Horst v. Handke

190 Iowa 658
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJanuary 11, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 190 Iowa 658 (Horst v. Handke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Horst v. Handke, 190 Iowa 658 (iowa 1921).

Opinion

Preston, J.

i trim.: instruetio^kPhMtns" theories. — The issues, stated as briefly as may be, are, as alleged by iilaintiff, that, on October 5, 1916, plaintiff and her husband and family were residing on lands owned by the defendant, which they had leased from defend-an*’s S01b Adolph, for the year 1916; that the premises so occupied and leased to them comprised a house, summer kitchen, part of the barn, and about an acre of ground; that, while she and her family were in the actual possession of said buildings and premises, and while she was in said summer kitchen, defendant wrongfully, unlawfully, wantonly, and maliciously made an assault upon her, and with great force and violence threw her out of said summer kitchen, and thereby caused her to fall out of the door on some boards and other objects, such fall covering a distance of two feet from the door, causing plaintiff severe and permanent shock and injury to her nervous system, two broken ribs, miscarriage, severe injuries to the muscles of her arms, side, and back, and permanent injury to her heart, spine, and other internal organs; that said injuries are permanent, and that she has suffered great physical and mental pain, worry, and humiliation, and will so suffer in [660]*660the future; that said assault was made for the purpose of harassing and oppressing her, for the purpose of causing her to vacate said premises.

Defendant denies generally, but admits that, at the date stated, plaintiff resided upon his farm, and used and occupied a portion of the real property described in the petition. He denies that plaintiff occupied said farm as a tenant; denies there was any summer kitchen on the premises; denies that plaintiff and her family were in the actual possession of any summer kitchen. He says he rented to plaintiff’s husband the house and the use of a part of the barn, and one acre of ground upon said premises, for $5.00 a month, subject to the right of defendant and his sons to use the barn yard and other buildings; that in the yard was a one-story granary, partitioned off into grain bins, at all times in the actual possession of defendant, in which he had stored tools, harness, etc.; and that said building was never rented to plaintiff’s husband or to anyone, except that defendant’s sons, farming said land, used the same; that, on the date in question, he was in said granary, removing some articles and arranging to use said building for himself and his son, who was farming said lands, when plaintiff made a vicious assault upon him with a hatchet, and endeavored to drive defendant from his premises, and made an assault with intent to inflict great bodily injury; that defendant, without malice, and without using more force than was necessary, grasped the plaintiff’s hand which held the hatchet, and took the hatchet from her; that he did not injure plaintiff, and that, if she was injured, it was by other means and other circumstances than by any act on the part of defendant. By way of counterclaim against the plaintiff, defendant says that, on the date in question, plaintiff maliciously, through her husband, acting for her and on her behalf, filed an information against defendant, charging him with the crime of assault with intent to do great bodily injury, under which he was arrested; that such proceedings were without probable cause; that there was never any trial under said information, but that the same was dismissed for want of prosecution ; that defendant has been damaged in the sum of $1,000, for which he asks judgment. The reply denies all such allegations.

[661]*661The jury was told, in substance, that, there being a dispute between the parties as to the transaction in question, it was for the jury to determine, from all the evidence, what in fact did occur between the parties at, the time in question, and the circumstances under which it occurred. We take it that the vital point in the case is as to the character of the building which plaintiff calls a summer kitchen, and whether it was a part of the dwelling, or whether, as defendant claims, it was a mere granary, and, under all the circumstances of the case, what the rights of the parties were, in reference thereto. The issues, direct and collateral, were many. There were 49 instructions to the jury, which instructions seem to have been carefully drawn. The errors assigned relate, for the most part, to the instructions. We do not understand appellant to complain of the instructions in reference to the counterclaim. Such instructions are not even set out in the abstract. Some of these, if not all, are set up in appellee’s additional abstract. Briefly, the complaint is that the court ignored issues tendered by defendant, to the effect that he was in possession of the granary at the time of the assault, and that he was rightfully in possession thereof; that other instructions assume facts of which there is no evidence, or where the evidence is in conflict; that the court erred in failing to instruct that defendant was in the actual use and possession of the building in question, during all the time the dwelling was leased to plaintiff’s husband; that others of the instructions were not applicable to the facts, and that they do not clearly state the law; that the court erred in not reducing the verdict to nominal damages, the same being excessive, and the result of passion and prejudice; and that the court erred in refusing to give an instruction asked by the defendant.

Without going into the evidence bearing upon all questions in the ease, it seems necessary to set out a part of it at least, as applicable to the more important points.

Plaintiff is a Polish woman, wife of Fred Horst, to whom she had been married 10 or 11 years; and there were three young children. She, with her husband, children, and her father and mother, were living on the premises in question on October 5th, the day of the trouble. The evidence introduced on behalf of plaintiff tends to show that plaintiff and her husband rented [662]*662the place from Adolph Handke, and that they were to have the summer kitchen referred to in this case all of the time, and the garden tract, which was a part of the place. Defendant had orally rented 40 acres, upon which were situated the buildings and garden before mentioned, to his sons, Adolph and Fritz, and they were giving to defendant one half the crop grown thereon during said year. About October 3, 1916, defendant’s son-Adolph served a notice to quit, which is addressed to plaintiff’s husband, notifying him to quit and surrender to said Adolph the “premises now occupied by you as a dwelling, for yourself and family,” which dwelling is situated on the 40 acres which is described, as he, Adolph, is the lessee of the entire premises; and that, upon failure to quit and surrender to him the said premises within 30 days, legal steps would be taken to obtain possession, etc. Plaintiff and her husband first rented this place in 1914. Gus Handke farmed the place that year. The contract that year was between defendant and plaintiff’s husband, and plaintiff and her husband were to pay defendant $5.00 a month, and it was to be paid by boarding Gus, at so much a meal. When plaintiff and her husband moved to this place, in 1914, they moved one of their stoves into this building, which plaintiff calls the summer kitchen, and set the stove up in it; and plaintiff and her husband lived in the main house, and used the summer kitchen to cook in, all the time they lived there, during the summer time. Plaintiff says, ‘ ‘ I cooked and ate in the summer kitchen in the summer time.” There were two rooms in this summer kitchen. It was divided into two parts.

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Bluebook (online)
190 Iowa 658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horst-v-handke-iowa-1921.