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21 N.H. 544

Hatch v. Purcell

Superior Court of New Hampshire

Decided December 15, 1850

Superior Court of New Hampshire · decided 1850-12-15

for this county, accepting the report of the commissioner of insolvency upon the estate of Sarah Gardner, the widow of William Gardner. James W. Emery, Esq., was appointed administrator of the estate, but resigned his trust, and Albert R. Hatch, Esq. was appointed administrator de lords non. Abraham Wendell was permitted by the court to appear and prosecute the appeal.

Relies on Bartholomew v. Jackson · Doty v. Wilson · Oatfield v. Waring

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1850-12-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 9 later decisions — most recently June 1967

9 state decisions

20185018601870188018901900191019201930194019501960decided

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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Gilchrist, O. J.

¶1The case finds that the appellee did not go to Mrs. Gardner’s house under any understanding or agreement that she was to be paid for her services. She went there as a relative, and not as a hired servant to receive compensation, and made no claim against Mr. Gardner or his estate for compensation. She had the whole charge of the family for some years. Mrs. Gardner told her two or three years before her death, and at other times, that she ought to be paid for her services, that she ought not to do so much work without compensation, and requested her to bring in a bill against her for her services, and this was all the agreement or conversation they had on the subject.

¶2It is upon this state of facts that the claim now before us is to be considered.

¶3It has been settled since the time of Hobart, that “ a mere voluntary courtesy will not have consideration to uphold an assumpsit.” Lampleigh v. Brathwait, Hob. 105. Bartholemew v. Jackson, 20 Johns. 28. For it is not reasonable, it has been said, that one man should do another a kindness, and then charge him with a recompense. Osborne v. Rogers, 1 Saund. 264. (n) 1. A consideration executed and past, is not sufficient to maintain an assumpsit, unless it were moved by a precedent request, and so laid. But where a party derives benefit from the consideration, it is sufficient, because equivalent to a previous request. Ibid.A request may be implied from the beneficial nature of the consideration, and the circumstances of the transaction. Hicks v. Burhans, 10 Johns. 243. And it is the province of the jury to determine from the evidence whether a promise can be inferred or not. Oatfield v. Waring, 14 Johns. 188. Where one pays 'a sum of money for another, without any request, and the other afterwards agrees to the payment, this is equivalent to a previous request to do so. The benefit to the party, connected with his express promise to pay, *550must be deemed equivalent to a previous request. Doty v. Wilson, 14 Johns. 378. Livingston v. Rogers, 1 Caines, 584, 585.

¶4In the present case, beneficial services were performed by the appellee for Mrs. Gardner, and she recognized them as such, and requested the appellee to bring in a bill for them. There is 'then evidence from which both a previous request and a promise may be implied, and we think the decision of the judge of probate was correct.

¶5The point that the claim for services being the only matter stated as a reason for the appeal, is the only one which-the appellant has a right to contest, has been settled for the appellee in the case of Mathes v. Bennett, Adm’x, supra, page 188.

¶6Decree affirmed.

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