Schwartz v. Schwartz

240 N.W. 177, 206 Wis. 420, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 31
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 240 N.W. 177 (Schwartz v. Schwartz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schwartz v. Schwartz, 240 N.W. 177, 206 Wis. 420, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 31 (Wis. 1932).

Opinion

Fritz, J.

Upon reviewing the record we are convinced that the evidence not only warranted the jury’s findings, but entitled plaintiff to a directed verdict on the issues submitted. There is no substantial conflict in the evidence as to the crucial facts involved in the determination of those issues. It is not sufficient for the issuance of a warrant, under sec. 362.03, Stats., that there has been an utterance of a threat to commit an offense against the property or person of another. It must appear upon examination by the magistrate, before the warrant can be issued, “that there is just cause to fear that any such offense may be committed.” To meet that statutory requirement, as basis for obtaining the warrant upon which he caused the arrest of plaintiff on April 24, 1928, the defendant, after stating in his verified complaint that Hannah Schwartz on April 21, 1928, threatened to assault and commit bodily injury upon Margaret Schwartz by threatening and saying, “If she comes over here I’ll lay her cold,” further stated in his complaint “that he has just reason to fear that said Hannah Schwartz will carry out said threats and commit said offense.” The evidence in the case at bar establishes, without any reasonable basis for finding otherwise, that, when defendant verified that complaint, he did not have just reason for any such fear. Plaintiff’s reputation was good as a peaceable, law-abiding woman. She was born in Oconto county, and had lived there until she was about eighteen years of age. In 1926 she had married John Schwartz, who, although over forty years of age, had never been married. His relatives, including the defendant, viewed the marriage with considerable disfavor, and there developed an antagonistic attitude toward the plaintiff, although she was well and [423]*423favorably known in the community in which they resided. Thus, even defendant testified regarding her, “I knew her for some time, years before she married John, and knew her to be a nice woman or girl. I never heard of her doing any fighting or hurting anybody.”

Plaintiff and her husband lived within a quarter of a mile of defendant’s farm, and in May, 1927, a baby was born. Before that birth disputes had occurred between plaintiff and her husband because he spent too much of his time at defendant’s home. After the child was born, John Schwartz spent more time at defendant’s home, and would sometimes be sent for by Margaret Schwartz, the wife of defendant, during his absence. On such occasions John Schwartz would not return until late at night, which ca:used 'many disputes between him and plaintiff. In the heat of such an argument between them only, and in their own home, on April 21, 1928, plaintiff said to her husband, in reference to defendant’s wife, Margaret, “If you bring her over here I’ll lay her cold.” John Schwartz immediately went over to defendant’s home to tell him and his wife what plaintiff had s.aid; and plaintiff, with her eleven months old baby which she was then nursing, left her house and walked toward defendant’s farm. As she proceeded down the road, her husband and the defendant and his wife came out of their driveway onto the road. Defendant ran up to plaintiff and, shaking his fist in her face, said, “I will fix you for threatening to lay my wife cold.” Plaintiff, without any violence or threat on her part, turned around and returned to her home. Within a short time thereafter her husband and defendant and his wife, together with August Fisher and his wife, who are relatives of the Schwartzes, came into plaintiff’s home to force her to apologize to Margaret Schwartz for having said that she would lay her cold. Thus defendant testified, “I deliberately went into Hannah Schwartz’s home to settle the question to see if she would [424]*424lay my wife cold.” Instead he saw plaintiff offer his wife a chair, without any inclination to molest her. Plaintiff did not apologize, but her husband put his papers in a box and took them out of the house later that night.

On April 22, 1928, plaintiff and her brother met John Schwartz by appointment for a conference at a soft-drink parlor. During that conference the defendant entered. Putting his fist in plaintiff’s face, he threatened plaintiff and said, “I will show you who is going to talk to John Schwartz.” He then took John Schwartz into another room, from which plaintiff was excluded. Defendant’s wife remained outside and left when defendant drove away. During all of that occasion there was no indication of any violence or threat on plaintiff’s part, notwithstanding the provocation afforded by defendant’s conduct toward her. Without any further occurrence or meeting between defendant or any of his relatives and the plaintiff, defendant, on April 24, 1928, caused the arrest of plaintiff on his sworn statement that he had “just reason.-to fear that the said Hannah Schwartz will carry out said threats and commit said offense.”

The facts and circumstances stated above were all known to defendant. Most of the occurrences were in his presence. Notwithstanding the provocation afforded by defendant’s own threats of violence toward plaintiff, he had seen his wife in plaintiff’s presence on three occasions, one of which was at plaintiff’s residence — the very place at which she had said that her threat was to be executed; and he was aware that on none of those occasions had plaintiff evidenced the slightest inclination by threat or otherwise to commit any offense toward any one. Clearly, neither he nor any one else had any reason, on April 24, 1928, to fear the commission of any offense by plaintiff. Rightly, “probable cause has been defined to be such a state of facts in the mind of [425]*425the prosecutor as would lead a man of ordinary caution and prudence to believe, or entertain an honest and strong suspicion, that the person arrested is guilty.” Eggett v. Allen, 119 Wis. 625, 96 N. W. 803. The state of facts set forth above, which, because of his participation therein, was necessarily in the mind of the defendant, was such that it is wholly improbable that he, as a man of ordinary caution and prudence, believed or entertained, any honest and strong suspicion that plaintiff would commit any offense. In Eggett v. Allen, supra, this court said: “Mere belief of the defendant in plaintiff’s guilt, however strong, sincere, and honest, will not constitute probable cause unless founded on circumstances sufficient in reason to warrant it.” In the case at bar, the facts and circumstances, which were necessarily known to the defendant, were not merely insufficient to warrant such belief of plaintiff’s guilt as to constitute probable cause, but, on the contrary, in connection with other facts in relation to the peace-warrant proceedings which are hereinafter stated, convincingly demonstrate that defendant set the criminal law in motion for the ulterior and malicious purpose of embarrassing and humiliating plaintiff.

Likewise as to the proposition that the defendant did not make a full and fair disclosure of the facts known to him to the district attorney before the warrant was issued. As was said in Haas v. Powers, 130 Wis. 406, 110 N. W. 205:

“Respecting the defense that defendant acted upon the advice of counsel, circumstances already considered have a bearing. To rest upon this defense requires that the defendant sought such advice and followed it in good faith. To fulfil such requirements, it must appear that he fully and fairly stated the material facts and his knowledge of the transaction to counsel, and that such advice led him to the honest belief that plaintiff was guilty of the offense of which he complained against him.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
240 N.W. 177, 206 Wis. 420, 1932 Wisc. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schwartz-v-schwartz-wis-1932.