Nicodemus v. Simons

23 N.E. 521, 121 Ind. 564, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 36
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 29, 1890
DocketNo. 13,918
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 23 N.E. 521 (Nicodemus v. Simons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nicodemus v. Simons, 23 N.E. 521, 121 Ind. 564, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 36 (Ind. 1890).

Opinion

Berkshire, J.

— This was an action for money had and [565]*565received. The appellant, who was the defendant in the court below, answered in several paragraphs, and to the several affirmative paragraphs the appellees filed replies.

There was a jury trial, resulting in a verdict for the appellee Isabella Simons, and, over a motion for a new trial, there was a judgment rendered for the said female appellee.

Before filing his answer the appellant demurred to the complaint, which demurrer the court overruled, and he excepted. After the return of the verdict, and before filing his motion for a new trial, the appellant moved for a venire de novo, and to strike from the files a paper filed by the appellee George Simons, called a remittitur; which motions were overruled, and he saved an exception.

After the overruling of the motion for a new trial, and before judgment, the appellant moved in arrest of judgment, which motion the court overruled, and he saved an exception.

The errors assigned bring in question the various rulings of the coui’t upon the several motions.

The second reason for a new trial (and it covers all other reasons stated in the motion) is that the verdict is not sustained by sufficient evidence, and is contrary to law.

We discover no objection to the complaint.' It is a simple complaint for money had and received.

It seems, as we understand the record, that when the complaint was first filed it was not accompanied by a bill of particulars, and made no reference thereto. Afterwards a bill of particulars was filed and an amendment made to the complaint, by which reference was made to the bill of particulars.

The amendment appears below the signatures of counsel as originally subscribed to the complaint; but after making the amendment counsel again subscribed the complaint under the amendment. The signatures as originally written might have been stricken out, or the complaint interlined above [566]*566them, or the amendment made in the manner in which it was done.

The objection made to the complaint is that the amendment forms no part of it, and that without the amendment it is bad. The objection is without merit.

It is not necessary that we determine whether the court committed an error in overruling the motion for a venire de novo. If it did the error was harmless. But we suggest that it has been held by this court frequently in relation to special verdicts and findings that a venire de novo will not ,be awarded unless there appears to be some inherent infirmity in the verdict or finding. Louisville, etc., R. W. Co. v. Hart, 119 Ind. 273; Bartley v. Phillips, 114 Ind. 189; Johnson v. Culver, 116 Ind. 278; Indianapolis, etc., R. W. Co. v. Bush, 101 Ind. 582.

The verdict under consideration is in proper form and unambiguous, and upon which the court could have no difficulty in rendering a proper judgment; indeed, we do not understand that the appellant contends that there is any informality in the form of the verdict as between the female appellee and himself; his contention is 'that the verdict is defective, in that there is no finding as to the appellee George Simons. But, as we have said, it does not become necessary to decide the question, and we do not do so.

The questions raised by the motion to strike out the paper filed by the appellee George Simons, styled by him a remittitur, and by the motion for a new trial, may be considered together.

We have examined the evidence, and find that it fully sustains the verdict returned by the jury.

The female appellee was the meritorious party plaintiff; her husband and co-appellee had no interest in the cause of action, and had the action been brought in her name alone, or in the name of herself and husband for her benefit, the questions raised by this appeal would have been avoided. But is the verdict contrary to law?

[567]*567In our code of practice is found the following statute : Judgment may be given for or against one or more of several plaintiffs, and for or against one or more of several defendants ; and it may (the court), when the justice of the case requires it, determine the ultimate rights of the parties on each side as between themselves.” Section 568, R. S. 1881. This is a very liberal statute, and is in accord with the spirit •of the code of which it is a part.

It has often been said by this court that the code of practice was formulated and adopted with the view of simplifying the rules of practice in our courts, and doing away with all technicalities, the only effect of which was to obstruct the administration of justice in the trial of causes. Keeping in mind the language of the said section of the statute, and the spirit of the code in which we find it, we can but come to the conclusion that it was the intention of the law-giving power by the enactment of said section, in all actions having more than one party plaintiff or more than one party defendant, to confer upon the courts power to brush aside all technical objections which disregard what is substantive, and depend upon mere form, and to render judgment according to the rights of the parties as disclosed by the evidence and •embraced within the subject-matter covered by the issues tendered.

If, therefore, two or more persons bring a joint action, alleging a joint cause of action, and it turns out upon the trial that upon the facts alleged in the complaint some, but not all, of the plaintiffs are entitled to recover, the court or jury,- as the case may be, will so find, and j udgment will be rendered accordingly. And where a number of defendants are sued, and after the evidence is heard it appears that there ought to be a recovery as to some but not all of the defendants, the court or jury may so find, and judgment will be thus rendered.

This has been the construction given to the provisions of the said statute, when brought in question before this court, [568]*568without exception. Wilson v. Buell, 117 Ind. 315; Rush v. Thompson, 112 Ind. 158; Hamilton v. Browning, 94 Ind. 242; Terwilliger v. Murphy, 104 Ind. 32; Richardson v. Jones, 58. Ind. 240; Murray v. Ebright, 50 Ind. 362; Carmien v. Whitaker, 36 Ind. 509; Fitzgerald v. Genter, 26 Ind. 238; Hubbell v. Woolf, 15 Ind. 204.

We are aware that it is well‘settled, by the decisions of this court, as a rule of pleading, that a complaint by several persons must state a cause of action as to all to be good as against a demurrer assigning a want of facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. Peters v. Guthrie, 119 Ind. 44; Rush v. Thompson, supra; Holzman v. Hibben, 100 Ind. 338.

Had the complaint in the present case alleged a cause of action in favor of the female plaintiff, not alleging, as it does not, that the plaintiffs were husband and wife, and the action for her benefit, it would have been bad as against a demurrer for want of facts; and if that was the question before us for consideration we would be compelled to reverse the judgment.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Joyce Sportswear Co. v. State Board of Tax Commissioners
684 N.E.2d 1189 (Indiana Tax Court, 1997)
Mutual Benefit Life Ins. Co. v. Bachtenkircher, Rec.
198 N.E. 81 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1935)
Rohan v. Gehring
137 N.E. 288 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1922)
Hines v. Felkins
231 S.W. 922 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1921)
Reyer v. Blaisdell
26 Colo. App. 387 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1914)
Brandt v. Hall
82 N.E. 929 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1907)
Mississinewa Mining Co. v. Andrews
54 N.E. 146 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1899)
Stadler v. First National Bank
56 P. 111 (Montana Supreme Court, 1899)
Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway Co. v. Lange
41 N.E. 609 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1894)
Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway Co. v. Davis
33 N.E. 451 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1893)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 N.E. 521, 121 Ind. 564, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 36, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nicodemus-v-simons-ind-1890.