Garfield v. Knight's Ferry & Table Mountain Water Co.

California Supreme Court
Garfield v. Knight's Ferry & Table Mountain Water Co., 17 Cal. 510 (Cal. 1861)
Baldwin

Garfield v. Knight's Ferry & Table Mountain Water Co.

Opinion of the Court

Baldwin, J. delivered the opinion of the Court

Field, C. J. and Cope, J. concurring.

The finding in this case is in the nature of a special verdict. It is that the work was done at the instance of Kappelman & Co., who were the agents of the defendant—the defendant being a corporation. It was claimed by the defendant that though Kappelman & Co. were agents, they were also contractors, and that they employed the plaintiff in this last capacity. There is no necessary inconsistency between a man being an agent and his contracting in an individual capacity; and the very question here was, as to what capacity Kappelman & Co. acted in making this contract. The rule is that enough must be found by a special verdict or finding, when that is relied on as the basis of a judgment, to show in and of itself a legal conclusion of liability. This is not done here. We must, therefore, reverse the judgment, that the issue may be directly and explicitly found.

Reference

Full Case Name
GARFIELD v. KNIGHT'S FERRY & TABLE MOUNTAIN WATER CO.
Cited By
1 case
Status
Published
Syllabus
Whebe the point on which the case hinged was whether Kappelman & Co., who employed plaintiff to do work, acted as contractors in their individual capacity, or as agents of defendants, and the jury found a special verdict that “ The work and labor done by plaintiff in the construction of the dam was done at the instance and request of Kappelman & Co., who were the agents of the corporation defendantHeld, that this verdict does not support a judgment for plaintiff, because it does not show in and of itself a legal conclusion of liability —not finding whether K. & Co. acted as agents or otherwise.