Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

1 Greene 435

Humphreys v. Daggs

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided June 15, 1848

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1848-06-15

Error, to Van Burén District Court. Declaration in assumpsit containing three counts, neither of which contains the usual concluding averment of damages ; nor is there such an averment at the end of the declaration. But one of the counts alleges an indebtedness of $500. Humphreys, the defendant below, made default, and upon an assessment of damages by a jury, judgment was rendered against him for $297.33.

Decided 1848-06-15

¶1Opinion by

Hastings, C. J.

¶2The error mainly relied on in this case is, that no damages are claimed in the declaration. The declaration seems to have been inartificially drawn, and bad on demurrer, but we think the defects are not of that character that they may be taken advantage of on error.

¶3The summons claims damages to the amount of five hundred dollars.

¶4One of the counts in the declaration sets out a cause of action with proper averments, setting up damages exceeding the damages assessed by the jury.

¶5The verdict of the jury finds $297.33 damages. The omission to claim damages in the conclusion of the several counts, is a mispleading, a default and negligence of the attorney who drew the declaration, which is cured by the verdict, and a writ of error will not lie to any such mistake after verdict.

¶6See sections six and seven, statute of amendments and jeofails, (Rev. Stat. p. 54.)

¶7The attorney for plaintiff in error argues that the defects are material, and are not cured by the statute. If immaterial errors only are cured by the statute, it would not have been necessary to enact such a statute.

¶8The practice of the courts evading the statute of amendments and jeofails, renders it a dead letter, and ought to be condemned. Its language cannot be misunderstood, and it ought to be enforced.

¶9The judgment of the court below is affirmed.

¶10Judgment affirmed.

/1/greene/435 · .json · Public domain