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11 Johns. 57

Butler v. Warren

New York Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1814

New York Supreme Court · decided 1814-01-15

THIS was an action of trespass de bonis asportatis. The defendant pleaded the general issue, with notice of special matter in justification.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1814-01-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently January 1871

2 state decisions

101814182018301840185018601870decided

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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Per Curiam.

¶1Without touching other points in the case, there was an error in the admission of Thomas Lush as a witness for the plaintiff, after the fact was conceded that he had given a bond of indemnity to the plaintiff against the costs of the suit. He was then directly interested in the event of the suit, and was an incompetent witness for the plaintiff on any point arising on the trial of the eause. In proving the service of notice, he swore under the influence of interest, for the proof of that fact might have been essential to the plaintiff’s success. The rule is stubborn and inflexible, that if a witness has a direct interest, however small, in the event of the cause, he cannot be admitted to testify upon the trial in favour of that interest, in any respect, or degree.

¶2There must be a new trial awarded, with costs to abide the event of the suit.

¶3New trial granted.

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