Architectural Woodcraft Co. v. Read

NICHOLS, Justice.

A single set of spiral stairs leads to the complex legal issues now before us. In 1978 the Plaintiff, Architectural Woodcraft Company, a manufacturer of spiral staircases in North Vassalboro, entered a contract with the Defendant, Lawrence Read of Scotts Valley, California, for the construction of such a custom item. The Defendant paid a deposit, and, when the staircase was produced, the Plaintiff shipped it to California, C.O.D. When the staircase arrived, the Defendant paid the shipper by a personal check the balance due. Later discovering that the staircase had sustained…