Murphy v. Cappeau

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Murphy v. Cappeau, 147 Pa. 45 (Pa. 1892)
23 A. 438; 1892 Pa. LEXIS 782
Clark, Cueiam, Green, Mitchell, Pax, Son, Sterrett, Williams

Murphy v. Cappeau

Opinion of the Court

Pee Cueiam,

We tbink the court below was right in discharging the rule for judgment. As the case may come up again at a later stage, discussion of it now is unnecessary.

It may not be out of place for us to say that the practice of bringing up cases upon the refusal of the court below to enter a judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defence, involves delay, an increased expense to the parties, and seldom results in any good. It requires a clear case to induce us to reverse the court below under such circumstances, for the reason that a refusal to enter judgment sends the case to a jury, where the rights of the parties can be properly disposed of. Recent legislation has given appeals in so many interlocutory orders that our time is largely occupied in hearing cases of this character, in many of which, at least, nothing is decided of practical value, while the time which we ought to give to important cases is curtailed to a corresponding extent; and, if this kind of legislation is further extended, it cannot be long before the business of the court will outgrow our ability to manage it. We cannot do more than we are doing now.

Judgment affirmed. C.

Reference

Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Affidavit of defence — Mechanics' lien — Bill of particulars. The particulars appended to a mechanics’ lien, filed by a material-man, contained items without dates or prices; the dates of other items were not consecutive, and the prices given were confusing. The affidavit of defence averred that the defendant was unable to ascertain from the bill the propriety or reasonableness of the charges; Held that the court below was right in discharging a rule for judgment. Affidavit of defence law. Only in a clear case will the Supreme Court reverse an order refusing judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defence, inasmuch as the result of the order is simply to send the case before a jury, where the rights of the parties can properly be disposed of.