Copeland v. Leonard
Copeland v. Leonard
Opinion of the Court
This case was tried by the court without a jury. There were some special pleadings in the cause raising questions which are now assigned as error, but the record shows that the case was tried, without objec
The dismissal of the detinue suit which is relied upon by the plaintiff as evidence of the wrongfulness of the detinue complaint, occurred under the following circumstances, shown without dispute : The plaintiff in the action (Houston) bad been sent to prison on conviction of a misdemeanor, and was at the time of the dismissal confined at hard labor in the prison at Coalburg, Alabama. Being thus confined, his attorney agreed with the defendant in the action, or his attorney, that the action of detinue should be settled by defendant (who had possession of the property) turning over to Houston’s wife two of the twelve hogs sued for, and that thereupon the action of detinue should be dismissed, which agreement was carried out, and the action of detinue was dismissed accordingly. The dismissal, as it appeared of record, raised only a prima facie presumption that the complaint was wrongful, and we are of opinion that the fact that it took place by actual agreement of the parties, under the circumstances stated, upon terms of the defendant in detinue giving up part of the property sued for, overcame the presumption. The judgment should, therefore, have been in favor of the defendants.-Baker v. Kennon, 88 Ala. 428.
Reversed, judgment here rendered in favor of the defendants .
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.