Court Opinion

ID: 9663626
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 23:45:34.950373+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:53.861173
License: Public Domain

*103On Petition for Rehearing.
STRUTZ, Judge.
A thirty-nine-page petition for rehearing has been filed by the plaintiff, in which it attempts to point out that the decision of the court in this case, in effect, rewrites a solemn contract entered into between the parties. The petition states that this court has, without just cause or legal reason, made ineffectual certain provisions of the contract which the parties entered into. It points out that the buyer had agreed in the contract that, should the seller assign the contract, the buyer would not set up any claims, defenses, setoffs, or counterclaims which he might have against the assignee, but would assert such claims against the seller only.
We believe this matter and' other matters raised in this petition were fully considered in the opinion which has been rendered in this case. We would add, however, that plaintiff’s contention that any defenses which the defendant had under the contract accrued immediately upon his signing the contract, and that therefore the provisions of Section 51-07-09 of the North Dakota Century Code would not be applicable, is clearly without merit. This section would be senseless if it were given the interpretation contended for by the plaintiff. As pointed out in our opinion, this section provides that a cause of action or a right of action arising out of the sale of personal property cannot be waived, released, or barred before such cause of action actually has accrued, “ * * * notwithstanding any terms or provisions of any contract or other written instrument to the contrary.” If we should adopt the plaintiff’s view and hold that, on the signing of the contract, the defendant’s cause of action accrued immediately and that his discovery of his right of action a few days later comes too late, the above provision would be absolutely meaningless. The terms of the statute are clear. Any cause of action arising out of the sale of personal property cannot be waived, released, or barred before such cause of action actually has accrued, notwithstanding any terms or provisions of the contract. If the defendant’s cause of action accrued immediately upon the signing of the contract, the enactment of the statute, “ * * * notwithstanding any terms or provisions of any contract or other written instrument to the contrary,” would be completely without effect.
The petitioner also states that there was no agreement that the law of North Dakota should apply in the interpretation of the contract in this case, which was a Colorado contract. The case was tried under North Dakota law. On oral argument in this court, both sides stated, in answer to inquiries by the court, that the case had been tried on the theory that the law of the forum applied, even though the contract was executed in Colorado. This being true, the plaintiff cannot now contend that the case should have been tried under Colorado law.
We adhere to our decision. The petition for rehearing is denied.
TEIGEN, C. J., and ERICKSTAD and KNUDSON, JJ., concur.
MURRAY, J., not being a member of the Court at the time of submission of this case, did not participate.