Judge v. Moore

9 Fla. 269
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 1, 1860
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 9 Fla. 269 (Judge v. Moore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Judge v. Moore, 9 Fla. 269 (Fla. 1860).

Opinion

WALKER, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This was an action of assumpsit brought in the Circuit Court for Santa Rosa county, on 26th Sept. 1855, on a promissory note, dated January 23, 1851, of which the following is a copy:

“ On or before the first day of January next, I promise to pay John S. Moore or bearer, three hundred dollars, value received.
[Signed.] WM. JUDGE.”

Defendant pleaded, first, that said note was given for the hire of two negro slaves, named Ilenry and Randall, for the year 1853, and that the consideration thereof had entirely failed by reason of the plaintiff having, deprived the defendant of the services of one of said slaves for about ten months of said year.

Secondly, a partial failure of consideration ; thirdly, payment \ fovHhly, that, plaintiff nullified and rescinded said [273]*273contract of hiring by talcing Randall back and keeping him for ten months of said year.

Plaintiff demurred to the first and second pleas and joined issue on the third and fourth. On Juno 11th, 1858, the demurrer was sustained and leave given to plead over. Afterwards, but when we do not know, as the dates are not given in the record, the defendant pleaded over by filing the following amended pleas, viz: First, that the slave Randall ran away and went back to the plaintiff, who retained him in his service lor all said year, except two months, without the consent or procurement of defendant. Second, that the consideration partially failed by reason of the facts aforesaid. Third, that on January 1, 1855, defendant paid plaintiff one hundred and fifty dollars on said note. Fourth, set-off.

On Dee. 6th, 1858, plaintiff demurred tothcfirst amended plea and replied to the second amended plea that defendant had sued him in Alabama for taking Randall back and keeping him, and had recovered therefor $148 50.

To this replication the defendant demurred. There was no judgment of the Court on this demurrer, nor on the demurrer to the first amended plea; nor was there any replication or demurrer filed to third andfourth amended pleas.

In this condition of the pleadings, the parties went to trial, and on Dec. 23, 1858, the jury gave a verdict to plaintiff for $371 62, and judgment was entered accordingly. On Dec. 31, 1858, a new trial was asked for and refused. Defendairt then filed a bill of exceptions and brought the case to this Court by writ of error.

The first error assigned is waived by the written endorsement of defendant’s counsel and therefore we will not notice it.

The second error assigned is that the Court erred in sus*taining the demurrer to tire first and second pleas first [274]*274pleaded and granting leave to plead over. If tlie defendant had excepted to this ruling of the Court and refused to plead over, he might now assign it as error, but having availed himself of the leave granted of pleading over, he thereby waived his right of making said assignment. Mitchell vs. Chaires, 2 Fla., 18; Mitchel vs. Cotten, 2 Fla., 138 Ellison Adm. vs. Allen, 8 Fla., 206,

The thwd error assigned is, that “ the Court erred in having the jury sworn and rendering final judgment against defendant while demurrer to the first amended plea and the demurrer to the replication to the second amended plea remained open and undisposed of.” "We think this error is not well assigned. It was the duty of the parties before they went into the trial to see that the pleadings were made up. To hold this as error would be to allow the defendant to take advantage of his own negligence. "When the parties went willingly before the jury, they must be considered, unless the contrary plainly appears, as having waived all demurrers undisposed of and all pleas, replications, &c., on which issue was not joined. See Taylor vs. Baker, 1 Fla., 255.

The fourth error assigned is, that “ the Court erred in having the jury sworn when there was no issue to try, the first amended plea being demurred to, and the replication to the second amended plea being demurred to and not disposed of, and there being no issue joined on the plea of partial payment nor the plea of set-off.”

This error seems to be assigned through mistake. There were two issues for the jury to try, viz : On the third plea,. being the plea of payment, and on the fourth plea, which is in the following words, to-wit:

The said defendant by Jordan & Chain, 1ns attorneys, comes and defends the wrong, and injury, when, &c., and says that the plaintiff ought not to have or maintain his aforesaid action against him, because he says that the. said plaintiff. [275]*275on the clay of 1853, contracted with said defends of as follows, to-wit: That the said plaintiff would let the said defendant have the possession of and work and labor oí two certain negro men slaves, one by the name of Henry and the other by the name of Randall, the property of said plaintiff, for the term of twelve months from and after the date aforesaid, and for the price of three hundred dollars, payable on the first day of January next, ensuing the date aforesaid, and take the note of said defendant for the amount aforesaid, and in consideration thereof, the said defendant executed and delivered to said plaintiff the said promissory note mentioned and described in the declaration of the said plaintiff’, for the possession and work and labor of said negro men slaves. And said defendant avers that said plaintiff violated and rescinded said contract by taking back to his possession and receiving the work and labor of the said man slave Randall, for and during the time which he the said plaintiff agreed to hire said slave to said defendant, except about two months of the time, thereby rescinding and making null and void said contract, for which said promissory note set out and particularly mentioned in said declaration of said plaintiff was given, and this he is ready to verify, &c.”

On these two issues, of payment and rescisión, the defendant thought proper to take his chances before the jury, and it is too late for him, after the jury has found those issues against him, to complain before this Court that there were other pleadings in the case not made up.

The fifth error assigned is, that the Court erred in sustaining the objection raised by the counsel for the plaintiff when the counsel for the defendant attempted to prove by the witness Henry Wlxiteworth, the commands and instructions given by the wife of plaintiff to said slave Randall, as averred and set out in the first and second pleas of defendant.”

[276]*276It is a sufficient answer to this assignment to say that there were no issues joined on said first and second pleas, and therefore the Court was right in excluding all evidence concerning matters stated in them.

The sixth error assigned is that “ the Court erred in charging the jury and in not giving the charge asked for by the defendant.”

The charge asked for by the defendant was

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Bluebook (online)
9 Fla. 269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/judge-v-moore-fla-1860.