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100 Mass. 430

Brigham v. Clark

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided November 15, 1868

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1868-11-15

<p>i written agreement of A. with B. that "A. shall furnish a stock of goods and shop fix» turcs, valued at a certain sum; that B. shall pay rent for the shop, manage the business- and pay A. interest on one half of the value of the stock and fixtures; and that they shall divide the profits equally; renders them partners, as to third persons, notwithstanding an oral understanding between themselves, before or at the time of signing the agreement, that B. shall receive the share of profits instead of a salary.</p> <p>Whenever a witness testifies to a material fact at a trial, any of his previous acts or declarations, which appear to be inconsistent with such testimony, are competent by way of contradiction.</p> <p>ti an action to charge A. upon an indorsement of “B. & Co.” on a promissory note, he denied that he was a member of such a firm; hut B. testified, for the plaintiff, at the trial, that such was the style of a partnership between himself and A. at the time of the indorsement. Seldy that, in contradiction, it was competent for A./to prove that, in proceedings in insolvency against B. individually, B. included in bis list of assets no property in any firm under that style, and inserted in his list of creditors the holders of similar notes; and that claims similar to that in controversy were proved against B.’s estate.</p>

Relies on Pratt v. Langdon

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1868-11-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 17 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently November 1941

16 state decisions

70186818701880189019001910192019301940decided

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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Foster, J.

¶1We entertain no doubt of the correctness of the ruling that, by the terms of the written agreement, the defendant Dunbar was made a copartner with L. C. Clark. Pratt v. Langdon, 12 Allen, 544, and 97 Mass. 97. But the partnership agreement did not state the style of the firm ; and it was *432material to show that the notes indorsed L. C. Clark & Co.’ had been given by and in the name of the partnership which the writing disclosed. L. C. Clark, being a witness, testified, among other things, that such was the style of the firm. To contradict him, the defendant offered the papers in the insolvency proceedings by Clark. They were admissible to show that, by the style of L. C. Clark & Co., he had signed notes which were his own personal debts only, and not those of the partnership formed under the written agreement between himself and Dunbar. It was material, and important, to show not only the existence of the copartnership between Clark and Dunbar, but that the indorsements in suit had been made by that firm. The papers offered tended to contradict Clark’s testimony on that subject, and to show, contrary to it, that the style of L. C. Clark & Co. was used by him in his private and individual business. Wherever a witness has testified to any material facts, any acts or declarations of his which appear to be inconsistent with his version at the trial are competent by way of contradiction.

¶2 Exceptions sustained.

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