Jones v. Singleton

California Supreme Court
Jones v. Singleton, 45 Cal. 92 (Cal. 1872)

Jones v. Singleton

Opinion of the Court

By the Court:

The application for a new trial was granted upon the ground of newly discovered evidence. It appears that after the trial of the cause the defendants discovered for the first time that the promissory note of Holman to John A. Sutter, Jr., bearing date June 10th, 1849, was in existence. It had been proven at the trial that the uniform habit of the agent of Sutter, in selling lots in Sacramento City, was to give a bond for a conveyance when any part of the purchase money was unpaid, and assuming it to be the fact that such was his uniform practice, the discovery of the Holman note would be of importance little short of the discovery, had such been made, of the bond to Holman. The importance of the note of Holman as evidence upon the issues made is, in this view, most obvious.

As to the question of diligence involved in the application, it having been determined in favor of the defendants by the trial Court in granting the application, it would require a clear case of the absence of reasonable diligence to be shown by the record before w'e would deem it our duty to disturb the conclusion arrived at by that Court. Diligence, or the want of it, in a particular case, depends in1 so great a degree upon the various circumstances surround*95ing the parties and the conduct of the cause, which are peculiarly within the knowledge of the trial Court, that its determination, made in view of them, would rarely be interfered with by us.

Order affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
RICHARD JONES v. JOHN SINGLETON
Cited By
8 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
New Trial—Newly Discovered Evidence.—When, in ejectment, the parties claim title derived from a common source, and the defendant, to show his title the oldest, relies on a purchase made, and a note given for part of the purchase money, and a hond for a conveyance, executed to him by the common grantor, which bond is claimed to be lost, and proves that it was the grantor’s custom to give a bond when credit was given, and the plaintiff recovers judgment, a subsequent discovery of the note is sufficient ground on which to grant a new trial. Diligence.—Diligence, or the want of it, in discovering testimony in a particular case, depends in so great a degree upon the various circumstances surrounding the parties, and the conduct of the cause, which are peculiarly within.the knowledge of the trial Court, that its determination on the matter of granting a new trial made in view of them will rarely be disturbed.