Postel v. Oard

27 N.E. 584, 1 Ind. App. 252, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 53
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 30, 1891
DocketNo. 46
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 27 N.E. 584 (Postel v. Oard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Postel v. Oard, 27 N.E. 584, 1 Ind. App. 252, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 53 (Ind. Ct. App. 1891).

Opinion

Black, C. J.

The appellee sued the appellants upon a promissory note. A demurrer to the complaint was overruled.

Objection is made to the complaint because it did not allege that the note was due at the commencement of the action. It alleged that the note was unpaid, and a copy was made part of the complaint as an exhibit. The note was dated August 24th, 1887, and was made payable twelve months thereafter. The complaint was filed on the 5th of September, 1888. It was sufficiently shown by the complaint that the note was due at the commencement of the action. Womack v. Dunn, 9 Ind. 183; Bush v. Raney, 34 Ind. 416; Green v. Louthain, 49 Ind. 139.

Judgment was rendered for the appellee upon a verdict for the full amount of the note. A motion for a new trial was filed by the appellants and was overruled.

The attorney for the appellee, in his argument before the jury, made the following statement:

"There has evidently been some trick attempted to be played upon somebody in this case. These defendants took it upon themselves, took the burden upon themselves, to open and close this case.”

The attorney for the appellants objected to this language. The objection was overruled by the court, and to this ruling the appellants excepted. It is not shown in what connection these words were spoken.

Counsel for the appellants objected below and argue here [254]*254that the attorney for the appellee had no right to state to the, jury what occurred in the formation of the issues or in determining who was entitled to open and close, and had no’ right to say there was any trick in that.

It was true that upon the state of the issues the appellants had the burden, and were entitled to the open and close. Eor the attorney to say in his argument that the defendants had taken the burden would not be a violation of his privilege. It might be a very proper statement in a discussion of the evidence. The first sentence in the quotation, the sentence in which the word “ trick occurs, is obscure, and its application to the matter of the second sentence is not apparent. It is not manifest that the attorney charged that the appellants had attempted to play a trick upon the appellee in the formation of the issues or in taking the burden and obtaining the open and close. It does not appear from the language quoted what the trick was or to what matter it related. It may be that the language of the attorney was reprehensible; but this court indulges a presumption in favor of the action of the trial court until the appellant has shown manifest error which injured, or which was calculated to injure, the appellant.

It may not be possible for a party to show that the unauthorized language of the attorney of his adversary in argument has been actually injurious, but to avail him on appeal language objected to by him must appear to have been such that it probably injured him. It must be such that the Appellate Court can see that it was calculated to injure.

The control of argument before the jury must be largely within the sound discretion of the trial court. That discretion will not be interfered with on appeal unless it appears to have been abused. We can not determine that it was abused in this instance.

The court instructed the jury in its third and fourth instructions, that under the state of the issues the appellee was entitled to recover the face of the note, with interest and at[255]*255torney’s fees as provided in the note; and that the recovery might be reduced by the damages which the appellants had sustained, if any; that the matters set up in the answers and cross-complaint were a warranty and a breach thereof, by which it was alleged that the appellants had sustained damages, and which they asked might be recouped or set off, or taken out of the appellee’s note or amount of recovery. The appellants insist that this was error.

The answer consisted of two paragraphs of affirmative defence, and a counter-claim. They all admitted the execution of the note, and alleged that it was given for a certain horse sold by the appellee to the appellants. Certain oral statements alleged to have been made by the appellee concerning the* horse are set up in each paragraph, the same language being attributed to the appellee in each. In the first paragraph, and in the counter-claim, or third, paragraph, these statements were pleaded as warranties. In the second paragraph they were alleged as fraudulent representations. This paragraph was an insufficient pleading, for it purported to be an answer to the entire cause of action stated in the complaint, while it admitted that the horse was worth twenty-five dollars, and it did not show a return of the animal to the vendor. It alleged that for the buyer’s use the animal was wholly worthless. This was not equivalent to an allegation that the horse was worthless. Howard v. Cadwalader, 5 Blackf. 225; Lafayette Ag'l Works v. Phillips, 47 Ind. 259. Issue was taken on all these paragraphs.

It was not incorrect to instruct that the appellee was entitled to recover on the note, except so far as the recovery might be reduced by damages shown under the answer. The court, in these instructions, treated all the paragraphs of answer as setting up a warranty. This seems to have been the theory on which the case proceeded at the trial. Counsel for the appellants presented a set of instructions, in all of which they treated the alleged statements upon the theory of their having constituted a warranty.

[256]*256Oi’iginally the mode of proceeding on a warranty was by an action of deceit, grounded on a supposed fraud. Margetson v. Wright, 7 Bing. 603; Margetson v. Wright, 8 Bing. 454. In 2 Kent Com. 478, a fraudulent representation, or a fraudulent concealment, as to the quality of goods sold, is spoken of as amounting to a warranty in law; and this statement is referred to approvingly in Humphreys v. Comline, 8 Blackf. 516 (518). They would have like effect by Avay of defence. Love v. Oldham, 22 Ind. 51.

Advantage may be taken of the insufficiency of an answer by rejecting evidence offered in support of it. Bane v. Ward, 77 Ind. 153. A defendant is not entitled to have an insufficient answer treated as sufficient in the instructions to the jury. In treating all the appellants’ paragraphs of answer as paragraphs setting up a warranty, the court does not appear to have infringed materially upon the rights of the appellants.

In its sixth instruction the court stated that the appellants would not be entitled to set off any amount as against the appellee’s note, unless the warranty was proved as alleged in the answers and counter-claim, and that the burden of proof was upon the appellants.

We can not regard this as a materially erroneous instruction merely for the reason that there were three statements alleged, either of which might constitute a warranty. The court also, in the second instruction given at the request of the appellants, told the jury that no particular form of words is necessary to make a warranty; that any assertion of the seller in respect to the property, if intended by the seller and understood as a warranty, must be considered as such.

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

Related

Tartak v. Tribunal de Distrito de Puerto Rico
74 P.R. Dec. 862 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1953)
Commercial Union Assurance Co. of London v. Schumacher
119 N.E. 532 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1918)
Buchanan v. Caine
106 N.E. 885 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1914)
Lake Erie & Western Railway Co. v. Close
32 N.E. 588 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1892)
Dunn v. Barton
28 N.E. 717 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1891)
Court v. Snyder
28 N.E. 718 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1891)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 N.E. 584, 1 Ind. App. 252, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/postel-v-oard-indctapp-1891.