80 So. 378 | Miss. | 1918
delivered the opinion of the court.
This is a suit by the National Cash Register Company in replevin for a machine or cash register sold
Prior to the institution of this suit the appellant had filed a suit against the appellee in the circuit court for the full amount of the purchase money because of a default in payment, and trial was had in the circuit court, in which the defendant defended upon the ground that the cash' register sold him would not do the work it was purchased to do, and that the défects were not discoverable except by use, and on discovering the defects the defendant had notified the company of the defects and elected to rescind the sale, and had tendered the cash register to the appellant. The jury in that case found for the defendant, and no appeal appears to have been taken from that judgment. Thereafter this suit was instituted in replevin, and the defendant declined to surrender the cash register until the register company had repaid to the defendant the sum of two hundred and thirty-five dollars which he had made as payments on the cash register; a part being in cash at the time of the purchase and some payments after receipt of the cash register. The defendant in this suit also defended on the ground that he was entitled to a common-law lien on the cash
We think that the judgment in the first suit established the fact that there was no sale made and that the defendant had rescinded and tendered back the cash register in question. We think that the clause in the contract set out above reciting that the payments made should be retained as rent for the use of the cash register does not apply in a ease where the cash register is deféctive and does not come up to representations. This clause would only become applicable in case the cash' register was as represented and was retained by the defendant under conditions where the plaintiff or seller had complied with his part of the contract. We think, however, that there was no common-law or other lien upon the cash register in favor of the buyer. To disaffirm or rescind the contract for misrepresentátion the buyer- would have to tender the cash register back to the seller, and he could enter suit
The only method of acquiring a lien upon the property in cases of this kind that has been called to our attention, or that we have, found upon careful investigation, is one created by attachment. There was, however, no attachment in the present suit and no action by the defendant seeking or claiming any relief other than a lien under the common law. In the first suit the defendant in that suit, appellee here, did not file any offset or plea of recoupment, and his rights for money paid on the cash register were not adjudicated in that suit. We think it was error for the judge in his judgment to impose a condition of repayment on the right to recover, and it was error for him to direct the sale of the cash register in this proceeding. Accordingly the judgment in the court below is reversed.
Reversed, and judgment here for appellant.
Reversed.