Hirth v. Lynch

Illinois Supreme Court
Hirth v. Lynch, 96 Ill. 409 (Ill. 1880)
1880 Ill. LEXIS 49
Dickey

Hirth v. Lynch

Opinion of the Court

Mr. Chief Justice Dickey

delivered the opinion of the Court:

The judgment is not warranted by the verdict." The damages must be assessed, or the amount of the debt found, by the jury. The verdict was altogether too imperfect to form a foundation for a judgment for the amount named in the judgment in this record.

It is true, the clerk, in making up the record of the proceedings, makes the same say the verdict was, “We, the jury, find for the plaintiff and assess his damages at $584.88.” The record, however, contains a bill of exceptions, signed and sealed by .the circuit judge, in which the language of the verdict is given verbatim,, and it, as there stated, contains no assessment of damages, or other finding of the amount due. Where the recitals of the record of proceedings, as made up by the clerk, and the statements of a bill of exceptions, duly signed and sealed by the judge, are not in harmony, we must take the real truth to be as stated by the bill of exceptions.

The judgment of the Circuit Court must be reversed, and the cause remanded for another trial on the merits.

Judgment reversed.

Reference

Full Case Name
Joseph Hirth v. B. M. Lynch
Cited By
9 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Verdict—its requisites. A verdict simply finding for the plaintiff, without finding the amount of debt or damages, is too imperfect to form a foundation for a judgment for a given amount in favor of the plaintiff. 2. Bill of Exceptions—prevails over recitals in record. Where the recitals of the record of proceedings, as made up by the clerk, and the statements in the bill of exceptions, duly signed and sealed by the judge, are not in harmony, the real truth will be taken to be as stated in the bill of exceptions.