Henry Waterhouse Trust Co. v. Paris
Henry Waterhouse Trust Co. v. Paris
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OP THE COURT BY
This is au action to' recover $30Y9.11 upon an agreement executed by the defendant on September 22, 1904, whereby ho covenanted that “in the event that A. B. Wood or the Estate of Henry Waterhouse, deceased, shall be held liable by judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction on account of any claim or demand arising out of a certain redelivery bond exe
In support of the order of non-suit it is urged that no proof was presented of the execution of the instrument (assignment) of April 12, 1911, by the Waterhouse Trust Company and -that therefore the copy received in evidence was inadmissible. Objection was made at the trial to the admission of the document, but after discussion of the point by court and counsel the attorney for the defendant said, “If the court please, for the purpose of facilitating the trial of this case and getting along with it we will consent that the assignment introduced in evidence be relied upon for the present, with the distinct understanding that if the original can be produced it will be produced;” and the court thereupon admitted the instrument, saying: “Very well,
The contention mainly relied upon to uphold the order is that it appears from the evidence that the plaintiff in paying the judgment was a mere volunteer or at least that the plaintiff did not introduce evidence tending to show that it made the payment at the request of tire executors, the judgment debtors, it being conceded by the defendant, — and the law to that effect is clear — that if the payment was at the request of the executors the defendant is liable in this suit upon his undertaking.
The plaintiff’s evidence, although meager, was sufficient to support the findings of the following facts: that the judgment was paid by check of the plaintiff delivered to the attorney of the Bierce company; that the payment was made concurrently •with or immediately after the execution of the assignment by the executors and its delivery to the plaintiff; that immediately after the payment counsel for the executors received from the attorney for the Bierce.company the satisfaction piece for filing in the suit of Bierce v. Hutchins; and that all of these acts were part of one transaction. The assignment itself, moreover, recites that it was mad© by the executors “in consideration of the full payment and satisfaction by the Henry Waterhouse Trust Company, Limited, of the judgment” in question and expressly transfer's to the plaintiff “all the right which said Executors or the Estate of Henry Waterhouse, deceased, may have to prosecute the same.” From the testimony the jury would have been justified in inferring that the payment was at the request of the executors and so also upon the face of the instrument the inference, as a matter of construction, is to the same effect. Whether -this implication arising upon tire face of the instrument is rebuttable by extrinsic evidence is a question which does
It is unnecessary to consider whether in addition to a rendition of a judgment against the executors -in the Bierce case payment by the executors of that judgment was essential to the accrual of a cause of action upon defendant’s undertaking, for upon the present state of the evidence the only showing is that the judgment was paid and at the request of the executors.
Upon the evidence adduced the order for a non-suit is set aside. The exception to the order is sustained and a new trial granted.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.