Jordan v. Foxworth
Jordan v. Foxworth
Opinion of the Court
The cause was submitted to the jury on the general issue. After the plaintiff had adduced his testimony, the defendant demurred upon the evidence, which demurrer was sustained.
The declaration is objected to as not setting out a cause of action. The declaration avers an engagement Of the plaintiff by the defendant’s intestate to perform the services; that they were rendered, and were worth, in
We deliberately considered the office of the demurrer upon evidence in the case of Railroad Co. v. McArthur, 43 Miss. 184, in. which we accepted the rule to be, “ that the party demurring is bound to admit as true, not only all the facts found by the evidence introduced by the other party, but also all the facts which that evidence may fairly tend to prove.” Applying that rule to the evidence in this case, and this fact is proved: that the plaintiff, at the instance of defendant’s intestate, was in his service as overseer for the years 1863 and 1864, from which the law raises the assumpsit that the intestate should pay a reasonable compensation, there being no special contract fixing the amount, the award to the plaintiff should be determined by the quantum meruit.
The plaintiff having sustained the issue by the evidence, and proved that he had a cause of action, the judgment of the circuit court ought to have been for the plaintiff on the demurrer, and a writ of inquiry should then have been executed by the jury to ascertain what the services were reasonably worth. 'The cause will be remanded to the circuit court to make
The judgment is reversed, and judgment here on the demurrer in favor of the plaintiff, and cause remanded for a writ of inquiry by the jury to assess the damages.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Robert J. Jordan v. A. E. Foxworth, Adm'r, etc.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Pleadings — practice.—Whatever might be the proper judgment upon a demurrer to a declaration for want of technical form, it is manifest that, after plea, issue in bar and demurrer to the evidence, it is too late to raise the exceptions. 2. Demurrer to evidence. — Office of demurrer to evidence considered, and rule repeated, citing 43 Miss. 184. 3. Same — practice.—Where the plaintiff in assumpsit proved that, at the request of the defendant, though without any special contract for the amount of wages, he had been in defendant’s employ for two yearn, the law raises an assumpsit upon the quantum meruit; and upon demurrer to the evidence, the judgment will be quod recuperet, and a writ of inquiry to ascertain the amount.