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ÐÓ¶ÓÌò òOPINIONó óÔ#†¼]Õ»XX Áå#ÔÔ‡X ÁX»¼]ÕÔÐ ü#L# Ðò òÌI.ó óÐ Ô%$!% ÐÌòòóóÔ#†¼]Õ»XX Áš #ÔÓ  ÓÔ€X ÁX»¼]ÕÔà  àÔ_ÔRickyÔ_Ô€Riddle€runs€a€nursery€business€in€Winchester€under€the€name€of€R€&€R€Nursery€andÐ ¬'ü"' ÐLandscaping.€€In€October€of€1997,€Mr.€E.€B.€Gee€of€Heartland€Nursery€in€New€Madrid,€Missouri,Ð ˜(è#( Ðvisited€Mr.€Riddleððs€nursery€and€inspected€his€growing€stand€of€white,€pink,€and€red€dogwood€trees.€Ð „)Ô$) ÐThe€trees€varied€in€height€from€twelve€to€thirty„six€inches.€€Mr.€Gee€liked€what€he€saw€and€told€Mr.Ð p*À%* ÐRiddle€that€he€would€take€all€of€the€dogwoods€Mr.€Riddle€had€available.€€Mr.€Gee€made€a€depositÐ \+¬&+ Ðof€$5,000,€but€the€parties€disagree€about€the€terms€for€payment€of€the€balance.€€At€this€advancedÐ H,˜', Ðstage€of€the€litigation,€we€find€that€the€payment€terms€are€immaterial.Ð 4-„(-ý ÐÔ_Ô‡à  àIn€January€of€1998,€Mr.€Gee€told€Mr.€Riddle€to€dig€the€plants€and€have€them€ready€forÐ ° Ðtransport.€€Mr.€Riddle€proceeded€to€dig,€sort,€cull€and€bundle€the€plants,€and€approximately€twoÐ œì Ðweeks€later€Mr.€Gee€sent€a€truck€to€pick€up€the€goods.€€He€arrived€early€in€the€morning€and€took€oneÐ ˆØ Ðload€to€a€destination€in€Alabama,€and€then€returned€that€afternoon€for€the€balance€of€the€shipment.€Ð tÄ ÐMr.€Gee€himself€helped€load€and€count€the€plants,€which€had€been€sorted€and€bundled€according€toÐ `° Ðcolor€and€size.€€He€signed€the€invoice€showing€the€number€and€type€of€plants€received.€€The€salesÐ L œ Ðprice€amounted€to€$40,183.75,€leaving€a€balance€of€$35,183.75€after€crediting€Mr.€Geeððs€$5,000Ð 8 ˆ Ðdown€payment.€€Mr.€Riddle€testified€that€Mr.€Gee€said€he€had€left€his€checkbook€at€home,€but€thatÐ $ t Ðhe€would€send€a€check€when€he€got€back€to€Missouri.€€Mr.€Gee€says€that€the€custom€in€the€trade€isÐ  ` Ðto€wait€until€the€buyer€knows€how€many€plants€will€grow€in€the€spring.€€Nevertheless,€three€or€fourÐ ü L  Ðmonths€later,€Mr.€Gee€finally€returned€one€of€Mr.€Riddleððs€telephone€calls€and€said€that€some€of€theÐ è 8  Ðplants€had€died€and€that€there€was€a€shortage€in€the€count.€€In€June,€Mr.€Gee€sent€Mr.€Riddle€a€checkÐ Ô$  Ðfor€$14,628.00,€claiming€that€that€amount€represented€the€balance€due€after€deducting€the€price€ofÐ À  Ðthe€missing€trees€and€the€ones€that€died.€€In€September,€Mr.€Riddle€filed€this€action€to€collect€theÐ ¬ü  Ðbalance.Ð ˜è  ÐÌà@……)ìàò òII.ó óˆÐ pÀ ÐÌà  àThe€key€factual€question€in€this€case€is€whether€Mr.€Gee€accepted€the€goods.€€Under€ArticleÐ H˜ Ð2€of€theòò€Uniform€Commercial€Codeóó€ð ðacceptanceðð€of€goods€by€the€buyer€is€a€term€of€art.€€Because€ofÐ 4„ Ðthe€legal€consequences€that€result€from€a€buyerððs€acceptance€of€goods€identified€to€the€contract,€theÐ  p Ðcode€is€careful€to€define€when€acceptance€occurs.€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€47„2„606(1)€says€that€a€buyerÐ  \ Ðhas€accepted€the€goods€if€he€has€done€any€of€the€following:Ð øH ÐÌà8  à(a)à0` Ð Ð àafter€a€reasonable€opportunity€to€inspect€the€goods€signifies€to€the€seller€thatÐ Ð  Ðthe€goods€are€conforming€or€that€he€will€take€or€retain€them€in€spite€of€theirÐ ¼  Ðnonconformity;€orШø` Ð ` Ð  ÐÌà8  à(b)à0` Ð Ð àfails€to€make€an€effective€rejection€(ðð€47„2„602(1)),€but€such€acceptance€doesÐ €Ð Ðnot€occur€until€the€buyer€has€had€a€reasonable€opportunity€to€inspect€them;Ð l¼ ÐorÐX ¨` Ð ` Ð  ÐÌà8  à(c)à0` Ð Ð àdoes€any€act€inconsistent€with€the€sellerððs€ownership;€but€if€such€act€isÐ 0"€  Ðwrongful€as€against€the€seller€it€is€an€acceptance€only€if€ratified€by€him.Ð#l!` Ð ` Ð  ÐÌà  àMr.€Gee€could€make€an€argument€that€he€did€not€accept€the€goods€on€February€2,€1998Ð ô$D # Ðbecause€he€did€not€have€a€reasonable€opportunity€to€inspect€them.€€We€recognize€that€possession€hasÐ à%0!$ Ðlittle€to€do€with€acceptance€and€that€a€buyer€may€have€possession€of€the€goods€for€a€substantialÐ Ì&"% Ðperiod€of€time€before€he€has€accepted€them.€€òòSeeóó€J.€White€and€R.€Summers,€òòUniform€CommercialÐ ¸'#& ÐCodeóó,€ðð€€8„2€(4th€ed.€1995);€òòMoses€v.€Newmanóó,€658€S.W.2d€119€(Tenn.€Ct.€App.€1983).€€But€in€thisÐ ¤(ô#' Ðcase,€despite€any€reservations€he€may€have€had,€Mr.€Gee€took€possession€of€the€goods€andÐ )à$( Ðimmediately€resold€them.€€According€to€his€testimony,€he€sold€the€load€in€Alabama€on€the€day€heÐ |*Ì%) Ðtook€possession;€he€delivered€another€lot€to€a€nursery€in€McMinnville€on€the€next€day,€and€resoldÐ h+¸&* Ðthe€rest€within€a€few€days€after€returning€to€Missouri.€€His€buyers€replanted€the€trees€and€waited€forÐ ° Ðthem€to€grow€in€the€spring.Ð œì ÐÌà  àWe€think€all€of€that€amounts€to€acts€that€are€inconsistent€with€Mr.€Riddleððs€ownership.€Ð tÄ ÐTherefore,€Mr.€Gee€accepted€the€goods€under€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€47„2„606(1)(c).€€While€White€and€Ð `° ÐSummers€find€2„606(1)(c)€troubling,€and€recommend€that€it€be€applied€only€when€the€buyer€is€awareÐ L œ Ðof€the€nonconformity€and€takes€action€that€is€inconsistent€with€the€sellerððs€rights€(such€as€resellingÐ 8 ˆ Ðthe€goods€after€learning€they€are€defective),€òòseeóó€J.€White€and€R.€Summers,€òòUniform€CommercialÐ $ t ÐCodeóó,€ðð€8„2€(4th€ed.€1995),€we€think€that€under€the€circumstances€of€this€case€the€act€of€reselling€theÐ  ` Ðgoods€amounted€to€acceptance.€€òòSee€Commonwealth€Propane€Co.€v.€Petrosol€International,€Inc.óó,€818Ð ü L  ÐF.2d€522€(6th€Cir.€1987).€€It€may€be€that€Mr.€Geeððs€haste€in€reselling€the€goods€prevented€him€fromÐ è 8  Ðdiscovering€that€some€of€the€trees€were€too€short€or€too€tall€or€that€some€were€crooked.€€It€is€true€thatÐ Ô$  Ðneither€he€nor€his€buyers€would€know€which€trees€would€grow€in€the€spring,€but€by€shipping€themÐ À  Ðto€various€states€Mr.€Gee€created€such€practical€difficulties€for€Mr.€Riddle€that€Mr.€Gee€should€beÐ ¬ü  Ðheld€to€have€accepted€the€goods.€€We€acknowledge€that€there€are€similar€cases€that€have€come€to€theÐ ˜è  Ðopposite€conclusion,€òòsee€Jacob€Hartz€Seed€Co.€v.€Colemanóó,€612€S.W.2d€91€(Ark.€1981),€but€in€thatÐ „Ô  Ðcase€the€original€seller€was€able€to€recover€the€seeds€and€test€them.€€In€this€case€there€is€no€way€Mr.Ð pÀ ÐRiddle€could€identify€the€trees€he€sold€in€order€to€contest€the€claim€that€they€were€defective.Ð \¬ ÐÌà@^^(ìàò òIII.ó óˆÐ 4„ ÐÌà  àOne€of€the€consequences€of€accepting€goods€is€the€obligation€to€pay€for€them.€€Tenn.€CodeÐ  \ ÐAnn.€ðð€47„2„607€(1).€€But€all€is€not€necessarily€lost€for€the€buyer.€€Where€the€buyer€has€acceptedÐ øH Ðdefective€goods,€he€may€recover€as€damages€the€loss€resulting€from€the€sellerððs€breach€ð ðasÐ ä4 Ðdetermined€in€any€manner€which€is€reasonable.ðð€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€47„2„714(1).€€The€buyerððsÐ Ð  Ðdamages€may€include€incidental€and€consequential€damages.€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€47„2„714(3).òòóóÐ ¼  ÐÌà  àHowever,€when€a€buyer€accepts€goods,€he€also€assumes€the€burden€of€proof€to€establish€anyÐ ”ä Ðbreach€with€respect€to€the€goods€accepted.€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€47„2„607(4).€€In€a€case€like€this,€thatÐ €Ð Ðburden€is€a€heavy€one€for€the€buyer€to€carry,€because€no€one€knows€for€sure€how€many€plants€Mr.Ð l¼ ÐGee€delivered€to€his€buyers€nor€what€caused€the€plants€to€die.€€The€buyer€with€the€highest€numberÐ X ¨ Ðof€dead€trees€testified€that€the€way€the€plants€were€handled€after€they€left€their€origin€probably€causedÐ D!” Ðthem€to€die.€€Mr.€Gee€testified€that€his€workers€took€the€plants€back€to€Missouri,€stored€them€for€aÐ 0"€  Ðfew€days,€and€then€boxed€them€before€shipping€them€by€common€carrier€to€his€buyer.€€There€was€noÐ #l! Ðproof€from€Mr.€Geeððs€other€two€buyers.€€He€testified€that€he€gave€them€certain€credits,€but€even€heÐ $X" Ðdoes€not€know€what€the€truth€is€with€respect€to€the€actual€count€or€the€condition€of€the€plants.Ð ô$D # ÐÌà  àMr.€Gee€has€failed€to€carry€his€burden€of€showing€any€breach€with€respect€to€the€goodsÐ Ì&"% Ðaccepted.€€The€invoice€he€signed€when€he€took€delivery€establishes€the€number€and€the€price€of€eachÐ ¸'#& Ðtype€of€plant€he€received.€€The€seller€is€therefore€entitled€to€be€paid€for€the€goods€identified€in€theÐ ¤(ô#' Ðinvoice.Ð )à$( Ðâ âÐ |*Ì%) Ðà  àThe€judgment€of€the€court€below€is€affirmed€and€the€cause€is€remanded€to€the€Circuit€CourtÐ ° Ðâ âof€Franklin€County€for€any€further€proceedings€necessary.€€Tax€the€costs€on€appeal€to€the€appellant,Ð œì ÐHeartland€Nursery€Company.Ð ˆØ ÐÌà  àÌÌà  àà ` àà ¸ àà  àà h àà À à_________________________________________€Ð 8 ˆ Ðà  àà ` àà ¸ àà  àà h àà À àBEN€H.€CANTRELL,€PRESIDING€JUDGE,€M.S.