Opinion ID: 1185824
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: conflict in instructions

Text: Defendant contends that Instructions 25 and 29, which state in relevant part that the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the backhoe was not merchantable or was defective at the time the lease commenced, are an inaccurate statement of the law and are in direct conflict with Instruction 27, requested by defendant, which states that the implied warranty of merchantability attaches to the backhoe for each separate monthly term during which time the equipment lease agreement was in effect. There is an inconsistency between Instructions 25 and 29 and Instruction 27. However, in the present case there was only one lease and only one warranty of merchantability. There is no basis for defendant's argument that each month of the lease constituted a separate lease term which gave rise to a separate and new warranty of merchantability. The warranty of merchantability relates to the time of the sale, which in this case would be analogous to the date the lease commenced. White and Summers, Uniform Commercial Code (1972) at 272. The test to determine whether this Court will reverse for error in an instruction is whether in the absence of the alleged error, a more favorable result would have been obtained by the complaining party. Rowley v. Graven Brothers & Co., Inc., 26 Utah 2d 448, 491 P.2d 1209 (1971). The erroneous instruction given to the jury was more favorable to the defendant than the correct rule of law set forth in Instructions 25 and 29, and any prejudice caused thereby was in the defendant's favor and is not ground for reversal.