Norrington v. Wright and Others is a legal case that involves a contract dispute between Arthur Norrington, a British citizen trading under the name of A. Norrington & Co, and James A. Wright and others, Pennsylvania citizens trading under the name of Peter Wright & Sons. The case was filed on October 26, 1885, and was heard before the Supreme Court of the United States. The contract in question was an agreement for the sale of goods, and the dispute centered on whether certain statements in the contract were warranties or conditions precedent.
The Supreme Court held that in a mercantile contract, a statement descriptive of the subject matter or of some material incident such as the time or place of shipment is ordinarily to be regarded as a warranty or condition precedent upon the failure of which the party aggrieved may refuse to perform the contract or may treat the breach as a repudiation of the whole contract. The Court further noted that the development of restitution has been sporadic and more the result of judicial decisions than of legislative enactments. The case is significant in that it established important principles regarding the interpretation of contracts and the remedies available in the event of a breach.