Sewall v. Hatcher
Sewall v. Hatcher
Opinion of the Court
Dr. C. A. Sewall sued Mrs. Emma Hatcher, a married woman with separate property, for professional services alleged to have been rendered at her instance and request to her husband, W. H. Hatcher, who was made co-defendant originally, but as to whom suit was dismissed, and against whom no judgment was asked. Writ of attachment was issued and levied upon her separate property, consisting of real estate, the title of which was in the name of Mrs. Hatcher, who denied the employment of plaintiff and appellant, or any agreement on her part to pay him out of her separate property. The action was first brought in the justice’s court, where trial was had before a jury, and a verdict rendered for .the defendant. An appeal was then taken to the district court, where the case was again tried to a jury before his Honor H. C. Truesdale, at the conclusion of which trial the jury, on the instruction of the judge, returned a verdict for
It is assigned as error: 1. “That the court erred in not finding as a fact that, as alleged in the complaint, the defendant Mrs. Hatcher distinctly and unequivocally employed the plaintiff to render for her, and on her sole account, the professional services sued for.” 2. “As a matter of law, the court erred in determining that it was not competent for this married woman to bind her separate estate upon such a contract as that sued on, where the services rendered were for the benefit of her husband. ’ ’
This last error is incorrectly assigned. The court did not make any such determination. It was not questioned that Mrs. Hatcher could have legally bound herself to pay from .her separate estate for the services alleged to have been rendered by Dr. Sewall for her husband. The only question passed on by the court was, Did she do so ? This question— one of fact—the court decided in the negative.
It appeared in evidence that the plaintiff and defendant resided in Prescott; that W. H. Hatcher had his leg broken at Mescal Station, about twenty-eight miles from Prescott, and wrote a letter to Mr. Goldwater, a merchant in Prescott, advising him of the accident, and requesting him to send Mrs. Hatcher and a surgeon. Mrs. Hatcher and Mr. Goldwater testified that Goldwater read the letter to Mrs. Hatcher, and asked her what doctor he should send. She replied that Dr. Sewall always attended Mr. Hatcher. Goldwater testified that he sent one Thomas Duke to notify Dr. Sewall of the case. Duke testified that he delivered the message. Goldwater testified that he also saw the doctor on the street and personally told him, and hired the team driven by the doctor on that occasion, and afterwards paid the liveryman for the same. Dr. Sewall testified that he received the word from Duke and Goldwater, hired the team from the liveryman, and
Street, -C. J., and Davis, J., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- C. A. SEWALL, and v. MRS. EMMA HATCHER, and
- Status
- Published