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2 How. Pr. 103

Reynolds v. Davis

New York Supreme Court

Decided February 15, 1846

New York Supreme Court · decided 1846-02-15

Motion to strike out plea as false and frivolous. In this cause the plaintiffs in error sued the defendants in error in the New York superior court, in assumpsit, claiming to recover about $18,000, but actually recovered a verdict for only about $9,000. The plaintiffs took exceptions to decisions of the court below, by which his recovery was limited to the latter sum; and the defendants also excepted to decisions whereby the plaintiffs were permitted to recover at all.

Relies on Houghton v. Starr

Decided 1846-02-15

¶1A. Taber, for the motion to strike out the special plea, insisted that a writ of error in a civil case is a writ of right, by any party deeming himself aggrieved by the judgment or proceedings of a subordinate court, which the opposite party could not defeat by prosecuting a writ of error in the same cause. That there was no reason for attaching such a limitation to an unqualified right secured by statute, since it was clear that a party could not avail himself of his bill of exceptions upon his adversary’s writ of error. That several writs of error, by different parties in the same cause, involved no incongruity of practice or principle, and were supported by precedent and authority, and cited 2 R. S., 591, § 1, Cox agt. United States ; 6 Peters, 172, Birkhead et al. agt. Brown et al.; 5 Hill, 634; cases cited Til. and Yates on writs of error, 235-6 ; 2 R. S., 592, § 3.

¶21ST. Hill, Jr., insisted that the plea in question was a valid bar. That the pendency of the first suit in error was a bar to the second, prosecuted for the same cause, that is, for the reversal of the same judgment, between the same parties, and cited 6 Com. Dig. Pleader, 3 b. 18 and 19 ; Houghton agt. Starr, 4 Wend. 182 ; United States agt. Tingey, 5 Peters, 130; 1 Chit. Plead. 558, note k and 2.

Bronson, Chief J ustice.

¶3Granted the motion but without costs, as the question was new in this court.

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