Gale v. Priddy
Gale v. Priddy
Opinion of the Court
The question raised in this case is concerning the refusal of the court of common pleas to instruct the jury to find specially upon particular questions of fact submitted by the plaintiff in error, who was defendant in that court. This was assigned as error in the circuit court, and the judgment of the common pleas was affirmed. It appears from the record that at the close of the testimony, before the argument of the case, and at the time defendant submitted his request to charge, the defendant also submitted to the court, in writing, certain requests to direct the jury to give a special verdict in writing, upon certain issues as follows: (Here follows the title of the case, and continuing) “And we return the questions submitted to us with our answers thereto, as follows, to-wit:” (Here follow the questions with a blank space after each for answers thereto, concluding with) “Upon consideration whereof the court refused each and all of said requests severally, to which refusal defendant then and there excepted.” It does not appear that the court was requested to instruct the jury “to find specially upon particular questions, of fact,” although questions seem to have been prepared and submitted to the court for the purpose of procuring such a special finding. Instead of such a request, the record shows that the defendant requested the court “to direct the jury to give a special verdict in writing upon certain issues,” which is a very different thing. It does not appear that a special verdict on any “issues” was prepared and submitted as is the general and proper practice in such cases. 22 Encv. PI. & Pr., 993; but it does appear that certain “particular questions of fact” were prepared, which coun
The statute, Sec. 5201, is mandatory upon the court to “instruct the jurors, if they render a general verdict, to find specially upon particular questions of fact;” but it is so mandatory only when the court is so requested to instruct the jurors by either party. That the request for special findings shall contain the condition that the questions shall be answered in case a general verdict shall be rendered, is therefore not a matter of mere form but one of substance. This statute is identical with the statute of. Indiana on the same subject and was adopted from that state. The Supreme Court of Indiana had repeatedly construed the statute as above, before its enactment here, as well as since that time. Manning v. Gasharie, 27
When a statute is adopted from another state where it has received a settled construction, the presumption is that such construction'was adopted and that the terms of the statute are used in the same sense. Gray v. Askew, 3 Ohio, 466, 480; Paine v. Mason, 7 Ohio St., 198, 207; Favorite v. Booher, 17 Ohio St., 548, 554; Hilliard v. Gas Coal Co., 41 Ohio St., 662, 669.
From the foregoing it is clear that there are, apparent upon the record in this case, several reasons why the judgment of the court below should be, and it accordingly is,
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.