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9 Barb. 402

Newcomb v. Cramer

New York Supreme Court

Decided September 2, 1850

New York Supreme Court · decided 1850-09-02

<p>In an action upon a note or contract for the payment of a specified sum, in wagons, the defense was that the wagons had been delivered by the defendants, according to the contract. It was proved that the plaintiffs immediately on seeing the wagons, wrote a letter to their attorneys, at the place where the defendants resided, declining to accept the wagons on the contract, pointing ont their defects, and suggesting a course for the defendants to adopt; and directing the attorneys to communicate it to the defendants, which they accordingly did. Held, that such letter was admissible in evidence, as being the notice by the plaintiffs of their non-acceptance of the wagons, and of their specific objections to them.</p> <p>Held also, that such letter being obviously intended to be shown to the defendants, and having been in fact read to them, it was not material that it was not addressed to them.</p> <p>What acts amount to an acceptance of articles attempted to be delivered in fulfillment of a written contract.</p> <p>Under a contract for the delivery of specific articles at a particular place, other than the residence of the promisee, it is the duty of the promiser, after making the delivery at that place, to notify the promisee thereof, without delay.</p> <p>Until such delivery and notice, the promisee is not in a condition to object to the quality of the articles; nor can the title pass.</p>

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently November 1885

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1850-09-02

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By the Court, Willard, J.

¶1As the charge of the judge is not set forth in the case, and was not objected to, we must presume that it fairly submitted the questions of fact. The weight of evidence as to the quality and value of the wagons, and as to whether the plaintiffs had in fact accepted them, was clearly with the plaintiffs, and warranted the verdict.

¶2The errors mainly complained of are, 1st. The reception in evidence of the letter of the plaintiffs to Mr. Thompson, dated April 23,1846. It was objected to because it was the acts or declarations of the plaintiffs themselves. The wagons were not received by the plaintiffs at their residence, in Troy, nor did they know of their existence till the opening of canal navigation, in April, 1846, and immediately on seeing them, they wrote the letter in question to Mr. Thompson, their attorney, declining to accept them on the contract, pointing out their defects, and suggesting a course for the defendants to adopt, and directing Mr. Thompson to communicate it to the defendants, which he accordingly did. This was undoubtedly admissible in evidence. It was the notice by the plaintiffs of their non-acceptance of the wagons, and of their specific objections to them. It is not material that it was not addressed to the defendants. It was obviously intended to be shown to them, and was read to them by Mr. Thompson.

¶3It is insisted in the next place, that the acts of the plaintiffs amounted to an acceptance of the wagons. If this be so, the verdict was of course wrong. The wagons, by the terms of the note, were deliverable at Comstock’s Landing the 27th January, 1846, to or for the plaintiffs. They were on that day delivered *406to Kellogg, at the Landing, and he gave a receipt to the defendants, saying that he had received the wagons in store for O. F. Thompson, consigned to the plaintiffs, Troy, N. Y. Kellogg had the only storehouse at Comstock’s Landing, which was 11 miles from Mr. Thompson’s, in Granville, and 64 from the plaintiffs’, in Troy. Mr. Thompson was not authorized by the plaintiffs to receive the wagons ; and there is no evidence that the latter were apprized of the delivery, until their arrival in Troy, in April following.

¶4Under a contract like this, it was the duty of the defendants, after making the delivery at the only storehouse at Comstock’s Landing, to notify the plaintiffs thereof, without delay. Until such delivery and notice to the plaintiffs, the latter were not in circumstances to object to the quality of the articles ; nor could the title pass. (See Wood v. Tassell, 6 Adol. & Ellis, N. S. 234; Story on Contracts, 801.) As Thompson was not the agent of the plaintiffs, his delivering up of the original note, was a nullity. He had no power to accept the wagons. Notice to him was not notice to the plaintiffs. The defendants knew that Thompson had no right to give up the note. Their obtaining possession of it, was a fraud upon the plaintiffs.

¶5The verdict and judgment were right; and the judgment should be affirmed.

¶6Judgment affirmed.

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