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11 Abb. Pr. 287

Phillips v. Simmons

New York Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1860

New York Supreme Court · decided 1860-10-15

Demurrer to complaint. The action was brought by plaintiffs, who were attorneys and counsellors at law, to recover for services and disbursements.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently November 1924

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1860-10-15

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Bonney, J.

¶1The defendant must have judgment on this demurrer. I can see no possible ground for maintaining the action. Surely a wife cannot be considered (as plaintiffs have attempted to argue) the agent of her husband, with authority to commence an action against himself, perhaps without cause, and afterwards discontinue it, and thereby make him liable to her attorneys for the costs of the action. While an action for divorce is pending, a wife may, in a proper case, obtain an order that her husband furnish her with means for carrying it on; but when the wife is plaintiff in such an action, and has either discontinued it or been defeated, and judgment been rendered against her, neither she nor her attorneys or counsel can have any claim upon him for the costs or expenses of her fruitless and probably causeless prosecution. Shelton a. Pendleton (18 Conn., 417); Wing a. Hurlburt (15 Verm., 607) ; Dorsey a. Goodenow (Wright's R. (0.), 120), are authorities for this decision.

¶2Judgment for defendant.

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