Lawrence v. Cananea Consol. Copper Co., S. A.
Lawrence v. Cananea Consol. Copper Co., S. A.
Opinion of the Court
Appellee Cananea Consolidated Copper Company, S. A., a corporation engaged in mining and mercantile business in Mexico, and operating stores under the name of “Cananea Stores,” brought this suit on March 24, 1917, against C. H. Lawrence, D. T. White, and John H. Grant, the last-named two composing the partnership of White-Grant Company to recover $514.32, with interest from November 29, 1913. Appellee sued in the alternative that, if White-Grant Company were not agents of *960 Lawrence* but were acting for themselves, appellee have judgment for said amount against White-Grant Company.
The pleading and evidence are quite voluminous, but the material facts pleaded and shown in the evidence amount, substantially, to the following: In November, 1913, C. H. Lawrence was a wholesale grocer, and doing business as such in El Paso, Tex., and bought and sold sugar. White-Grant Company were merchandise brokers, and acting as such in selling sugar. The following correspondence by letter and telegrams passed between appellant and White-Grant Company:
“October 31, 1913.
“White-Grant Co., El Paso, Texas — Dear Sirs: Please quote us on 2:,000' sacks German cube sugar, f. o. b. New Orleans in bond, or in transit New Orleans, that can be diverted before reaching El Paso. ,
“Yours truly, Cananea Stores.”
White-Grant Company replied by telegram as follows:
“Nov. 3d, 1913.
“Agent The Cananea Stores: Answering letter thirty-first can secure two thousand - bags German cubes at three ninety to arrive here in about ten days. Can divert on New Orleans. Lawrence has only three thousand bags coming in this lot. Can you use it all. Last in sight for some time. White-Grant Co.”
Again:
“El Paso, Texas, Nov. 3, 1913.
“Agent Cananea Stores, Naco, Arizona. Referring to day’s lettergram reduce our quotation to three eighty eight. Want the business. Explaining change in price by letter.
“White-Grant Company.”
Again, telegram (date not given):
“White-Grant Co., El Paso, Texas. Accept offer for three thousand bags. Advise by wire if each can come forward on separate bond before making diversion of entire shipment.
“Cananea Stores.”
Again, a letter:
“The Cananea Stores Department of the Can-anea Consolidated Copper Co., S. A., Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.
“Nor. 4th, 1913,
“Purchase Order. (Quote this in invoice.) No. 24401.
“The White-Grant Co., El Paso, Texas: Please forward by freight the following (subject to the instructions printed on the back of this order) confirming our wire of this date through Naco, Arizona: 3,000 bags German cube sugar, at $3.88, f. o. b. El Paso, cars to be diverted before reaching El Paso, giving us the benefit of through rate from New Orleans. Freight allowance New Orleans to El Paso to be allowed on, invoice. Mail to us at Cananea the original and duplicate invoice and the bills of lading. Mail to Brokerage Department, S. P. de M. to Cananea. Unless you can accept the conditions of our instructions, please return this order to us promptly, unfilled.
“Cananea' Stores.”
On the reverse side of the letter were instructions relative to the method of making the invoices.
Plaintiff alleged that, pursuant to the above contract, defendants delivered to it six cars of sugar, for the value of which defendants, through C. H. Lawrence, drew six drafts, aggregating the sum of $10,129.86, on the Cananea Stores, payable to the State National Bank of El Paso, with bills of lading and invoices on said goods attached, and that, in order to receive said goods when same arrived at Cananea, it was compelled to take up and pay said drafts. It was alleged that, instead of paying all the freight on said sugar in exceás of the freight on same from El Paso, Tex., to Cananea, as agreed, defendants shipped the same to plaintiff, and failed to pay the advance charges of freight on said goods, chargeable against said goods, which freight was due on said goods prior to the time it arrived in New Orleans, said sugar having originated in -shipment from Germany, and that, upon its arrival at Cana-nea, plaintiff was charged by the railroad with said advance freight, and that same had to be paid by plaintiff before it could receive .same, even after the payment of said drafts, which said excess charges amounted to $502.-32. Plaintiff also alleged demurrage charges of $12 resulted through failure of defendants to promptly forward the invoices and bills of lading.
Plaintiff further alleged a shortage of five sacks of sugar, the value of which, with the duty and freight, amounted to $29.80. Plaintiff alleged, in the alternative, that, if White-Grant Company were merely the agents of Lawrence in the sale of the sugar, it prayed judgment against Lawrence.
Lawrence answered by exceptions, general denial, that the telegrams, letters, and writings pleaded by plaintiff were not signed or accepted by him or by any one for him, that he was in no way connected with the same, denied that he ever agreed to repay the sums of money which plaintiff had paid out, denied that he ever authorized White-Grant Company to act for him in the transaction or in any manner to bind him, and denied that he or his codefendants knew of the prior freight or advance charges prior to and at the time of the sale of the sugar, and denied liability for same. He pleaded the statute of limitation of two years.
White-Grant Company answered by special exceptions, general denial, and alleged that they were acting merely as brokers for Lawrence, and quoted the prices of the sugar to plaintiffs as such brokers with the authority and consent and at the instance and request of Lawrence; that Lawrence received the entire consideration paid by plaintiff, and paid them only brokerage charges; pleaded that Lawrence acted upon and accepted their services, ratified and confirmed their acts, re- *961 ceiye the benefit, and is estopped to deny their authority to act
The case was tried with a jury, and submitted on special issues. The jury found:
Eirst. That Lawrence placed the sale of the sugar involved in this suit with the White-Grant Company.
Second. That Lawrence held out the White-Grant Company as his agents in the sale of the sugar to the Cananea Stores.
Third. That Lawrence, after White-Grant Company, made the sale of the sugar in question to the Cananea Stores, knew of the terms and conditions of the sale at the time he drew the drafts on the purchaser and forwarded the bills of lading and invoices to the Cananea Stores.
Eourth. The amount of the advances and charges accruing before the arrival of the sugar at El Paso, over and above the railroad freight to El Paso, and paid by the plaintiff, was $500.-70.
The court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff and against Lawrence for $710.99, with interest from the date of the judgment, January 20, 1921, and costs. Judgment was entered for White-Grant Company that they go hence without day and recover their costs of plaintiff. Lawrence prosecutes this appeal.
The propositions presented and discussed by appellant, of voluntary payment of the advance freight charges on the sugar before same reached El Paso, either as to pleading or proof, have no application to the facts here. There was simply a breach of appellant’s contract to deliver the sugar f. o. b. cars El Paso. Ehrenberg v. Guerrero, 225 S. W. 86, and eases cited.
It seems to us that it was immaterial what the ocean rate was, or appellant’s knowledge of the ocean rate. As we construe the contract of sale of the sugar, and under the facts found by the jury, Lawrence was liable to appellee for the unpaid advance or ocean freight, whatever it was, or whether Lawrence had knowledge of it or not. The matters stated in the letter made no reference to any issue submitted, and, evidently, did not influence the jury in any of their findings or the court in the judgment rendered. If the admission of the letter was error it was not reversible error.
The court was not in error in not excluding all of the evidence offered as submitted by appellant in some of the assignments and the propositions thereunder.
The court was not in error in refusing to strike out, on motion of appellant, certain allegations of White and Grant in their answer alleging that they were acting as brokers for Lawrence in the sale of .the sugar to appellee. The facts pleaded by them were issuable facts and provable on the trial.
Finding no reversible error, the case i* affirmed.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- LAWRENCE v. CANANEA CONSOL. COPPER CO., S. A., Et Al.
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published