Lansky v. Prettyman

103 N.W. 538, 140 Mich. 40, 1905 Mich. LEXIS 510
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMay 12, 1905
DocketDocket No. 97
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 103 N.W. 538 (Lansky v. Prettyman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lansky v. Prettyman, 103 N.W. 538, 140 Mich. 40, 1905 Mich. LEXIS 510 (Mich. 1905).

Opinion

Blair, J.

The plaintiff commenced suit against the defendant in the Washtenaw circuit court by filing a declaration alleging, as the basis of recovery, assault and battery, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution. The defendant at the time of the occurrences which gave rise to the action was engaged in conducting a boarding house at Ann Arbor, and had in his employ a man by the name of Van Kaul. Shortly prior to the arrest of plaintiff, defendant missed certain provisions, which the cook told him had been stolen by Van Kaul, and that Van Kaul had endeavored to induce him (the cook) to assist him in stealing provisions and selling them to a junk dealer who kept a grocery store in Lower Town. On the evening of June 19th, 1903, defendant discovered that Van Kaul had stolen some sugar and eggs, and had driven away with them with defendant’s horse and wagon. Defendant summoned a deputy sheriff, with whom he had previously made arrangements, and they started in pursuit of Van Kaul. They met Van Kaul in Lower Town, near plaintiff’s place, on the way back, and arrested him, whereupon he told them that he had taken the eggs and sugar to plaintiff, and had sold them to him, as he had done on several previous occasions. Van Kaul went with defendant and the officer to plaintiff’s place, where he carried on the junk and grocery business, and pointed out plaintiff as the man to whom he [42]*42had made the sales referred to, whereupon the officer arrested plaintiff without a warrant.

The parties are in irreconcilable conflict as to what occurred at plaintiff’s place of business. The plaintiff claimed that an unnecessary and brutal assault was made upon him by the defendant, under whose directions the officer acted, and that he was exposed to needless indignities and humiliation in the course of the arrest, and detained in jail beyond reason before he was afforded an opportunity to give bail or to have an examination. The defendant contended that the circumstances attending the arrest were proper, and such as were made necessary by plaintiff’s resistance, and that, in all that he did in making the arrest and conveying plaintiff to jail, he was acting under the directions and commands of the officer, and that in making the complaint he was acting under the directions and advice of the prosecuting attorney.

Plaintiff and Van Kaul were taken to the jail and locked up. During the night Van Kaul made a voluntary statement before a justice of the peace as follows:

“He took the brass into the brick building. I didn’t get out of the wagon at that same time. He said, if I had any butter, sugar, soap, or other groceries that I could bring down, to bring it right along. When I first saw him he said I better bring it at night, when it was dark. I told him the night I took the brass that I would bring him some butter and sugar. He said to bring it as soon as I could. It was a week or so — I don’t know how long, but quite a while- — -before I took the sugar. It was pulverized sugar. I took him a jar of butter. It was about 20 pounds of butter. The jar was gray, and weighed 9£ pounds, marked on the bottom. The sugar was about 25 pounds. I emptied it out of one sack into another. Lansky saw me stop in front, and he pointed me to go around. Then I went round the corner. Lansky came out to the wagon and took the stuff out, and into the back yard. He came out and gave me $1.50. I did not get out of the rig. He brought out the money. He asked me when I would come the next time. I asked him what he wanted. He said some eggs and granulated sugar. I told him I could not bring sugar next time, as [43]*43we had but little on hand. The next thing I took was butter and eggs. It was a low, wide jar of butter, colored gray; and a little less than 3 dozen eggs. I went to the back, as before. Lansky gave me $2 for the stuff. There was a piece of paper and a string around it. I asked him if this was all he wanted, and he said: ‘ No, if you have any more, bring it down. I’ll take all you can get.’ The next things I took was tonight, June 19th. I took to Lansky about 40 pounds of granulated sugar in a sugar bag, and also 4 dozen eggs in a little pail. Prettyman’s pail. Tin pail. He came out and took them out of the wagon. I said that was the last I could bring. Pretty-man had shut down. He took the stuff in the back way. Tonight he paid me three halves and one quarter.
“Fred Van Kaul.
“Subscribed and sworn to before me on this 19th day of June, 1903.
“Andrew E. Gibson,
“ Justice of Peace.”

On the next day, June 20, 1903, a formal complaint against plaintiff and Van Kaul for larceny in a dwelling house in the day time was made by defendant under the direction of the prosecuting attorney, a warrant issued, the parties arraigned, and plaintiff released on bail. Van Kaul was tried and convicted, and sentenced to State prison for five years. Van Kaul having refused to testify against him, plaintiff was discharged at his examination, by order of the prosecuting attorney, and commenced this suit. The case was tried by a jury, and resulted in a verdict and judgment for defendant, to reverse which plaintiff prosecutes this writ of error.

Plaintiff’s counsel relies in his brief, for reversible errors, upon the rulings of the court in admitting certain testimony, in giving certain instructions, and refusing to give certain requests to charge.

It is contended that the court erred in permitting the defendant to show by the cross-examination of plaintiff that he knew Deputy Sheriff Gillen, who was not the officer who made the arrest, since the purpose must have been ‘1 to give the jury the impression that the plaintiff was a [44]*44man who came frequently in contact with the officers of the law, as a violator of the law.” There was nothing in the answers of plaintiff, that he knew Mr. Gillen, and had been to his office a couple of times, to justify any unfavorable impression, and we do not see how the answers could have prejudiced plaintiff in any way.

Plaintiff also complains that the court erred in permitting defendant to show that after plaintiff’s discharge he sent underclothing to Van Kaul at the jail. The relations between plaintiff and Van Kaul were of great importance to a correct determination of the issue before the jury. Plaintiff had testified that at the time of his arrest Van Kaul was a total stranger to him, with whom he had had no dealings whatever, and any testimony which legitimately bore upon this question was proper. We cannot say that the fact of his making presents to Van Kaul had no relevancy to this question. Its probative force may have been slight, but we think it was material and relevant in some degree, and was properly received.

The only other assignment of error upon this branch of the case questions the ruling of the court in permitting the defendant to testify that he had stated to the prosecuting attorney all of the facts about the case that he knew, without actually making any statement of such facts. The record, as to this question, is as follows:

‘ ‘ Q. Did you state to the prosecuting attorney all the facts that you knew in reference to this case ?
Mr. Selling: I think that what he stated to the prosecuting attorney might be proper, but whether he stated all is not proper.
A. I stated practically what I knew.
“ Mr.

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Related

Gordon v. Mount
13 P.2d 932 (California Court of Appeal, 1932)
De Boer v. Adams
124 N.W. 540 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1910)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
103 N.W. 538, 140 Mich. 40, 1905 Mich. LEXIS 510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lansky-v-prettyman-mich-1905.