Aiken v. Seabury
Aiken v. Seabury
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
*377 This is an action in claim and delivery, to recover the possession of a horse. The case was tried by a magistrate without a jury, and he rendered judgment in favor of the defendant for possession of the 'property or for $75, the value thereof. The plaintiff appealed to the Circuit Court, but the appeal was dismissed, whereupon she appealed to this Court.
“Because the Circuit Judge erred in not holding that the record showed that the magistrate’s decision in favor of the defendant, for the possession of the said horse, rested upon the equitable ground of estoppel, and that the decision was erroneous for the reason that magistrates have no equity jurisdiction.”
Having reached this conclusion, there was competent testimony showing that the plaintiff was estopped from claiming the horse.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Aiken v. Seabury.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Appeal and Error — Review—Order Dismissing Appeal. — Where a Circuit Court Judge did not assign any reason for his order in dismissing an appeal from a magistrate, and there is nothing in the record showing that he based his conclusions upon any propositions of law contended to be erroneous by appellant’s attorneys, the appellate Court must assume that the order was based on meritorious grounds, if any such are disclosed by the record. 2. Magistrate — Jurisdiction.-—-Although Const., art. V, sec. 21, provides that the jurisdiction of magistrates shall not extend to cases in chancery, in an action in claim and delivery, to recover possession of a horse tried before a magistrate, defense of estoppel was in pais, and not equitable in its nature, and hence the magistrate had jurisdiction thereof.