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17 Cal. 57

Severance & Smith v. Lombardo

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1860

California Supreme Court · decided 1860-07-01

The complaint is a simple count for lumber sold and delivered by plaintiffs to Lombardo, Kershaw, Ralto, and others, whose names are unknown—without any allegation of partnership between defendants. Lombardo filed a general denial; Kershaw made default; Ralto answered, that at the time the lumber was furnished he had no business connection with the other defendants, and was not, therefore, a proper party defendant; and the other defendants were not served.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1860-07-01

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently November 1923

4 state decisions

201860187018801890190019101920decided

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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Baldwin, J. delivered the opinion of the Court

¶1Cope, J. concurring.

¶2The Court erred in admitting the plaintiffs’ books to prove a copartnership of the defendant Lombardo with the other defendants sued, or with others to whom certain lumber (for the price of which the suit was brought) was sold. The books arc held competent evidence to prove the delivery of goods therein charged, when the nature of the subject is such as not to render better evidence attainable. (Greenl. Ev. 117 and note 3.) The reason of the rule supposes the fact of which an entry is made to be peculiarly within the knowledge of the party, and the entry to be admissible where it was evidently contemporaneous with the fact and part of the res gestee. The main transaction thus illustrated is the delivery of the goods. It would seem that the reason of this rule would not permit a party, merely by his own act, to charge one not directly dealing with him, by the simple process of transcribing his name in a private book of accounts, as a partner with some one else so dealing.

¶3Judgment reversed and cause remanded.

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