Southern Express Company v. Freeze

• Decision Date: 08 December 1919
• Docket Number: 42
• Citation: 216 S.W. 303,141 Ark. 161
• Parties: SOUTHERN EXPRESS COMPANY v. FREEZE
• Court: Arkansas Supreme Court

216 S.W. 303

141 Ark. 161

SOUTHERN EXPRESS COMPANY v. FREEZE

No. 42

Supreme Court of Arkansas

December 8, 1919

Appeal from Craighead Circuit Court, Jonesboro District; R. H Dudley, Judge; affirmed.

Judgment affirmed.

E. L Westbrook, for appellant.

Freeze had no authority to sue; delivery to the carrier was delivery to the consignee, and Freeze was not the consignee nor owner. 105 Ark. 53-57; 111 Id. 521; 118 Id. 17; 127 Id. 607; 115 Id. 221. Freeze was not the party in interest, and was not entitled to recover because of his carelessness in taking the word of a man in whose integrity he stated he had no confidence, and he was negligent in making the shipment.

Basil Baker and Horace Sloan, for appellee.

1. The appeal was not taken within six months after judgment. Kirby & Castle's Dig., § 1314.

2. The rule that delivery to the carrier is delivery to the consignee does not apply when no contract of sale existed under which title could pass. 10 C. J., p. 228, § 17; 63 Md. 179; 8 Cranch, 253; Ib. 354; 9 Id. 183.

3. The so-called negligence of Freeze in not calling up Gregory personally before shipment does not affect the liability of appellant. 134 N.Y. 62; 47 Ark. 335-9.

OPINION

SMITH J.

Appellee, who is in the meat business in Jonesboro, shipped by the appellant express company a consignment of meat to John Gregory at Truman, Arkansas, which was delivered to one V. E. Safley, who upon its receipt signed the name of Gregory by himself. It was shown at the trial from which this appeal was prosecuted that Gregory knew nothing of the shipment and gave Safley no authority either to receive it or to sign his name upon its receipt.

Judgment was rendered against the express company for the value of the meat, and a reversal of that judgment is asked here on two grounds: First, that appellee has no right to sue; and, second, the express company is absolved from liability for the misdelivery of the shipment because of appellee's negligence in making the shipment.

In opposition to appellee's right to maintain this suit cases are cited to the effect that the delivery of goods to a carrier for the purpose of shipment is a delivery to the consignee, and, on the authority of these cases, it is said that the title to this shipment passed out of the shipper upon its delivery to the express company. The cases cited are not in point here for the reason that the consignee disclaims any interest in or title to the shipment. If there was no sale, the title remained in the consignor.

The negligence of appellee is said to consist in shipping the goods without verifying Safley's authority to place the order for them. It appears that appellee had been making C. O. D. shipments of meat to Safley, who was not regarded by appellee as being entitled to credit. Safley called appellee over the 'phone and advised that he and Gregory had formed a copartnership and asked appellee if he would ship meats to this copartnership. Appellee advised that he would extend credit to Gregory and would ship meats to his order. Thereupon Safley ordered that the shipment in question be made to Gregory, and that was done. Gregory and Safley had not formed a copartnership, and had no business connections whatever except that Safley rented from Gregory the building in which he operated a butcher shop.

It is said that appellee was negligent in...