Stern v. Stanton
Stern v. Stanton
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The assignments from the first to the eighth inclusive com
The objections to the evidence offered and excluded were well taken. It was competent for the defendants to show that the plaintiff had a reasonable time in which to remove the goods after the sale and before they were distrained. But the reasonable time allowed for their removal is not the time within which they might possibly be removed by extraordinary effort.
It is not the shortest possible time in which they could be removed, but the time required to move them with diligence in the ordinary and usual manner of moving such goods. Hence, evidence showing what might possibly be accomplished in an emergency calling for extraordinary effort and the employment of unusual methods is not strictly relevant.
The allowance or disallowance of questions addressed to a witness, on a re-examination of him, for the purpose of obtaining a repetition of some part of his former testimony is a matter within the sound discretion of the court, and therefore not subject to review, unless a palpable abuse of the discretion appears. The questions addressed to Watterson on the defendants’ proposed re-examination of him were of this nature, and the disallowance of them by the court affords no reasonable ground for complaint.
It is by no means certain that a letter written and sent by Watterson & Reid to their clients on the day the goods were distrained would be competent or relevant evidence in this issue. It is clear, however, that neither the person who wrote it nor the person who dictated it could testify to its contents without proof of its loss, or at least of an effort and an inability to produce it. It is sufficient to say of the rejection of the offer to prove the contents of the letter that the grounds for the introduction of such evidence if relevant and competent were not laid.
It is obvious that neither Gloninger nor Weber was quali
For the reasons above stated we conclude that there is nothing in the rulings complained of in the assignments referred to which inquires or would justify a reversal of the judgment. The 9th and 10th assignments complain of instructions to the effect that the plaintiff was entitled to a reasonable time in which to remove the goods, and the 11th and 12th assignments complain of the refusal of the court to hold that the alleged inaction of the plaintiff during a part of that time authorized the defendants to distrain the goods before tbe expiration of it. The court, however, in the general charge and the answer to the plaintiff’s second point, virtually instructed the jury that if they found from the evidence that the plaintiff, on the day before the goods were distrained, informed the defendants or their agents that he did not intend to remove the goods, and that it was his purpose to keep them where they were until he could sell them, he could not recover. It seems to us that this instruction was as favorable to the defendants as they could reasonably expect. The goods were turned over by the sheriff to the plaintiff Saturday evening, January 4, and they were dis-trained by the defendants Thursday morning, January 9. As the reasonable time allowed for their removal did not include the nighttime or Sunday it must be held to date from the 6th of January. The plaintiff testified that on the 6th they were busy in picking out and delivering the goods bought by other parties, and that he spent all of the next day in looking for a place to put the goods purchased by him. On the 8th of January there was an interview between the parties in which the defendants were represented by Watterson, Black and Gloninger, and the creditors for whom the goods were purchased were represented by the plaintiff, Cohen and Israel. The plaintiff testified distinctly and positively that at this interview it was agreed that he should occupy the premises, prior to April 1,
It is settled by the verdict that the defendants’ claim that
Further reference to or discussion of the evidence affecting
All the assignments are overruled.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- D. L. Stern, Trustee v. William Stanton, Ellen I. Stanton and Joseph Weber
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Replevin—Sheriff's vendee—Distress—Landlord and tenant—Evidence. In an action of replevin by the sheriff’s vendee for goods which, before their removal'from the premises where they had been sold, were distrained for a quarter’s rent which matured between the time of the levy and the sale, one of the questions in dispute was whether the goods could have been removed in the ordinary course of business before the distraint, and another was whether there was a demise to the plaintiff after the sheriff’s sale. Held, that evidence as to the dimensions and contents of the buildings and as to whether plaintiff had offered to pay rent for the time during which he had occupied the premises was relevant. Sheriff's sale—Removal of goods—Reasonable time—Landlord and tenant.. A sheriff’s vendee of goods stored in a leased building has a reasonable-time in which to remove the goods after the sale. Such time is not the shortest possible time in which they could be removed, but the time required to move them with diligence in the ordinary and usual manner of moving such goods. An extraordinary case, like a hurried removal of goods from a building on fire, furnishes no measure of the reasonable time required, for the removal of such goods. In an action by a sheriff’s vendee to recover goods distrained after the-sale, it appeared that the goods were turned over by the sheriff to the-plaintiff on a Saturday evening, and were distrained on the following-Thursday morning. Plaintiff testified that he was busy on Monday in picking out and delivering goods bought by other parties, and that he spent all of Tuesday in looking for a place to store the goods purchased by him. He-also testified, but in this he was contradicted, that on Wednesday defendant agreed that lie should keep the premises for a month and pay rent therefor. There was testimony that it would take from five to twelve days to remove the goods. Held, (1) that the fact that the plaintiff did not remove any portion of the goods before Thursday did not work a forfeiture of Ms right to the reasonable time which the law allowed for their removal; (2) that a verdict and judgment for plaintiff should be sustained. Evidence—Examination of witnesses—Discretion of court. The allowance or disallowance of questions addressed to a witness on a re-examination of him for the purpose of obtaining a repetition of some part of his former testimony, is a matter within the sound discretion of the court, and, therefore, not subject to review, unless a palpable abuse of discretion appears. Evidence—Lost letter. Evidence of the contents of a letter cannot be given without proof of the loss of the letter, or at least of an effort and an inability to produce it. Practice, G. P.—Trial—Charge of court—Expression of opinion by judge. It is not error for a trial judge to express an opinion upon the weight of the evidence if the facts be left to the jury.