six days without making any complaint as to its condition; but this stipulation seems to have been modified by the agreement between the plaintiff and defendants made subsequently to the plaintiff becoming the owner of the notes and mortgage. We are of the opinion that it was perfectly competent for the plaintiff to waive this stipulation in the warranty after he became the owner of the notes and mortgage, ■ and, under the jury’s third finding, it is quite evident that he did so waive it.
The contention of the appellant that it appears that no defense has ever been pleaded or proved as to the $250 note, the purchase price of the Massillon stacker, does not seem to- be sustained by
Upon a careful examination of the whole record, we think the order of the court denying a new trial was clearly correct. The judgment of the circuit court and order denying a new trial are affirmed.
Reference
- Status
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- Syllabus
- 1. A certificate, executed by a buyer of machinery warranted to do a certain amount of work that the machinery was working satisfactorily up to date, did not preclude him from thereafter showing that he was mistaken, and that the machinery did not, in fact, comply with the warranty. 2. Where a buyer of warranted machinery, under an agreement stipulating that six days’ possession and use of the machinery should be conclusive evidence that it complied with the warranty, kept and used such machinery six days, it was competent for an assignee of the purchase money notes and the mortgage given to secure them to waive such stipulation, and agree to take back the machinery if it did not comply with the warranty. 3. Where, in an action of claim and delivery for the possession of machinery and other personal property claimed by plaintiff under a mortgage given by defendant to secure- the price of the machinery, it appeared that defendant was entitled to rescind the sale for breach of warranty, and, further, that he had not refused to surrender the machinery to plaintiff upon his demand at or about the time of the institution of the suit, costs were properly awarded against plaintiff. Fuller, J., dissenting.