Stiles v. Ford
Stiles v. Ford
Opinion of the Court
By the common law the plaintiff was required to be present in court in person or by attorney when the verdict of the jury was received, in order to answer to the amercement to which he was liable pro falso clamor e suo. 3 Black. Com. 376. But this fine or amercement is not at the present day imposed for any cause, and the costs to which he is liable, if he fail in the suit, may be adjudged against him although he be not present in court at the time the verdict is rendered. It would seem, therefore, that the reason assigned by Blackstone for requiring the plaintiff to
The plaintiff not having been present when the verdict was received, he could not, thereafter, raise any question which, by the rules of practice, he was required to present at that time; but the right of the court to receive the verdict, and enter it of record, in his absence, cannot be denied, and, therefore, we must regard the action of the court, in respect to the verdict, as entirely regular.
From what has been said, it will be apparent that the judgment of nonsuit, following the reception of the verdict, cannot be supported upon the reason therein assigned. For, if the plaintiff was not required to attend for the purpose of hearing the verdict, his failure to do so was, of itself, no ground of nonsuit. And, although the plaintiff should have been present to move the court for judgment upon the verdict, or for a new trial, or to take some further action in the cause, we think that the court was not warranted in proceeding to judgment against him without any delay whatever. The defendant asked nothing of the court, and a short time could have been allowed the plaintiff to take some other step
The judgment of the district court is reversed, with costs, and the cause is remanded, with leave to defendant to move the court for a new trial, and also with leave to plaintiff to move for judgment on the verdict.
Reversed.
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