Beath v. Chapoton
Beath v. Chapoton
Opinion of the Court
The facts’of this case are substantially the same as when the case was in this court before. 115
“Was the note given without consideration? Now, I charge you that if the defendant Chapoton was behind in his accounts with the plaintiff, and if upon a talk with the plaintiff on the 1st of January, 1894, it was agreed between them that the amount of that arrearage was $2,700, and upon this basis a settlement was made between them, that made a sufficient consideration.”
The language complained of as to consideration was an erroneous statement of the law applied to a proper case. The language above quoted fairly and correctly stated the question for the jury to decide. Chapoton denied that he had embezzled any of plaintiff’s money, but admitted that he “had given away goods as little presents from time to time.” How much this amounted to he does not state. He admitted the settlement made with the plaintiff, in which it was agreed that $2,700 was the amount of his defalcation or misappropriation. He gave no evidence to show that it was less. The onus was upon defendants
“Did Mr. Beath direct Mr. Chapoton to practice fraud in procuring this signature ? Did he know that fraud was practiced in procuring it? If he did, then he is not a bona fide holder of this paper, and he cannot recover upon it as against Mr. Watson. If, on the other hand, he was ignorant that any fraud had been practiced, he is a bona fide holder of it, and can recover against Mr. Watson, provided there was a consideration, as I have already indicated. In this connection, more to emphasize the different phases of this question of fraud than anything else, I read to you the requests of counsel that have apparently been approved by the Supreme Court. First, defendants’ request: ‘ It is claimed that Mr. Watson was induced to sign the note by fraudulent misrepresentations. If you find that plaintiff knew of such misrepresentations, or liad sufficient knowledge to put him on inquiry as to whether Mr. Watson had been induced to sign by some fraud, then' plaintiff cannot recover.’ ‘It is not necessary that Mr. Beath should have known exactly the fraudulent representations' made by Mr. Chapoton in order to get Mr. Watson to indorse the note, if he (Beath) had sufficient knowledge to put him on inquiry, so that he could have found out that Mr. Watson had been so induced by fraudulent representations; and plaintiff cannot recover if Mr.
The question was thus fairly left to the jury to determine whether plaintiff was a bona fide holder. If defendants desired any instructions as to the onus probandi, they should have requested it. This question of the burden of proof is often unduly magnified, and, unless the attention of the court is called to it, judgment should not be reversed because the judge failed to instruct the jury where the burden rests.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BEATH v. CHAPOTON
- Status
- Published