Van Houten v. Ellison
Van Houten v. Ellison
Opinion of the Court
— It is admitted by the counsel for the defendant, that the release of one, in cases like the present, does not bar the other, and the law is clearly so. 3 Mod. 109, and 135; Cro. Eliz. 649; 6 Coke, 36. But he contends that on a plea of release, the non-releasing plaintiff should have severed from his companion, and obtained a judgment to prosecute alone. This would probably be correct, in case the defendant was regular in pleading the release as a bar to both plaintiffs; but I cannot very well understand how the defendant can, with legal propriety, plead a release of one as a bar to both, in cases where it is not a bar to both; had the release been pleaded as a bar to one only, and the release admitted, that one against whom the release was pleaded, would by the judgment of this court be barred; and the other plaintiff' would have judgment to prosecute the certiorari alone. But a question in the consideration of this case, hath pressed itself on my mind, whether the defendant in error, having pleaded as a bar to both plaintiffs, a matter which in law is not a bar to both, should not be concluded by his plea, and have judgment rendered against him at once. The parties having by the plea, demurrer, &c., put the cause on the validity of the release. The case of Carleton v. Mortagh, reported in 1 Salk. 368; 8 Salk. 399; 6 Mod. 113, 206; and in 2 Lord Ray. 1005, howevei’, shows that the court may look into the record of a release illy pleaded. In 6 Mod. 307, Powell, Justice, is made to say, that if a release be pleaded, that does not bar the writ, the court may proceed to examine the record; and that a release not well pleaded is as none. - In case of a plea of a release of error, and demurrer thereon, the question to be determined, is not whether there is error in the record or not, but whether the plaintiff in error is barred of his writ or not. In the case under [*] consideration, one of the plaintiffs is barred, and the other is not. This being apparent on the record, the court, on the best consideration which
Kirkpatrick, C. J.. and Rosserr, J. — Concurred.
Judgment was rendered, that the releasing plaintiff be barred, and that the non-releasing plaintiff prosecute alone.
Cited in Sheppard v. Fenton, 4 Halst. 8; Pharo v. Parker, 1 Zab. 752.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.