Williams v. Weekley
Williams v. Weekley
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
This is a proceeding in claim and delivery in which the plaintiff claims that the defendant, wrongfully, wilfully, maliciously and surreptitiously seized and withheld from him a certain mule, the property of the plaintiff.
The defendant claims the right to ..the possession of the property by reason of a chattel mortgage executed by the plaintiff to one, Bamberg, and assigned to her for value.
*30 The plaintiff claimed to have paid the mortgage debt. There was a motion for a nonsuit, which was overruled. The jury found for the plaintiff the property and fifty dollars damages. From a judgment entered thereon, the defendant appealed.
This exception cannot be sustained.
The mortgage was not then in evidence, but it would have been immaterial if it had been. The plaintiff and Craddock signed the mortgage and if it covered the mule it was immaterial whether the plaintiff bought directly from Bamberg, or indirectly through Craddock. The fact that Craddock gave his note for the whole debt for several animals, would tend to show that the statement was true, and it in no way contradicted or varied the written instrument.
II. Exception 2. “The Court committed error of law in overruling defendant’s objection and permitting plaintiff to testify, 'the money went through Mr. Craddock’s hands,’ and refusing to strike same out on defendant’s motion; the error being that the contract was in writing with Bamberg, and no payment to anyone else could, as a matter of law, discharge the debt.”
This exception cannot be sustained.
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III. Exception 3. a. “The Court committed error of law in permitting plaintiff to testify over defendant’s objection to any other attempt to get the mule, other than the one of March 26h; the error being that defendant was charged with a specific delict, alleged to have occurred on March 26th, and not with a series of attempts.”
b. “There was further error in permitting said testimony over defendant’s objection, because, at the time testified to, defendant had given her bond and taken the mule under claim and delivery proceedings. The law being that where a bond is given in such proceedings no punitive damages can be recovered thereafter.”
c. “There was further error in permitting said testimony over defendant’s objection, and saying: ‘Go ahead; I will charge the jury what the law is.’ The error being that it is an abuse of discretion to admit palpably incompetent testimony, even though the Judge should thereafter charge the law correctly. And particularly in this case, where the Judge failed and neglected to so charge.”
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IV. Exception 4. “That the Court committed error of law in permitting the receipts to be introduced over defendant’s objection; said receipts having been given by Craddock and Hogg. The error being that no agency being established, said receipts were incompetent, irrelevant and were greatly prejudicial to defendant, in that they were offered for the purpose of proving payment of the mortgage under which defendant claimed.”
“There was further error in admitting these receipts over defendant’s objection, because this defendant was an innocent purchaser for value; and until plaintiff carried knowledge and notice of the payment before the transfer of said mortgage to this defendant, no testimony of such payment was relevant or competent, and was, therefore, prejudicial to the defendant.”
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Williams v. Weekley.
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- Syllabus
- Appeal and Error. Evidence. Agency. Relevancy. Wilfulness. Damages. Claim and Delivery. Charge. Bills and Notes Chattel Mortgages. 1. Appeal and Error.—Exceptions not argued will be deemed abandoned. 2. Evidence.—Testimony that plaintiff got the property in question from C., is not objectionable as contradicting varying statement in written instrument of mortgage of same jiroperty given a third party. 3. Evidence—Principal and Agent.-—Parol testimony is admissible to show agency of persons receiving money for a mortgagee, and payment through such agent. 4. Evidence—Wilfulness.—Where a wilful trespass in taking personal property is alleged, the admission of testimony to show the circumstances which led to the taking, is within the discretion of the trial Judge. 5. Charge—Appeal and Error.—Where the Court through mere oversight omits to charge the jury upon a proposition of law, and the appellant fails to call his attention to the omission, he waives it. 6. Claim and Delivery—Damages.—The provision in Code Civil Proc., sec. 338, that where either party to an action for recovery of personal property gives bond for the property in question, as provided by law, no punitive damages shall be allowed for anything occurring in the pending action in which the bond is given, after giving such bond; does not shield against future actions for punitive damages for wilful acts committed after the termination of such pending action. 7. Evidence—Relevancy.—Where there was testimony tending to show agency of a third party to receive payments due a mortgagee, receipts given by such party for such payments are relevant in action against the assignee of the mortgagee. 8. Bills and Notes—Chattel Mortgages.—An assignee after maturity of a negotiable note, and chattel mortgage securing same, acquires only the rights of his assignor, and cannot claim to be an innocent purchaser for value without notice of payments theretofore made to the mortgagee or his agent.