Austin v. Richardson
Austin v. Richardson
Opinion of the Court
delivered the resolution of the Court, to the following effect:
The first exception taken by the counsel for the appellant is, that there is no averment of notice to the defendant, that due diligence had been used to obtain payment from Imlay. But, the Court is of opinion, that there was no necessity for such an averment; for, the defendant undertook to see the money paid; and, of course, it was his business to look to the performance himself, without any notice from the plaintiff. For, the difference is, where the party cannot perform the thing, without receiving notice from the person to whom it is to be performed, and where he may perform it without such notice, from the other side. In the first case, a special notice and demand is necessary, but not in the other; and that is the whole amount of the cases cited from Espinasse, by the appellant’s counsel. But, in the present case, the defendant might have performed his undertaking without notice from the plaintiff; he might have consulted the records, and seen the deed; he might have ascertained whether the money had been paid by Imlay; and, if not, he might have had it done, without notice, or other act, on the part of the plaintiff. Of course, as he had entered into an express undertaking, if he failed to perform it, a general allegation of the demand and refusal was sufficient, without stating a special notice or particular request. The case of Chichester v. Vass, 1 Call, 83, has no influence on the case, as was supposed by the appellant’s counsel; for, that case did not
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.