Smith and Roberson's Business Law 16th Edition by Richard Mann,Barry Roberts

Exercise 13

Terminal Grain Corporation brought an action against Glen Freeman, a farmer, to recover damages for breach of an oral contract to deliver grain. According to Terminal Grain, Freeman orally agreed to two sales of wheat to Terminal Grain of four thousand bushels each at $6.21 a bushel and $6.41 a bushel, respectively. Dwayne Maher, merchandising manager of Terminal Grain, sent two written confirmations of the agreements to Freeman. Freeman never made any written objections to the confirmations. After the first transaction had occurred, the price of wheat rose to between $6.75 and $6.80 per bushel, and Freeman refused to deliver the remaining four thousand bushels at the agreed-upon price. Freeman denies entering into any agreement to sell the second four thousand bushels of wheat to Terminal Grain but admits that he received the two written confirmations sent by Maher.
a. What arguments support considering Freeman to be a merchant who is bound by the written confirmations?
b. What arguments support considering Freeman not to be a merchant seller and thus not bound by the written confirmations?
c. What is the appropriate decision?