Court Opinion

ID: 9570413
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:22:58.789849+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:07:27.162000
License: Public Domain

Wright, J.
(dissenting) — I dissent.
I fully agree with that portion of the majority opinion which states that the act of storage for 3 months was not inconsistent with the ownership of the seller. It was well known by both parties that the units in question were to be installed in a building then under construction. Seller as well as buyer knew that the units would not be installed until the building had reached the proper stage of completion. It would have been uneconomical and would have exposed the units to unnecessary risk of damage to have unpacked them until just before installation. This is in accordance with the trial court’s finding of fact No. 5.
Upon the other issue, whether the installation constituted an acceptance by the buyer, I disagree with the majority. The units in question were not those ordered by the buyer, a change took place as a result of directions from the architect representing Pacific Lutheran University.
The buyer here installed the units which had been ordered by the architect. The architect and his employees were the only ones with authority to accept or reject the units. The purchase order contained the words: “Arranged to suit architect-engineer”. Testimony indicated those words referred to arrangement of the burners, the very matter upon which the units were rejected. I cannot agree with the statement of the majority
Inspection after installation by Mr. Bogue, the engineer, an agent of the architect who was in turn agent of the owner, Pacific Lutheran University, has no bearing on the acceptance by Chapman.
*680What is done must be viewed in the light of what is reasonable under the circumstances. Here the parties both knew the decision of the architect would be final as to acceptance or rejection of the units. Sloane v. State, 161 Wash. 414, 297 P. 194 (1931).
The testimony of Mr. Arnold Nicholson Bogue, a consulting engineer, employed by the architect as the mechanical engineer on the project, clearly shows that rejection of the units was for the reason they did not meet specifications. He said: “We felt they weren’t the quality of unit we specified.” At another point he explained the units would be hard to keep sanitary, and were not finished as specified.
The parties may contract as to the time and place of inspection. National Grocery Co. v. Pratt-Low Preserving Co., 170 Wash. 575, 17 P.2d 51 (1932). Contract terms may result from an express or implied contract or from the conduct of the parties or from the customs of the trade. RCW 63.04.720. Here the conduct of the parties as well as the custom of the trade clearly indicated an intention that the decision of the architect and of his agent, the mechanical engineer, would be the controlling decision as to acceptance or rejection of the units.
The buyer acted promptly to notify seller’s agent upon being informed by the engineer of the rejection. The buyer attempted to telephone Mx. Henry Love, agent for Cervitor Kitchens, Inc., immediately upon receiving oral notice of rejection from Mr. Bogue, even before receiving the formal letter of rejection. After 2 days of effort he located Mr. Bogue in San Francisco and notified him of the rejection and then promptly furnished a copy of the letter of rejection.
It was said in Pedrini v. Mid-City Trailer Depot, Inc., 1 Wn. App. 56, 59, 459 P.2d 76 (1969):
“Diligence in rescission is a relative question, and whether or not there has been an unreasonable delay in a given case depends upon the particular circumstances of that case.” Eliason v. Walker, 42 Wn.2d 473, 477, 256 P.2d 298, 300 (1953).
*681In this connection, it must be remembered that the entire construction project was under a rigid time schedule. Each contractor was required to do his part of the work promptly in order to avoid delay to other parts of the work. Under all of the circumstances, I believe buyer acted reasonably in this matter. I would affirm the trial court.
Rosellini and Hunter, JJ., concur with Wright, J.