Reynolds v. Creveling
Reynolds v. Creveling
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Plaintiff’s contention, that the court below erred in reducing the amount ascertained and awarded to him by the learned referee, appears to be well grounded.
The reference was under the provisions of the act of June 16, 1836, according to which the report of the referee is final and
The only part of plaintiff’s claim involved in this appeal is that for coal sold and delivered. As to that, the learned referee found as a fact that “ the plaintiff Reynolds delivered the coal, as claimed, to Creveling, Miles & Co., Limited, at the times and for the prices named.” The effect of this finding would be an award in favor of plaintiff for the amount of the claim, unless it was satisfactorily shown that the same was partially or wholly paid. It was alleged that payment had been made by notes of the Glendower Iron Works, accepted by plaintiff in full satisfaction of his claim against defendants; but the referee reported that “ there was no sufficient evidence to satisfy him that these notes were accepted as payment by Reynolds. On the contrary, the weight of the evidence is the other way.”
Plaintiff’s claim was for $21,911.23, and interest. The referee awarded him only $11,540 thereof with interest. This was the amount of a judgment note given by defendants on June 5, 1885, which, as appears from plaintiff’s ledger, was in effect a settlement of accounts between them. The accounts appear to have been carelessly kept and the referee reported that it was difficult to state precisely how the account stood. In this he is clearly sustained by the record.
We think the learned judge of the common pleas erred in construing the finding of the referee as an award for the amount of an account stated by the parties and in striking out items of which the statement referred to is in part composed. The sale and delivery of the coal in question was proved by defendants’ books. That made a clear prima facie case for the plaintiff. The admission, appearing by plaintiff’s ledger account, of the balance found by the referee, was a matter for his consideration; and neither the court below, nor this court, can with any propriety undertake to revise his conclusion in that regard. Whether we should have concurred with the
As was said in Gunn v. Bowers, supra, the uniform construction of the act “ has been, that it gives the court no power to make a new or different award based on a different view of the law or the facts, thus substituting the judgment of the court for that of the chosen arbitrator, but only such power as the court has over a verdict to sustain it or set it aside as a whole.”
The assignments of error are sustained, the judgment of the court below is reversed and judgment is now entered on the report of the referee in favor of plaintiff and against the defendants for 118,106.26 with interest from January 8, 1895.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Charles H. Reynolds, of the Will of A. H. Reynolds v. Alfred Creveling, George W. Miles and Henry Levis, Copartners now or late trading as Creveling, Miles & Co., Limited
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Reference — Conclusiveness of award — Act of June 16, 1886. The act of June 16, 1886, P. L. 717, relating to reference and arbitration, gives the court no power to make a new or different award, based on a view of the law or the facts different from that of the arbitrators or referee, thus substituting the judgment of the court for that of the chosen arbitrator, but only such power as the court has over a verdict, to sustain it or set it aside as a whole. In the absence of any clerical or manifest and unquestionable mistake, the court has no power to cut down the amount of an award of arbitrators or referee appointed under the provisions of the act of June 16, 1886.