Halm v. Madison
Halm v. Madison
Opinion of the Court
— The respondent, a minor, brought this action against the appellants to recover for injuries received from the bite of a dog, owned and lcept by the appellants. He recovered in the court below, on a trial had before the court sitting without a jury, and this appeal followed.
The only error assigned is that the findings and judgment of the court are contrary to the weight of the evidence. It is contended that the evidence did not justify the findings of the court to the effect that the dog was vicious, and that the defendants knew of its vicious propensities. But as we read the record, the evidence clearly supports these findings. It is not questioned that the dog bit the respondent, and
We think the evidence sustains the judgment, and it will therefore stand affirmed.
Dunbar, C. J., Mount, and Parker, JJ. concur.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting) — The husband and wife have not heretofore been regarded as joint owners of the community property in this state. I do not think that community property is held by such a tenure, nor do I think that the knowledge of the wife of the vicious propensities of a domestic animal can be imputed to the husband. She is in no sense his servant or agent. He is the manager and has the untrammeled right of disposal of the community personal property. I therefore think that the judgment against the husband was erroneous, and that it should be reversed as to him.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Umna Halm, by his Guardian etc. v. John Madison
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Animals — Dogs—Viciousness — Evidence — Sufficiency — Joint Ownership — Knowledge — Husband and Wife — Notice to Wife. There is sufficient evidence of the vicious propensities of a dog and notice thereof to sustain a verdict against a husband and wife, as a community, for personal injuries inflicted upon a child, where it appears that it bit the child, that it had previously bitten two other children, and was cross when teased, and the wife had been warned as to its vicious propensities and told of its biting another child; notice to one joint owner being notice to all the owners (Gose, J., dissenting in part).