Prall v. Richards
Prall v. Richards
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
An action of replevin brought by Eliza J. Richards during her life, and, after her decease, prosecuted by her husband (appellee) as administrator of her estate.
The plaintiff alleged the ownership and right of possession to certain furniture and household goods (describing them), and that defendant (appellant) unlawfully and forcibly seized and took possession of them and refused to return them.
The defendant’s answer was a denial of the allegations in the complaint.
The case seems to have had its share of ventilation and adjudication. First, a trial in the county court with judgment for the plaintiff; twice in the district court with the same result; then a trial resulting in a judgment for the defendant, which was set aside; then a trial to the court without a jury, resulting in a judgment for the plaintiff, from which this appeal was taken.
The evidence shows that the goods were taken by appel
It is shown that the goods were taken by appellant, placed in the hands of an auctioneer and sold; consequently, there could be no judgment of return. The value of the goods were found to be $300, and judgment was entered for that amount.
There are quite a number of supposed errors assigned, mostly technical, on the admittance and rejection of evidence, but I do not regard any of them of sufficient importance to review them. There may have been strictly technical rulings that were open to criticism, but the mere recital of them, without showing they were prejudicial, and did or might have influenced the result, is not sufficient ground for reversal. The errors must be such as might have changed the result, if they had not occurred. I can find no error of sufficient importance to warrant a reversal.
Appellant relies upon an estoppel, based upon the fact that deceased paid the interest for one month, but the evidence is too vague and indefinite to work an estoppel or establish a ratification. It is shown that the money was that of the wife,—was by her given to the husband, and by him sent to the appellant. This is insufficient. Not only full knowledge upon the part of the wife must have been shown, but an intention to ratify and adopt the transaction must be shown. The fact of her furnishing the money to the husband would not establish it. It was certainly not evidence of ratification, and was confronted with the established fact that she had persistently refused to execute the papers or recognize them.
The only real question in the case was to whom the goods
Affirmed.
070rehearing
OH REHEARING.
We are strongly pressed on the argument of the petition for rehearing to reconsider the opinion for the error said to have occurred in our determination of the application and effect of the doctrine of estoppel, as applied to the transaction between Prall, the mortgagee, and Mrs. Richards, deceased, who was not the mortgagor, but is alleged to be bound bj- the instrument because of some arrangement which she made antecedent to the execution of the security with Prall, who loaned the money. We are quite of the opinion the case has been correctly decided, and that there should be no change in the judgment, because the question which is suggested in the brief and urged on our attention is not properly preserved in the record. The case was twice tried, and, on the trial in the county court, judgment was entered against the appellant, whose claim that there is error in the record is based wholly on the proposition that the evidence discloses facts which prevent the plaintiff from maintaining the suit. The case having been tried to the court without a jury, we are not at liberty to review the case on the testimony, and decide thereon that the judgment was -incorrectly entered, because no exception to the judgment is saved or preserved in the bill of exceptions. At nearly every term of court we are called on to reverse cases on the contention that the judgment is unsupported by the evidence, when the parties have wholly neglected to do that which has been uniformly decided in the state to be prerequisite to the right of the appellate courts to review the case on the testimony. The appellant is therefore in no position to insist on the principal error which he alleges inheres in the record. Aside from this consideration, we are
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.