Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

2 Abb. Pr. 407

Maretzek v. Cauldwell

The Superior Court of New York City · decided 1867-04-15

This action was brought by Max Maretzek, the manager of an opera in the city of Hew York, against the defendants, William Cauldwell and Horace P. Whitney, publishers, editors, and proprietors of The Sunday Mercury, a weekly paper published in the city, to recover damages for two articles printed therein in October, 1863.

Decided 1867-04-15

Robertson, Ch. J.

¶1If the case on which this motion was heard be correct, there was a fatal error committed on the former trial. A juror (Meyer) after a challenge to him by the counsel for the defendants had been withdrawn, was challenged by the plaintiff’s counsel for principal cause, which challenge was tried by the court. The juror having stated that “ he was *409opposed to theatrical representations,” the plaintiff’s counsel claimed that he was incompetent, and requested the court to. exclude said juror, to which counsel for the defendants objected. The court excluded said juror, and another was impanneled in his stead, to which decision and course the counsel for the defendant excepted.

¶2Such an opinion entertained by the juror did not show either such relations to the parties, or such bias and incompetency, oh. account of fixed opinion, as amounted, in law, to a conclusion upon the matters in issue in this case, and was therefore only a ground of challenge to the favor.

¶3There must, therefore, be a new trial on the case, with costs to abide the event.

¶4Ordered accordingly.

/2/abbpr/407 · .json · Public domain