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16 N.J.L. 38

Jaques v. Hulit

Supreme Court of New Jersey

Decided February 15, 1837

Supreme Court of New Jersey · decided 1837-02-15

On Certiorari to Burlington Common Pleas. THE STATE OF THE CASE. Timothy Hulit and Isaac Pullen, sued Richard Jaques and Samuel R. Jaques, in an action of debt, before a justice.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1837-02-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently April 1931

5 state decisions

2018371840185018601870188018901900191019201930decided

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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¶1The opinion of the court was delivered by

Hornblowee, C. • J.

¶2The counsel for the plaintiffs in Certiorari, insist, first, that the agreement between the parties in this case, constituted a partnership and 2dly, that the agreement being under seal, no action of assumpsit can be maintained for the balance due one partner, even if such balance has been struck.

¶3If this was a partnership at all, it was for a special and limited purpose, and terminated as soon as the peaches had been taken to market and sold, (3 Kent’s Com. 27, 1st ed.) But it is not now material to determine whether the parties to this suit, ever stood in the relation of partners with each other or not, for two reasons: 1st. because no exception was taken on that point, on the trial before the justice, (Smith v. Allen, 18 Johns. R. 245. Jessup v. Cook, 1 Halst. R. 436. Den v. Helmes and al. Penn. R. 1050.) Every objection which goes only to the form of the remedy, and does not question the plaintiff’s right to recover in any shape, must be made on the first trial — an omission to do so, will be considered a waiver of the objection.

¶4But 2dly. Here was, by the defendant’s own admission, not only an end of the partnership, if one ever existed, but a settlement of the accounts. At least there was an account stated, and the mere fact that an error had been made in footing the account, by a mis-addition or subtraction of figures, did not unsettle it, and open the whole matter. Nor does the plaintiff’s second objection rest on any better foundation. The case of Foster v. Allanson, 2 T. R. 479, cited by the plaintiffs’ counsel, does not support .his position that assumpsit will not lie, because the balance, if any, arose upon a transaction, respecting which, the par*41ties had entered into a covenant by deed. The contrary is plainly ruled by a majority of the court, in that case, and in Moravia v. Levy, mentioned in a note to that case, (Page 483,) which was assumpsit for a balance struck on a partnership account, the objection was distinctly made and overruled. Buller, Justice, said: It does not signify how the debt arose. Here is an express promise to pay the balance which has been struck: and that is the ground of the action.” But it is not even necessary that there should bean express promise — on the contrary, upon a mutual statement and settlement of accounts between partners, there is an implied promise in law, on the part of him, against whom the balance is found, to pay his co-partner. Backstraw v. Imber, 1 Holt’s R. 368.

¶5If the various items composing an account, are agreed upon and set down by the parties, it is an account stated; on which side the balance lies, is matter of addition and subtraction; and whether a mistake has been made in footing the account, and striking the balance, or not, is immaterial, so far as respects the legal effect of an account stated. The real balance is always ascertainable by a correct addition and subtraction, and it is that by which the parties are bound, and upon which, the law raises a promise to pay. Let the judgment be affirmed.

¶6Ford and Ryerson, Justices, concurred.

¶7Judgment affirmed.

¶8Cited in Steward v. Sears, 7 Vr. 176.

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