Opinion ID: 2227152
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: negligence in sales?

Text: Regarding the alleged cause of action for negligence, I am totally perplexed as to the pleader's basis for an action sounding in negligence. Koch bought the cattle in Oklahoma from divers persons at a sales ring. Laber then purchased the cattle from Koch. Is the pleader attempting to avoid pleading a cause of action in warranty or breach of contract? Now, indeed, if Koch was acting as an agent or broker for Laber, in dipping the cattle in Oklahoma and shipping them to South Dakota, perhaps the pleader has in mind a violation of some agency or brokerage agreement. The alleged improper dipping and shipping of the cattle very well could be an element of damage in fraud and deceit. However, Laber and Koch had a buyer-seller relationship or a principal-agent relationship and this alleged cause of action for negligence must hypothetically groove into some particular business relationship, per Laber's advocacy. Is Laber contending that Koch was negligent in selling cattle to him? If so, this is the birth of an innovative concept in the law of sales, I hazard. Under SDCL ch. 57A-2, the statutes pertaining to the law of sales permit no such recovery for negligence in purchasing goods from the seller. No perusal of the entire chapter will support such a theory. There are remedies such as breach of warranty, specific performance, fraud, rescission, replevy, and breach of contract. [1] To plead negligence, however, such as we have here, is off the conceptual wall. Negligence on wrongs, in sales, is not in the statutes. Plaintiff's pleading on negligence is skeleton like. It realleges all the cause of action on fraud and deceit. Then, the pith of the cause of action pleaded is as follows: That the Defendants were negligent in their care, transportation and selection of the livestock purchased by them to be sold and furnished to the Plaintiff, as aforesaid, which negligence was the proximate cause of some of the Plaintiff's cattle dying, others contracting Bangs disease, and others not being of proper weight at the time furnished to the Plaintiff. [2] It strikes me that there are dual or overlapping damages sought, for these allegations pertain to damages provable in the fraud and deceit count. Please note, immediately above, that the pleader for the plaintiff extends a charge of negligence to Koch in not only negligently dipping and transporting the livestock but also negligently purchasing the livestock. Therefore, was Koch acting as an agent for Laber; or, did Koch buy the cattle outright and then Laber buy the cattle from Koch? In this business relationship between Laber and Koch, after the purchase of the cattle in Oklahoma by Koch, a bailment might well have arisen. Under a bailment, Koch would have owed a duty to safely care for the cattle entrusted unto him. No bailment violation has been pleaded.