Cass County v. Gibson

107 F. 363, 46 C.C.A. 341, 1901 U.S. App. LEXIS 3715
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedMarch 5, 1901
DocketNo. 917
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 107 F. 363 (Cass County v. Gibson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cass County v. Gibson, 107 F. 363, 46 C.C.A. 341, 1901 U.S. App. LEXIS 3715 (6th Cir. 1901).

Opinion

CLARK, District Judge,

after stating tbe case as above, delivered the opinion of the court.

There are 37 assignments of error to the rulings and instructions of the court below, but we do not find it necessary to consider these separately, or in extenso. The exceptions to testimony taken by the plaintiff in error were based upon the proposition that the building committee was without authority to bind the county for extra work, the price of which constituted part of the amount sued for. As precisely the same point is presented in exceptions to the court’s instruction to the jury, the assignment on these exceptions is not material, and we pass it with the remark that it is not in accordance with the rule of this court which requires that, “when the error alleged is to the admission or to the rejection of evidence, the assignment of errors shall quote the full substance of the evidence admitted or rejected.” The exception to the court’s refusal to instruct the jury as. requested is general. Several of the propositions included in this request are clearly unsound, and under such circumstances the exception is insufficient to. compel a re-examination in this court. Felton v. Newport, 34 C. C. A. 470, 92 Fed. 470; Railroad Co. v. Callaghan, 161 U. S. 91, 16 Sup. Ct. 493, 40 L. Ed. 628; Bogk v. Gassert, 149 U. S. 17, 13 Sup. Ct. 738, 37 L. Ed. 631; Newport News & M. Val. Co. v. Pace, 158 U. S. 36, 15 Sup. Ct. 743; 39 L. Ed. 887; Railroad Co. v. Volk, 151 U. S. 73, 14 Sup. Ct. 239, 38 L. Ed. 78.

We further observe, in passing from this assignment,-that the instructions refused are not set out totidem verbis, as the rule of this [367]*367court requires. And this observation is equally applicable to the remaining assignments of error found in the record, the purpose of which is to raise questions on different parts of the court’s instructions to the jury, without setting out, in conformity to that rule, the portion of the charge excepted to. Notwithstanding the failure to conform to the rule, we proceed to examine the only two assignments of error which raise questions of sufficiently serious import to call for separate consideration and determination; the other assignments being clearly untenable, if in proper form under the rale. In one of these assignments the following instruction is complained of as erroneous:

“If you find that his tender of performance by correcting the defects was made in good faith, inasmuch as he was prevented from going on wiih his contract by the board, the plaintiff is entitled to recover for what he had done in pursuance of the original contract, or any modification or incident thereof, which was authorized to be made by the contract itself, including the materials appropriated by the county; and the measure of damages is the fair and reasonable value of what was thus contributed by the plaintiff in labor and materials towards the construction of the building.”

The contention of the plaintiff in error is that the proposition made by the defendant in error to correct any defects, and proceed with the execution of the contract, was coupled with the condition that certain sums claimed to be due should be first paid by the county; and the exception is that the above instruction treats the proposition as an unqualified one in the omission of any reference to the condition. We are not prepared to say that the offer was upon the condition suggested. But, conceding that the tender of performance was upon such condition, this was a circumstance for the consideration of the jury, along with the other facts and circumstances of the case, in determining whether the tender of performance was made in good faith. This instruction, so far as it went, was not incorrect, in view of the particular facts of this case. There was no request for any further instruction, or for any modification of the instruction as given, and, if the charge was not regarded as sufficiently full upon the facts, the attention of the court should have been called to the point by request for further instruction; and in the absence of such request the objection cannot be sustained. Railroad Co. v. Volk, 151 U. S. 73, 14 Sup. Ct. 239, 38 L. Ed. 78; Railroad Co. v. Cody, 166 U. S. 606, 17 Sup. Ct. 703, 41 L. Ed. 1132. Furthermore, the exception on which this assignment is based is to this entire paragraph in the charge, and was general, and did not specifically suggest or point out the defect or omission now complained of, so as to bring it distinctly to the attention of the court, and afford an opportunity to remedy the,omission, if^gmy existed. Under these circumstances the exception was insufficient, and the assignment unsustainable. Society v. Faulkner, 91 U. S. 415, 23 L. Ed. 283; Railroad Co. v. Varnell, 98 U. S. 479, 25 L. Ed. 233; Railway Co. v. Jurey, 111 U. S. 584, 4 Sup. Ct. 566, 28 L. Ed. 527; Newport News & M. Val. Co. v. Pace, 158 U. S. 36, 15 Sup. Ct. 743, 39 L. Ed. 887; Columbus Const. Co. v. Crane Co., 40 C. C. A. 35, 98 Fed. 946; O’Neil v. Vermont, 144 U. S. 323, 12 Sup. Ct. 693, 36 L. Ed. 450.

[368]*368The remaining assignment of error which we notice is based on the contention that the extra work was done, and the extra materials furnished, pursuant to an agreement made with the building committee in the progress of the'work, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the general contract. As we have stated, certain items of the account upon which this suit was brought are for extra work and materials. It is insisted that the hoard of supervisors was without power to appoint a building committee with a right to direct extra work or make changes in the building, although this was provided for in the general contract. It is insisted that this was an attempt on the part of the hoard of supervisors to delegate a power which belonged exclusively to it, and that it was without authority to appoint an agent or committee charged with the duty of supervising the execution of a general contract in its business details and requirements. The instruction of the circuit court in relation to this question, given in full, was as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
107 F. 363, 46 C.C.A. 341, 1901 U.S. App. LEXIS 3715, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cass-county-v-gibson-ca6-1901.