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10 La. 374

Smith v. Gorton

Supreme Court of Louisiana

Decided October 15, 1836

Supreme Court of Louisiana · decided 1836-10-15

Western Dist. APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF THE SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, THE JUDGE OF THE FIFTH PRESIDING. This suit is instituted against the defendant, as surety on the following promissory note : “$307 43. .

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Decided 1836-10-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 6 later decisions — most recently December 1898

6 state decisions

201836184018501860187018801890decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Bullard, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2This case cannot be distinguished from that of Guidry vs. Vives 3 Martin, N. S. 659, and does not differ materially 7 . J from that of Cooly vs. Lawrence, previously decided, 4 Martin, 639. We consider it now well settled, that when a person not a Patty to a bill or note, puts his name upon it, he is presumed to have done so as surety.

¶3The defendant admits that he endorsed the note in question, which was made payable to the plaintiff’s order ; but his counsel has endeavored ,to show, that his intention was to bind himself as endorser and not as surety, and therefore, was entitled to notice of demand on the maker, and non-payment.

¶4, We have not thought it necessary to inquire whether Lewis Gorton, the drawer of the note, was a competent witness, because his testimony taken on commission is before us, and would not in our opinion, if admitted,, sustain the defence. If the defendant supposed that he was binding himself only as endorser, it was an error of law on his part, and nothing shows that lie was led into the error by the plaintiff.

¶5It is, therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed, that the judgment of (.he District, Court be affirmed, with costs.

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