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178 A.D. 609

Birch v. Sees

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · decided 1917-06-08

Appeal by the defendant, Anna S. Sees, from a judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of the plaintiff, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Westchester on the 20th day of October, 1916, upon the verdict of a jury for $500, and also from an order entered in said clerk’s office on the 28th day of October, 1916, denying defendant’s motion for a new trial made upon the minutes.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently March 1946

1 state decisions

Relies on Barrus v. Phaneuf

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1917-06-08

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Per Curiam:

¶1We must take it as established by this verdict that the plaintiff, an attending physician and a life-long acquaintance *610of deceased, having, testified on a prior trial as an expert witness for the proponent, at an agreed compensation of fifty dollars per day, was thereafter employed by a succeeding attorney for the proponent at the same terms, to go over the witness’ records to prepare himself so as to give expert testimony on the issue of the deceased’s mental soundness, which he did on two trials. It is, however, objected that as plaintiff had been the attending physician, his testimony was not that of an expert, and that such agreement for compensation should not be enforced. It seems settled that if a medical witness, or other witness with technical qualifications, goes beyond mere testimony to facts, observed by the senses, and is asked to draw a technical inference or conclusion, he may properly stipulate for compensation. (People v. Montgomery, 13 Abb. Pr. [N. S.] 207, 240; Barrus v. Phaneuf, 166 Mass. 123. See Chamberlayne Ev. § 2371.)

¶2The facts in the case at bar are, therefore, within the permissive rule. The judgment and order should, therefore, be affirmed, with costs.

¶3Jenks, P. J., Stapleton, Rich, Putnam and Blackmar, JJ., concurred.

¶4Judgment and order unanimously affirmed, with costs.

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