Davis v. Wilkins
Davis v. Wilkins
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
On a former day this cause was affirmed and judgment entered, with five per cent, damages on the judgment appealed from under section 4926, Code of 1906 (section 3202, Hemingway’s Code.) This motion is made to correct the judgment then rendered so as to eliminate that portion of the judgment embracing damages at the rate of five per cent, on the ground that the same is not recoverable against the United States or the director general, acting under the authority of the United States, and the cases of Mo. Pao. R. R. Co. v. Ault, 225 U. S. —, 41 Sup. Ct. 593, 65 L. Ed. —; Davis v. Elzey, 89 So. 666; Neely v. Payne, 89 So. 669.
We have considered the question presented, and have reached the conclusion that these cases have no application to the five per cent, damages under the above Code section, which section does not impose a penalty upon the director general nor upon the United States government .for neglect of the duty, nor as a liability for negligence for the nonperformance of any obligation. The damages imposed by such statute are liquidated damages, and constitute a condition of taking an appeal from the lower
The motion will therefore be overruled.
Overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Davis, Director General of Railroads, etc. v. Wilkins
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Railroads. United States Director General liable for damages on affirmance of appeal; United States is not a favored litigant as to appeals. Where the director general of Railroads appeals from a judgment, and the judgment is affirmed, damages at the rate of five per cent. on such judgment appealed from will be rendered under section 4936, Code 1906 (section 3303, Hemingway’s Code). Such damages are liquidated damages in the nature of a condition of appeal, and not a penalty in the sense that term is used in Mo. Pac. R. R. Co. v. Ault, 355 U. S. —, 41 Sup. Ct. 593, 65 L. Ed. —. As to appeals, the United States is not a favored litigant, but stands upon the same plane as other parties.