Miller v. Borough of Belmar
Miller v. Borough of Belmar
Opinion of the Court
This is the plaintiff’s rule to show cause why the nonsuit with respect to the borough of Belmar and Joseph A. Mayer (the mayor of the borough) should not be set aside, and also why the verdict in favor of the plaintiff for six cents against Louis Norris, a policeman, should not be set aside as inadequate.
At the trial the evidence tended to show the following matters of fact (among others) : On August 10th, 1924, the plaintiff was engaged in bathing in the ocean at the borough of Belmar. This part of the beach where he was bathing was dangerous, several people having nearly lost their lives there. The borough authorities in recognition of that dan
Following these proceedings, the plaintiff began this suit for assault and battery, false imprisonment and .malicious prosecution, with the result that we have indicated.
We think that the verdict of the jury of six cents against Norris was not inadequate nor contrary to the evidence or the charge of the court. Assuming that there was a technical infringement of plaintiff’s rights upon the part of the officer, in view of the fact (which we think was a fact) that the plaintiff suffered no physical injury at all (his only injury being an injury to his ankle which he inflicted upon himself by trying to kick the officers and hitting the boardwalk), we cannot say that the verdict of six cents should be disturbed, more especially in view of the fact, as we find it, of the abusive character of the plaintiff’s conduct and language, which in our judgment justified his arrest and a proper complaint against him.
We find no error prejudicial to the plaintiff in the admission or rejection of evidence, and no error raised on this record respecting the direction of a verdict in favor of Norris on the first count in so far as it alleged a cause of action for malicious prosecution, nor do we find any prejudicial error in the refusal to direct a verdict for the plaintiff on the first count in so far as it alleged a cause of action for false imprisonment, nor do we find any prejudicial error in the refusal to charge requests.
The rule to show cause will be discharged.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.