Gladden v. Gabbert

219 F. 855, 135 C.C.A. 525, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 1673
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 25, 1915
DocketNo. 2679
StatusPublished

This text of 219 F. 855 (Gladden v. Gabbert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gladden v. Gabbert, 219 F. 855, 135 C.C.A. 525, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 1673 (5th Cir. 1915).

Opinion

PARDEE, Circuit Judge.

This is an action of ejectment, brought by the plaintiff in error to recover two tracts of land, and mesne profits, situated in the Western division of the Northern district of Mississippi. To the plaintiff’s declaration the defendants pleaded a general issue of not guilty and the statute of limitations of 10 years, with adverse possession, under the laws of the state of Mississippi. On December 13, 1912, there was a trial before a jury, resulting in a verdict for the defendants.

After a motion for a new trial was refused, the case was brought here for review upon some seven assignments of error, only two of which are insisted upon, stated by counsel as follows:

“I. The court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion in arrest of judgment and for a new trial.
“(a) The evidence overwhelmingly showed that the first tract of land sued for was a part of section 7, and that the second tract of land sued for was a part of the south half of section 8, and under this evidence said lands [856]*856were the property of plaintiff, and the verdict of the jury should have bec-n in favor of plaintiff, under the admissions of the defendants as set forth in the stipulation in the record.
“(b) There was no evidence introduced by defendants which, after giving the same full consideration, was in any way sufficient to uphold the verdict of the jury for defendants.
“(c) The verdict of the jury was directly contrary to and clearly ignored the special instructions of the court given to them at the request of plaintiff.
“(d) The verdict of the jury was clearly contrary to the law as given them by the court, and contrary to all the evidence in the ease.
“(e) The verdict of the jury is without any reasonable support, either under the law as given by the court or under any reasonable construction of the evidence introduced.
“IX. The court erred in merely handing the jury the written requests for special instructions as asked by plaintiff, and in not reading said special in-' structions to them, or delivering the same orally, because it is evident, from the utterly unauthorized verdict as returned by the jury, that they either did not read said instructions, or, if they did read same, they evidently did not regard said instructions as binding or controlling, and ignored same in finding their verdict.”

The bill of exceptions shows the following proceedings in the trial after the evidence was closed:

“C. S. Gladden v. Gabbert & Moore.
“In this case the plaintiff requests the court to charge the jury specially as follows: [Here follow copies of requested instructions, marked ‘Filed December 12, 1912,’ covering some five printed pages of the record, not necessary to insert.]”

Requests for special instructions, being in writing, were at the time handed to the court by plaintiff’s counsel, and the court, having examined same, handed all of them to the jury, without either reading same to the jury or commenting thereon, and at the same time stated to the jury as follows:

“Gentlemen of the jury: The plaintiff’s counsel has asked certain special instructions to be given you touching the matters involved in this suit, .and, the requests for same being in writing, I hand you said written requests, all of which I give you, and you will now retire and make up your verdict.”

And thereupon the jury retired to consider of their verdict, and returned into open court a general verdict in favor of the defendants. And thereupon the,court rendered judgment for the defendant. And thereupon plaintiff, by his counsel, moved the court in open court to arrest the judgment in favor of the defendants, and to set aside the verdict of the jury and said judgment, and grant him a new trial, upon the following grounds:

“In the District Court of the United States for the Western Division of the Northern District of Mississippi.
“C. S. Gladden, Plaintiff, v. J. T. Gabbert and M. P. Moore, Defendants.
“In this case comes the plaintiff, by his attorney, and moves the court to set aside the verdict of the jury and judgment of the court rendered thereon,, and grant him a new trial, upon the following grounds, to wit:
“1. Because the verdict of the jury is against the clear preponderance of the evidence.
“2. Because the verdict of the jury is contrary to the instructions of the court.
“3. Because the verdict- of the jury is not supported by any evidence in the case, and is clearly contrary to the instructions as given -by-the court. '
[857]*857“4. Because the court erred in giving its oral charge to the jury as to the burden of proof on plaintiff to establish title by a preponderance of the evidence, in not .distinguishing and calling attention to the agreement of. parties that title was to follow the disputed boundary of the land in controversy.
“5. Because the court did not charge the jury orally on the facts in this ease and the law governing same, as is set forth in plaintiff’s first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh written request for the same.
“For these and other causes to be assigned on the hearing hereof, the plaintiff moves the court to set aside the verdict of the jury and the judgment rendered thereon, and grant him a new trial.
“St. John Waddell, Attorney for Plaintiff.
“Filed December, 1913. S. B. Oldham, Clerk.”

And thereupon the court overruled said motion of plaintiff, to which action of the court the plaintiff then and there excepted, and his exceptions were allowed and noted, and plaintiff prayed a writ of error therefrom to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at New Orleans, La., which was granted by the court upon plaintiff executing cost bond for the same, conditioned and payable as required by law, in the sum of $500, and was granted 90 days in which to prepare and file herein his bill of exceptions and assignments of error; said order being in words and figures as follows:

“C. S. Gladden, Plaintiff, v. Gabbert and Moore, Defendants.
“This cause came on this day to be heard on the motion of the plaintiff to set aside the verdict of the jury and judgment of court rendered thereon in this case, and to grant him a new trial; and the court, after fully considering the same, doth order and adjudge that said motion be and the same .is hereby overruled and denied.

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Bluebook (online)
219 F. 855, 135 C.C.A. 525, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 1673, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gladden-v-gabbert-ca5-1915.