Thompson v. Lumley

7 Daly 74
CourtNew York Court of Common Pleas
DecidedMarch 5, 1877
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 7 Daly 74 (Thompson v. Lumley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thompson v. Lumley, 7 Daly 74 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1877).

Opinion

Charles P. Daly, Chief Justice.

This was an action to recover damages for a malicious prosecution. Upon the trial, the complaint was dismissed. . The plaintiff appealed to this court, and the general term granted a new trial. The defendants then appealed to the Court of Appeals, where the decision of the general term was affirmed, and upon the stipulation entered into by the appellants, judgment absolute was rendered for the plaintiff. The cause was then remitted to this court, where all that remained to be done, was to ascertain the plaintiff’s damages, he having in addition to his general damages, averred in his complaint special damages, one item of which was, that he had been compelled to pay about seven hundred dollars in costs and counsel fees. The effect of rendering judgment absolute in his favor, was to establish fully his cause of action, leaving nothing to be ascertained but his damages; to hold, as he averred, that the defendants maliciously intending to injure him in his good reputation and without probable cause, charged him before a magistrate with having committed willful and corrupt perjury; that they procured the magistrate to grant a warrant for his arrest upon that charge, upon which warrant he was arrested and imprisoned for several hours, when he gave bail; and that afterwards, upon an examination before the magistrate, he was fully acquitted upon the testimony of the prosecution.

The effect of the judgment of the Court of Appeals was the same as if the whole of the plaintiff’s cause of action had been admitted.- It was equivalent to an admission, by a failure to put in an answer, that the defendants had maliciously and without probable cause, caused the plaintiff to be arrested, imprisoned and prosecuted upon a charge of perjury. But the amount paid for counsel fees and costs, the plaintiff had to prove upon the assessment, for that was in no way settled by the judgment of the Court of Appeals, the effect of which was simply to establish the plaintiff’s cause of action as averred in his complaint, but nothing more; and the ruling of the judge upon this point was, in my opinion, erroneous.

The averment that he was compelled to pay “ about seven [77]*77hundred dollars,” was an averment of special damage; and. an averment of special damage is not traversable, unless where it is the gist of the action. (Baldwin v. N. Y. &c. Nav. Co. 4 Daly, 315 ; Chitty on Pleading, 646, 6th Am. Ed.; Smith v. Thomas, 2 B. N. C. 372; 2 Scott, 546; Welly v. Elston, 8 M. Gr. & Scott, 142; Robinson v. Marchant, 7 Q. B. 918.) “If,” said Ch. J. Tindall, in Smith v. Thomas (supra), “the plaintiff proves his special damage, he may recover it; if he fails in proving it, he may still resort to and recover his general damages. A traverse, therefore, if such an allegation is immaterial and improper as a finding upon it either way, will have no effect as to the right to the verdict.” The damages sustained are, as a general rule, matter of evidence, and need not be alleged (Barruso v. Madan, 2 Johns. R. 149); but where the plaintiff seeks to recover damages which were not the direct and immediate result of the injury, and which the defendant therefore cannot be assumed to have any knowledge of, the plaintiff must aver them specially in his complaint, that the defendant may not be taken by surprise upon the trial, but may be prepared to rebut the proof offered of such special damages, or the amount, or extent of them. (Sqund v. Gould, 14 Wend. 160 ; Vanderslice v. Newton, 4 N. Y. 132, 133.) The object is "merely to give him notice, that he may not be taken by surprise, and therefore such an averment is not traversable or demurrable. (Leland v. Tousey, 6 Hill, 328.) A failure to answer, consequently, is no admission of such special damages, and the plaintiff must prove them on the assessment.

Even if an expense incurred in consequence of the injury is, as Judge Pratt said—but without supporting it by any authority—in De Forest v. Leete (16 Johns. 128), “ a material and traversable fact,” it would not avail in the present case, Avliere the averment is not that $700 was paid, but about that amount, making it still necessary for the plaintiff to show, upon the assessment, what sum was paid.

The complaint also averred, as an additional damage, that the plaintiff had suffered in his business, ¿specially among those who believed him guilty, and who refused to deal with [78]*78him, and also greatly in his peace of mind, and he claimed in all $50,000 damages.

The appellants insist that under this averment the plaintiff could recover only nominal damages; and that, if he sought to recover any more, he would have to prove them. But this is not the rule. In actions of this nature, where the injury done to a man’s reputation by his being arrested and imprisoned upon such a charge, and the mental suffering which is incident to it, is incapable of exact proof as is an ordinary pecuniary injury to property; the plaintiff upon an assessment of damages;—his cause, of action being admitted, is not required to give any evidence of damage, but the jury may give such damages as they think the nature of the injury Avarrants, and which, unless excessive, will not be disturbed. (Tripp v. Thomas, 3 Barn. & Cresw. 427 ; id. 5 Dow. & Ry. 276 ; Pierepoint v. Shapland, 1 Car. & Payne, 447; Tillottson, v. Cheetham, 3 Johns. 56 ; 1 Tidd’s Pract. 581, 9th Bond. Edit.; Townshendon Slander and Libel, § 274.)

As respects the assessment of damages in this case, it is to be regarded as analogous to the case of a default upon a failure to answer, and to be governed by the practice which existed upon assessing damages upon an inquest át the circuit or upon a writ of inquiry before a sheriff’s jury. »

It was held in Green v. Willis (1 Wend. 78), that upon an inquest, the defendant loses his right to challenge the jury or to produce testimony, and examine witnesses .on his behalf;—that he is entitled to appear; to cross-examine the plaintiff’s witnesses ; to raise objections to the plaintiff’s right of recovery, and to take exceptions to the decisions and opinions of the judge, and it was in respect to the practice, as it has existed since the decision of this case, in 1828, that I remarked upon the argument in the present case, that so far as my knowledge extended, it had not been the practice to allow the defendant to call Avitnesses.

In Tillottson v. Cheetham (supra), Spencer, J., said in effect, that the defendant was entitled to give evidence, to mitigate the damages in action of libel; that the plaintiff, in consequence of the default, was entitled to nominal dam[79]*79ages, and that, as respects the real damages, the defendant was at liberty to urge to the jury that the inuendoes in the declaration were not warranted by the context. But this was a dissenting opinion ; the majority of the court holding that upon the default, the fact of the publication of the- libel and the truth of the inuendoes were admitted.

It has been said, moreover, in other cases, that where the cause of action was admitted by the default and the sum which the plaintiff was entitled to recover was uncertain, that the defendant was at liberty to give evidence upon that point. (De Gaillon v. l'Aigle, 1 Bos. & Pul. 368; Sheperd v. Charter, 4 Term Rep. 275;

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

Related

Doctors' Service Corp. v. Russell
121 Misc. 600 (New York Supreme Court, 1923)
Sutton v. Duntley
205 A.D. 660 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1923)
Linitzky v. Gorman
146 N.Y.S. 313 (City of New York Municipal Court, 1914)
Robinson v. Spokane Traction Co.
91 P. 972 (Washington Supreme Court, 1907)
Bassett v. French
31 N.Y.S. 667 (New York Court of Common Pleas, 1895)
Keller v. Feldman
29 Abb. N. Cas. 426 (New York Court of Common Pleas, 1893)
Duffus v. Bangs
15 N.Y.S. 444 (New York Supreme Court, 1891)
Tennant v. Guy
3 N.Y.S. 697 (New York Supreme Court, 1888)
O'Donnell v. Hecker
1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 384 (City of New York Municipal Court, 1886)
Bartelt v. Braunsdorf
14 N.W. 869 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1883)
Rust v. Hauselt
59 How. Pr. 389 (The Superior Court of New York City, 1880)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 Daly 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thompson-v-lumley-nyctcompl-1877.