Robson v. Jones
Robson v. Jones
Opinion of the Court
There are two grounds relied upon by the plaintiff in error in this case for a reversal of the judgment:
First—Error of the court in overruling the application of the plaintiff in error for a continuance.
Second—The rejection of an auditor’s report upon exceptions filed by the defendant in error.
In regard to the first alleged error, both from the language of the statutes and the practice of this court, to entitle a party to avail himself of it, it is necessary to tender a bill of exceptions to the ruling of the court upon such motion, before this court can consider it.
In relation to the other ground, it. may be justly questioned, under our system, in which a jury trial is constitutionally secured to parties in all cases, whether an auditor’s report, when objected to by either party, can be properly read upon the trial. The act of 1846; which authorizes the appointment of an auditor, to state an account between the parties, leaves the appointment and the action under it entirely in the discretion of the court. And the whole purpose of the act was only designed to aid and abbreviate the labors of the court in the investigation of complicated accounts between parties litigant. But the act cannot restrict the discretion of the judge in his ultimate determination of his method of
The jury seems fully to have inquired into the facts of the case, and rendered their verdict, under rulings of the court upon the law, to which no valid objections can be perceived, so far as the record shows. The judgment of the District Court is therefore affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Robert Robson v. W. J. Jones
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- I.. The-overruling of an application for a continuance by the district court cannot be revised by this court, unless- a bill of exceptions was duly taken. 2. In view of the constitutional guaranty of a jury trial to parties in all eases, it may justly be questioned whether an auditor’s report, if objected to by either party, can be properly read upon the trial of a cause ■ 3. Tbe statute-, (Paschal’s digest, Article 3760,) which authorizes the appointment of an. auditor by the district couit, to state an account between parties litigant, leaves the appointment and the action under it entirely in the discretion of the district court. 4. When the district court, for reasons satisfactory to itself, rejected the report of an auditor, and submitted the whole -case to a jury under proper instructions, this court will not revise its action in excluding the report, which action, in effect, was no more than the concession of the constitutional right of trial by jury. 5. But this court will revise any alleged error of the district eourt in ad mitting an auditor’s report to be readdo the jury, over objections of either of the parties litigant; and if it appears that the report was unfairly or unjustly made, or that it was calculated to mislead, or to make a false impression upon the jury, this court will correct the error com mitfced in its admission.