MacPherson v. Harding
MacPherson v. Harding
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
1. The acceptance and acknowledgment of the balance as shown by plaintiff’s account made it an account stated, from which facts the law implies a promise to pay. The account stated is prima facie correct, and cannot be impeached save for fraud, error, or mistake. Gordon v. Frazer, 13 App. D. C. 382-387. An offer of evidence, on behalf of defendants, to show that “the action taken in the February 26th meeting of
2. The chief contention on behalf of the appellants is that there was a relation of partnership between plaintiff’s testator and the other members of the syndicate; and for that reason there could be no account stated between them, and no action at law thereon between partners. The argument on the point has taken a wide range as to the existence of a partnership, the right of a partner to sue copartners at law, the effect of the death of Harding as working the dissolution of the partnership, etc.
Being of the opinion that the syndicate was not a partnership, it is unnecessary to discuss the related questions. The parties did not enter into a partnership to purchase the land, nor were partnership funds used in paying for it. It was a single, special adventure on joint account, involving the payment in equal proportions of designated sums of money. There was a mere community of interest in the property. The purchasers were not partners, but tenants in common. Clark v. Sidway, 142 U. S. 682-690, 35 L. ed. 1157-1160, 12 Sup. Ct. Rep. 327; Starkweather v. Dyer, 30 App. D. C. 146—149. The action is maintainable at law upon the account stated.
3. No notice was taken of the fact that a proportion of the indebtedness shown in the account was chargeable to the shares of Harding in the land of the syndicate. The assessment ordered to meet this indebtedness, but subsequently recalled, contemplated that the estate should bear its part of the same, and
The remittitur is allowed and approved, and the judgment is modified in accordance therewith, to read $2,226.66, instead of $2,445.41, as entered; and, as so modified, is affirmed, with costs. Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.