Opinion ID: 2187983
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: limitation of warranty and remedy

Text: Funk Seeds International warrants that the seeds are as described on the tag attached to the bag, subject to tolerances established by law. THE FOREGOING EXPRESS WARRANTY EXCLUDES ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTION THEREON. By acceptance and use of the seed, Buyer agrees that the Company's liability and the Buyer's exclusive remedy for breach of any warranty except those expressly provided herein shall be limited in all events to a return of the purchase price of the seed. Claims for defects in the seeds must be presented within a reasonable time after discovery. Legal actions shall be commenced within one year after date of discovery of defects. Crop yields and quality are due to so many causes and conditions beyond the Company's control that neither the Company nor the distributor or the dealer can warrant yield or quality and unless accepted on these terms, the Buyer shall return the seed in the original unopened container within fifteen days of purchase for a refund of the purchase price. This Limitation of Warranty and Remedy does not apply if prohibited by law. Funk Seeds International is a Company of CIBA-GEIGY Corporation. I have read and agreed that the LIMITATION OF WARRANTY AND REMEDY are a part of the terms of this sale. The Limitation of Warranty and Remedy provisions, minus the last paragraph, were also contained on a tag attached to each of the 55 bags of G-4507 delivered. On April 24, 1980, appellee began planting this seed in 130 acres designated as field No. 2. This process was completed on April 26, 1980. Field No. 1 had been planted two days prior to this time. Fields No. 3 and 4 were planted two days after. The seeds planted in these other fields were of the same hybrid (Missouri 17) but were from differing seed dealers. Each field was irrigated, of the same soil composition and fertility, all were within a two and one-half mile vicinity, and all received the same farming practices. The fields germinated properly but after coming up, field No. 2 was hit by a slight frost which left a few ice crystals. Appellee and Jay Parsons (appellee's neighbor and the Funk dealer who sold the seed in question) testified, however, that in their opinions, the corn crop was not damaged. Appellee began irrigating all four fields in mid-June of 1980. Thereafter, all the fields began pollinating and at the same time continued to pollinate. After pollination, appellee noticed that the Funk's field (No. 2) was much taller than the other fields, was spindly, and appeared to not produce any ears of corn on 40% to 60% of the stalks. Good ears of corn were grown in certain low areas of field No. 2 but many of the ears grown elsewhere in this field were either half barren or merely spotted with kernels. Appellee contacted Jay Parsons who again examined the Funk's field and noted its uniform lack of ear development. Parsons contacted Funk Seeds who sent their agronomist, Gordon Johnson, to examine the field on August 20, 1980. This examination revealed no disease, insects, insecticide, herbicide, mechanical injury, or fertilizer problems. The soil, however, had high fertility and sufficient water and appellee's other fields (planted with the same hybrid, at about the same time, and farmed under the same farming practices) did not experience these problems. Other corn fields in this area planted with G-4507 also did not experience such problems. On September 3, 1980, appellee began cutting the field for silage. During this process, the corn stalks turned white overnight and the few ears which were produced would fall off the stock. At trial, no direct evidence was presented as to the cause of field No. 2's problems or the nature of any defect which might have caused the problems. Appellee's case rested on circumstantial evidence. Expert witnesses for appellant Funk Seeds stated appellee's crop failure was due to heat stress and inadequate moisture during pollination. Notwithstanding, the jury returned a verdict for appellee and assessed damages at $26,253. The trial court entered judgment on this jury verdict. From this judgment, appellant now appeals. Appellant has framed five issues, whereas appellee has presented four issues. We distill these into four issues and address them seriatim.