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180 Mass. 553

Brady v. Royce

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided February 28, 1902

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1902-02-28

Contract or tort against a constable to recover $420.55 and interest for money taken from the plaintiff under alleged unlawful attachments. Writ in the Municipal Court of the City of Boston dated September 17, 1900. On appeal to the Superior Court the case was tried before Aiken, J., without a jury. The following facts appeared in evidence: ... The defendant was a constable of the city of Boston, qualified to serve civil process.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently April 1957

1 state decisions

Relies on Wiggin v. Atkins · Choquette v. Ford

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1902-02-28

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Hammond, J.

¶1The judge before whom this case was tried without a jury may well have found upon the evidence that the first attachments were not made for the purpose of enabling the last to be made, and were abandoned simply because the plaintiff did not have in the writs the' right name of the defendant, that the last attachments were made on writs issued for the purpose of correcting the mistake, and that in all this the plaintiff and the officer acted without fraud and in good faith. If he so found, then the last attachments were valid; even if the property was not returned to the owner before they were made. Gile v. Devens, 11 Cush. 59. Wiggin v. Atkins, 136 Mass. 292. Choquette v. Ford, 178 Mass. 6.

¶2The case is easily distinguishable from Ilsley v. Nichols, 12 Pick. 270, and similar cases upon which the plaintiff relies.

¶3If the last attachments were valid, then, since the actions in which they were made were still pending at the time of the issuing of the writ in this present action, neither of the counts in contract can be maintained.

¶4Since the plaintiff has not argued upon his brief the exceptions as to the admission of evidence, in view of their nature we consider them waived.

¶5Exceptions overruled.

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