Battelle v. Denison
Battelle v. Denison
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
This is an appeal from rulings of the special term in a suit brought to recover a sum of money alleged to. be due by the defendant, Denison, upon a deceit, on his part, in the sale to the plaintiff, Elizabeth D. ifattelle, of certain prop
The case was submitted to a jury, after a charge of the court, which was very full and fair, extending over, eight printed pages, and the jury rendered a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, from which an appeal was taken. A motion is made here to dismiss the appeal upon the ground that the bill of exceptions was signed after the expiration of the term at which the case was tried and of the additional time for which it was extended for the purpose of signing bills of exception.
This judgment was rendered in December 1891, which was in the October Term. In January 1892, just before the beginning of the new term, an order was passed prolonging the October Term until the 23d of January at 10.30 o’clock, for the purpose of signing bills of exceptions, in this cause among others, and adjourning the October Term without day, except as thus prolonged and extended. On the 23d of January 1892, which was within the January Term, in accordance with this order the October Term was opened, but the appellant not being ready with his exceptions, the term was again prolonged for the purpose of settling the exceptions in this case, to the 6th day of February, 1892, at 10.30 o’clock. On the last-named day, the court again met, and the exceptions in this case still not being ready, the court prolonged the October Term until April
The justice, however, signed the bill from a determination apparently to do the utmost justice in the case, and save any rights the plaintiff might have.
We have decided in the case of Jones vs. Penna. R. R. Co., 18 D. C., 426, that it was competent for the court to prolong a term into the next term for the purpose of signing exceptions; and that an exception signed within the time to which it was thus adjourned, although during the next term, was valid.
We subsequently held in the case of U. S. vs. Bond, that if the court saw fit, during a new term, to prolong the past term to another day within the new term, it had the right to do so. That is precisely what the justice did in this case. During the October Term he continued it until a day within the January Term, and the two other orders of adjournment' were made within that term, the last limit fixed being the 4th of April.
We have never decided the exact point as to whether, if the bill of exceptions were presented after the time to which the term was prolonged, the justice would have the right to sign it.
One would suppose it was hardly necessary gravely to argue such a question, but it happens that in the recent case of the Michigan Insurance Bank vs. Eldred, 143 U. S., page 293, this very question came before the Supreme Court, and Mr. Justice Gray, delivering the opinion of the court, said: “After the term has expired, without the court’s control
We are, therefore, under no obligation to look into the other questions raised by the record. The defendants below offered eight prayers, seven of which were rejected by the court, and one of which was granted. We think there is no impropriety in stating we are satisfied no injustice is done by the course we shall take in dismissing this appeal, since we are convinced from our examination of the case, .that the .rulings of the justice below were right, and the decision of the jury was entirely proper.
Appeal dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ELIZABETH D. BATTELLE v. WILLIAM O. DENISON
- Status
- Published