De Prevost v. Young
De Prevost v. Young
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
This is an action for deceit. At the trial, appellant, Teresa O. De Prevost, plaintiff below, at the conclusion of the talcing of the testimony, apprehending an unfavorable verdict, asked leave to withdraw a juror, to have the jury discharged, and to be permitted to amend her declaration. The request was granted. An amended declaration was filed, which defendant, Robert A. Young, moved to strike from the files, on the ground, among other things, that “the amended declaration is simply a verbose and frivolous restatement of the cause of action attempted to be set up by the declaration without the addition of any material averments.”
A comparison of the original and amended declarations fully sustains the holding of the court below that “the amended declaration states no different cause of action than that set forth in the original declaration; that is to say, it states no different cause of action that might be permitted in an amended declaration growing out of the same set of facts alleged in the original declaration and admitted to be established, by the plaintiff’s testimony thereunder.” Indeed, plaintiff, in her brief, says of the amended declaration that “the narr. was amplified, but the cause of action as stated was in substance the same” as in the original declaration. ■ An amended declaration which contains no additional material averments which, if true, w'ould, on the issue, present a different state of facts for the consideration of the jury than that adduced under the original declaration, amounts to no amendment at all, and does not entitle plaintiff to a second trial. “The request to withdraw a juror and to dis
As this disposes of the appeal, it is unnecessary to consider the other questions presented.
The judgment is affirmed, with costs. Affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting:
I cannot concur in the judgment just rendered, and state my reasons briefly. The trial court continued the case without limitation or condition of any kind whatever. This, in my opinion, placed it back precisely where it was before the trial had been entered upon, and all that had been done in the way of a trial up to that time was blotted out and went for naught. Upon finding that the so-called amended declaration was not in fact an amendment, but a mere elaboration of the original, the court was justified in striking it from the files, but it should not have dismissed the case.
The original declaration had not been abandoned. It stated a cause of action; at least there is no decision that it did not. We must assume for the purpose of this review that it set forth facts which, if true, entitled the plaintiff to recover, yet she is denied that right and her case is dismissed out of court, — dismissed without a judgment of record that either her declaration, or her evidence in support of it, was insufficient to sustain a judgment in her favor.
I do not think that Jackson v. Emmons, 13 App. D. C. 269, much relied upon in the majority opinion, can be used with effect against my views. It seems to hold (1) that the failure to amend was a ground for dismissal, but said (2) that the dismissal it was reviewing was “evidently based, not so much on the refusal to amend, as on the refusal to pay costs.” It went to the Supreme Court of the United States and was reversed. 176 U. S. 532, 44 L. ed. 576, 20 Sup. Ct. Rep. 465. If the dismissal was proper on either ground indicated by this court, the case would have been affirmed. On the other hand, since it was not affirmed, we must infer both grounds were rejected,— that neither was sufficient to- support the judgment. And that being so, the decision of this court in that case can no longer be cited as an authority. Besides, I think, the decision of the Supreme Court clearly upholds the conclusion which, in my opinion, should be adopted here. It says: “If the original order granting leave to amend had been made conditional upon the- payment of costs, the plaintiff might or might not have accepted it. * * * Whatever conditions or rights the defendant was entitled to in consequence of the motion [to withdraw a juror, continue the case, and amend] should have been asserted and adjudged when the plaintiff’s motion was made. If such rights had been asserted the plaintiff would have had a choice of yielding or not yielding to them, which afterwards could not be exercised.” So here, if the original order had been conditional the plaintiff “might or might not have accepted” it.
To impose a condition later, which was not mentioned or contemplated at the time the order was made, and, upon plain
A motion for a writ of error to the Supreme Court of the United States was denied May 29, 1918.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- DE PREVOST v. YOUNG
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Withdrawal or Juror; Amended Declaration; New Trial. One who has obtained leave to withdraw a juror after the evidence is taken, and have the jury discharged and to be permitted to- amend the declaration, is not entitled to a new trial on the amended declaration where this is in substance the same as the original, and contains no additional material averments which, if true, ivould, on the issue, present a different state of facts for the consideration of the jury than that adduced on the original declaration. (Citing Jackson v. Emmons, 13 App. D. C. 269.) (Mr. Chief Justice Smyth dissenting.) °