Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1945

Smith v. . Steen

Smith v. . Steen
Supreme Court of North Carolina · Decided November 28, 1945 · Devin
35 S.E.2d 888; 225 N.C. 644; 1945 N.C. LEXIS 378 (South Eastern Reporter, Second Series)

Smith v. . Steen

Opinion of the Court

Devin, J.

The determinative issue of fact raised by the pleadings, and upon which the contest was waged, has been by the jury decided in *645 favor of the defendants. The only assignments of error brought forward by the plaintiff in his appeal relate to the court’s instructions to the jury. An examination of the charge as a whole in the light of the criticism noted, however, leads us to the conclusion that no prejudicial error is shown, which should require upsetting the verdict and judgment and awarding a new trial. “The burden is on the appellant not only to show error but to enable the court to see that he was prejudiced or the verdict of the jury probably influenced thereby.” Collins v. Lamb, 215 N. C., 719, 2 S. E. (2d), 863; Wilson v. Lumber Co., 186 N. C., 56, 118 S. E., 797.

The case at bar involved controverted questions of fact which seem to have been fairly presented. The triers of the facts have accepted the defendants’ version. The result will not be disturbed.

No error.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.