Court Opinion

ID: 9663180
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 23:30:44.264684+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:46.357081
License: Public Domain

Clinton, J.,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent because the majority opinion does not confront the issues raised on the appeal. An understanding of all the issues may be obtained by referring to the original opinion and dissent. Diesel Service, Inc. v. Accessory Sales, Inc., 205 Neb. 381, 288 N.W.2d 258 (1980).
On the first appeal of this case the majority opinion held that because Accessory kept its ledger on the Diesel Service account on an “open account” basis, the question of whether Diesel Service was delinquent under the contractual provisions permitting termination of the contract was to be determined by regarding the sales and payments to have been made on the basis of an open account. The evidence at the first trial was that Diesel Service was delinquent when delinquency was computed on an invoice-by-invoice basis. There was no evidence at the first trial as to whether Diesel Service was delinquent if computations were made on the basis of an open account.
This court interpreted the contract and remanded for a new trial. At the retrial, Accessory introduced evidence, which was not contradicted, showing Diesel Service was delinquent even when payments were applied on an open account basis.
On this appeal Accessory complains because the trial court at the second trial instructed the jury as follows: “IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN PREVIOUS PROCEEDINGS IN THIS CASE THAT PLAINTIFF WAS NOT IN DEFAULT ON MARCH 28, 1975 AND THAT DEFENDANT HAD NO RIGHT TO *810ATTEMPT TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT BECAUSE OF PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGED DEFAULT.” It contends that the jury should have been permitted to decide whether Diesel Service was delinquent when the open account method is applied.
Accessory relies upon the following principles. The doctrine of law of the case has no application where evidence upon a material point which is lacking at the first trial is produced at the second trial. Master Laboratories, Inc. v. Chesnut, 157 Neb. 317, 59 N.W.2d 571 (1953). The phrase “reversed and remanded for a new trial” is a general remand and the parties stand in the same position as if the case had never been tried. Master Laboratories, Inc. v. Chesnut, supra. I agree with the appellant. Under the above principles, the language of the majority opinion in the first case pertaining to direction of a verdict on the issue of delinquency would apply as the law of the case only where the evidence on the issue on retrial was the same as on the first trial. In this case it was not. This is a law action. On appeal we do not decide the facts. The trial court should have submitted to the jury the issue of delinquency of the account and Accessory’s right to terminate in accordance with the terms of the contract. If Accessory had the right under the contract to terminate, then cancellation could not give rise to any liability on its part. Hompes v. Goodrich Co., 137 Neb. 84, 288 N.W. 367 (1939).
I would reverse and remand for a new trial.