Pond v. Clark
Pond v. Clark
Opinion of the Court
One objection to the plaintiffs’ right of recovery is, that, since the commencement of the suit, the plaintiffs have assigned their claim to one Brown. The terms of this assignment are not before us, and we know not whether the assignment is expressed so as to carry along with it this suit and attachment, for the benefit of the assignee, or if the plaintiffs may not still have some resulting, or conditional interest in the suit. This should have been made distinctly to appear, if the point was seriously to be made. The loss of the attachment may be the loss of the debt; for it may be too late to begin another suit, as other attachments may now intervene which will absorb the property. Indeed, the point itself seems scarcely to have attracted attention on the trial, for it is not mentioned in the answer, nor anywhere alluded to, except by the committee, just at the close of the report, where, in the briefest manner possible, they simply mention the fact. Under the circumstances, we may do great injustice to the assignee, who appeared and conducted the suit before the committee, if we yield to this objection at this time, and especially as we are not altogether satisfied that the question is necessarily presented in such a form, as to require us to decide it. It is clear, that the suit was properly commenced in the name of the plaintiffs, for they were then the owners of the claim. If anything has taken place since, which renders further proceedings improper, it should have been brought to the notice of the court by plea, or answer, and then the facts would have been investigated, and no injustice done to the assignee. We will add, if the question had been made when the extent and character of the assignment would have been enquired into, we are not satisfied it' could, after all, avail the defendants; it certainly ought not to, if the contrary was understood by the parties. The gene
It is again objected to the report, that interest is allowed to the plaintiffs, on the accounts, or business, of 1850, for money disbursed in the course of the business. The contract for that year says nothing about interest, it is true, but its language is, “ all accounts paid by either party, for necessary disbursements in the business of the company, are to be charged to the concern.” The business was expected to be done on a letter of credit from the plaintiffs, together with the avails of sales made in New York, as cargoes should arrive from time to time, and be turned into money. The amount of business that year was about $100,000, and the balance of interest in favor of the plaintiffs for money advanced was $1,579.16, which the committee allowed to the plaintiffs. Whatever impropriety, if indeed any, there
For the reasons assigned for allowing interest on the account of 1850, interest should be allowed for 1851. Besides, the contracts of October 1850, and January 1851, provide for the allowance of interest, at the rate of seven per cent., and so the business of 1852 was conducted upon the same principles and is subject to the same allowance of interest.
Again, it is said, the committee erred, in allowing the plaintiffs one third of the profits on the whole business of 1851, instead of on one-third of three quarters of the business, because Duboeq, Gamón & Co., were to have one quarter as their part. We think the committee were correct. The
The committee were correct in not admitting Clark, as a partner in the business of 1852, at Ponce. Clark had refused to engage in that business, and he never had anything to do with it.
The committee were correct in allowing Clark his wages and expenses for 1852, being $578. The services were rendered at a stipulated price, and the expenses arose in the appropriate business of the company, and they are not forfeited by any supposed fraudulent motives of Clark. So we ■think the $220, is properly credited him, for his wages and expenses in the business of 1851, and that he is entitled to have the benefit of the, $137.50, the share which Jewett was to pay, and the benefit of which he agreed Clark should have, in the settlement of the account.
These are the only questions that have been discussed at the bar, and we advise judgment to be rendered upon these points, on the principles expressed.
In this opinion, the other Judges, Storrs and Hinman, concurred.
Decree accordingly.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Pond and others v. Clark and another
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published