Phillip-Carey Co. v. Manes
Phillip-Carey Co. v. Manes
Opinion of the Court
Appellant and appellee entered into the following contract:
“Dr. O. B. Manes, Coleman, Texas — Dear Sir: We herewith offer to apply our Carey roofing on your buildings in course, of erection in Coleman, figured on a basis of 135 squares for the sum of $685.00. We further agree to guarantee'this roofing as applied by us for a period of ten years from date of application, against all imperfections of workmanship and material, provided you paint, or cause the roofing to be painted with our magnesia paint, four times during the term of this guarantee.
“We furthermore agree that the price of this paint shall not exceed 45$ per gallon, f. o. b. Dallas, Texas. These four paintings to be at isuch intervals, as will, in our judgment, best subserve the interest of the roofing. We furthermore agree to turn over to you at the end of ten years’ guarantee, a perfectly water-tight roof. We furthermore agree upon due notice in writing to correct any defect for which we are responsible within a reasonable time after such notice.
“The above price includes guttering and down spouts.
“Yours very truly,
“The Phillip-Carey Mfg. Co.,
“W. J. Meyersick, Manager, Dallas Branch.
“Accepted. O. B. Manes.
“Dated Oct. 15, 1906.”
Said contract was sent to appellee in an envelope with a letter giving reasons why appellant’s paint should be used instead of any other good paint, as had been suggested by appellee. After the roof had been used by appellee for about five years he brought this suit to recover the price paid for the same, together with amounts paid for repairing and painting, alleging that the value of the roof did not exceed the interest on the money paid by appellee, which he did not seek to recover. The case was submitted to a jury on special issues. Upon their findings that appellee paid appellant $685 for the roof, $100 for repairs, and $120 for painting same, that the material used in said roof was not such as was called for in the contract, and that the same was rotten and worthless when taken off, judgment was rendered for appellee for $905.
By proper bills of exception, motion for new trial, and assignments of error, appellant submits the proposition that the court erred in not submitting to the jury the question of the value of the roof as the same was constructed, and in refusing to submit this issue as requested by the appellant. We sustain the assignments of error presenting this issue. If the roof was not as guaranteed, but was not wholly worthless, appellee’s measure of damages was the difference between the value of same as constructed and the price that appellee paid for the same, with interest thereon to date of trial. If the roof was worthless, appellee was entitled to recover back the purchase price, together with any amount expended by him in attempting to repair and maintain said roof, which appeared to be reasonably necessary for such purpose, and which was so expended before he discovered that the same could not be made of value by repairing or painting same. The judge, in an explanation to a bill of exceptions as to his refusal to submit to the jury the issue of the value of the roof when constructed, said that he did not consider that such value exceeded the interest on the money paid by appellee for the roof. He may have been correct in his opinion on this matter, but this was a disputed issue of fact for the jury, and not the court, to pass upon.
For the reasons stated, the judgment of the trial court is reversed and this cause is remanded for a new trial.
Reversed and remanded.
On Motion for Rehearing.
Appellee did not allege that the roof was entirely worthless when constructed, but that it was comparatively worthless, and that it became utterly worthless in the course of four or five years, when the same was tom off, and that the value of the use of the roof did not exceed the interest on the money paid *160 therefor. While this issue was not submitted to the jury, and no request was made that it should be, it would be presumed that the court found upon such issue in favor of ap-pellee ; but this case does not rest upon such assumption, for the reason that the court, in qualifying the bills of exception to its refusal to peremptorily instruct the jury to return a verdict for the defendant, stated the allegations of the plaintiff as above set out, and in substance that he found the same to be true; that is to say, that he found that the use of the roof did not exceed in value the interest on the money. Such being the state of the record, we were in error in reversing this case on the ground that the issue as to the value of the roof at the time it was constructed was not submitted to the jury.
For the reasons stated, the motion for rehearing is granted, our former judgment reversing and remanding this case is set aside, and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
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