Tennant v. Pfister
Tennant v. Pfister
Opinion of the Court
1. If upon the face of a complaint there appear to be a misjoinder of parties plaintiff, the objection must be taken by special demurrer, and if not so taken, it is waived. Under a general demurrer, upon the ground that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, a question of misjoinder of parties plaintiff cannot be raised. (Gillam v. Sigman, 28 Cal. 637.) Upon the former appeal in this case it appeared that a demurrer to the complaint on the ground that there was a misjoinder of parties plaintiff therein had been overruled, and that the defendant had thereupon pleaded the general issue, and set up certain new matter in bar of the action. At the trial, which led to that appeal, the court, upon motion of the defendant, excluded all the evidence of the plaintiffs on the ground that there was a misjoinder of parties plaintiff on the face of the complaint. This, we said, was not proper
2. Upon the return of the cause to the court below, the action was again tried, and judgment rendered for the plaintiff. The present appeal is taken from the judgment, and the principal point relied upon is that the court improperly overruled the demurrer to the complaint for misjoinder of parties plaintiff. The demurrer should have been sustained. The plaintiffs seek a joint recovery of moneys, in which they have no joint interest. The plaintiff Tennant, for instance, has no interest in a recovery for the use and occupation of lot 47, detained not from him, but only from his co-plaintiff, McLellan; nor has the plaintiff Cottle any interest in a recovery for the use and occupation of lot 52, detained from the plaintiff Tennant. The case of Fowler v. Frisbie (37 Cal. 34), is decisive of this case.
Judgment reversed and cause remanded, with directions to sustain the demurrer to the complaint.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JOHN TENNANT, WILLIAM A. SENTER, WILLIAM A. SENTER, of the Last Will and Testament of W. CENTER, JAMES McLELLAN, HENRY W. COTTLE and GEORGE SMOUT v. ADOLPH PFISTER and JOHN BALLACH
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Demubbeb.—The question of a misjoinder of parties in a complaint cannot he raised under a demurrer interposed upon the ground that the complaint does not state facts to constitute a cause of action. Decision oe Supbeme Coubt.—If the defendant demurs to the complaint on the ground that there is a misjoinder of parties plaintiff, and the court overrules the demurrer, and then, on the trial, excludes the evidence of the plaintiff because there is such misjoinder, and the plaintiff appeals and the Supreme Court reverses the judgment on the ground that, as a question of practice, the evidence should have been admitted, this is not a decision that there is not such misjoinder. Joint Action when Demands abe sevebal.—Several parties cannot, in a joint action, recover damages for the use and occupation of two or more tracts of land, which they own in severalty.