Hanna v. Ewing
Hanna v. Ewing
Opinion of the Court
An action of assumpsit was brought by'the defendants in error, as assignees of George Cicott, against the
By the 1st count it is averred that the plaintiffs in error, by the firm and name of Cyrus Taber Sr Co., on the 5th day of June, 1830, made their certain due bill, commonly called a promissory note, in writing, by which they promised to pay George Cicott 197 dollars and 79 cents, for value received; and the said George Cicott then and there on the same day, and before any part of the note was paid, transferred it by endorsement to the defendants in error, of which the makers had notice. The 2d count is a general count in indebitatus assumpsit, for 197 dollars and 79 cents, for money had and received.
The defendants pleaded four several pleas. The 2d of which pleas is non-assumpsit to the 2d count of the declaration, and the 4th plea is non-assumpsit to the whole declaration. On these pleas there are issues to the country. The 3d plea is a general pica of direct payment to the whole declaration; to which there is no replication or answer in any way appearing of record. The 1st plea is a plea of payment under the 26th section of the practice act; and it is averred, in substance, that there were mutual dealings between the defendants, Cyrus Taber Sr Co., and the assignor of the note, George Cicott; and that, at the time they made the promissory note in question, Cicott was indebted to them in the sum of 913 dollars and 34J cents as follows, — by two promissory notes, one for 95 dollars 38i cents, and the other for 17 dollars 96 cents, and an open account for 800 dollars, 500 dollars of which were for goods and merchandize sold and delivered, and 300 dollars for money lent; and that these sums were all due and owing to them from Cicott, at the time they made the promissory note, and are still so due and owing to them; and that therefore they paid the promissory note before they received notice of the assignment.
To this plea the plaintiffs reply, in substance, that the note in question was not so paid by the defendants, because it was not made as a part of the mutual dealings between the defendants and Cicott, but was made on a special agreement between Cicott and the defendants, with the consent of the plaintiffs, and for the defendants’ benefit; and that a good and valuable consideration passed from the plaintiffs to the defendants, as well as from Cicott to the defendants, for the promissory note in question as follows — Cicott was indebted to the plaintiffs in the sum of
To this replication the defendants demurred, and the Court overruled the demurrer, and gave final judgment for the plaintiffs for the-amount of their demand.
The errors assigned are: 1st, the Court erred in overruling the demurrer; 2dly, the. Court erred in giving final judgment for the plaintiffs’ demand over two issues joined to the country, and a plea of payment standing without a replication, all remaining of record undisposed of. The replication in this case, to which the demurrer is filed, is not very well drawn as to form and precision; nor is the language as apt and directas it should be, but it is substantially good, and the demurrer is correctly overruled. But.final judgment should not have been given until the other plea and the' issues were legal!yv disposed of. The defendants have a right to be heard on every issue well taken, and if they can sustain any one plea in bar, which is well pleaded to the whole declaration, it is sufficient for them
The judgment is reversed with costs. Cause remanded, &c.
Riley et al. v. Harkness, Vol. 2, of these Rep. 34, and note (2).
Reference
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- Hanna and Others v. Ewing and Another
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