Heese v. Plantz
Heese v. Plantz
Opinion of the Court
William Heese, plaintiff, brought this action against Orville H. Plantz, defendant, to recover $10,000 in damages for a malicious prosecution and an unlawful search. In a proceeding before a justice of the peace for Dodge
Did the trial court err in directing the jury that the search was unlawful? This is the controlling question presented by the appeal. A search-warrant was regularly issued on a sufficient showing. The instruction limiting the inquiry of the jury to the amount of damages sustained by Heese was based on the propositions that the magistrate in his writ authorized a search in the daytime only, and that consequently the search at night was unlawful. The instruction seems to be erroneous. There are two sections of the statute relating to the issuance of search-warrants. One provides for a form commanding the officer to whom the search-warrant is directed to make the search in the daytime,. Comp. St. 1922, sec. 10018. Another authorizes the magistrate to order the search in the nighttime. Comp. St. 1922, sec. 10019. In the present instance the magistrate obviously used a form intended for a search in the daytime. It shows on its face that it was partly printed with appropriate blanks for names, dates and other matter varying with each individual case. Part of one printed line reads thus: “You are hereby commanded to enter in
On account of a similar charge and search, Alfred Beaumont also recovered a judgment against Plantz in another action. The cases were consolidated, tried, and appealed together. The error pointed out is common to both cases. The judgments are therefore reversed and the causes remanded for further proceedings.
Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William Heese v. Orville H. Plantz, appellant Alfred Beaumont v. Orville H. Plantz
- Status
- Published