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225 Mass. 377

Edgett v. Palmer

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided January 2, 1917

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1917-01-02

Bill in equity, filed in the Superior Court on September 13, 1913, and afterwards amended, against Frank H. Palmer, Dwight N. Carpenter and the executor of the will of Frank V. Doolittle, alleging in substance that the plaintiff, a real estate agent, was employed by Carpenter and Doolittle to sell for them a farm at Gill in this Commonwealth owned by them as tenants in common, they representing to him that the farm “would cut seventy tons of hay per year;” that Palmer owned…

Relies on Carson v. Dunham · Crocker v. Dillon · Driscoll v. Smith

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1917-01-02

How this case has been cited

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently February 2003

1 federal appellate · 6 state decisions

301917192019301940195019601970198019902000decided

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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Braley, J.

¶1It is unnecessary to determine whether if a demurrer had been interposed seasonably the trial court although having jurisdiction of the subject matter under R. L. c. 159, § 1, should have dismissed the bill in the exercise of its judicial discretion upon the grounds stated in Carson v. Dunham, 149 Mass. 52, 53, 56. Kempson v. Kempson, 13 Dick. 94. The defendant Palmer, who is the appellant, not only was subject- to the territorial jurisdiction of the court, but appeared, answered and filed a cross bill. And after a trial on the merits a final decree was entered granting permanent injunctive relief as prayed for in the original bill. The defence, that for the wrongs complained of the plaintiff could have no relief in equity because he had a plain and adequate remedy at law which was available in the action pending against him in the courts of Vermont, could be taken advantage of only by demurrer, or setting up this defence specially in his answer. The objection comes too late after a defendant has answered generally, asked for relief by a cross bill, and submitted himself to the jurisdiction. Tarbell v. Bowman, 103 Mass. 341, 345. Crocker v. Dillon, 133 Mass. 91, 102. Driscoll v. Smith, 184 Mass. 221, 223.

¶2The plaintiff’s right to general relief having been settled, and the evidence not having been reported, the only question before us is whether the decree as to the appellant is warranted by the charging part of the bill and is consistent with the findings of the judge. White v. White, 169 Mass. 52. Robinson v. Brown, 182 Mass. 266, 267. Kaatz v. Curtis, 215 Mass. 311. We have considered all the questions argued and the decree being in accordance with these requirements cannot be reversed. But, as it appears that the cross bill was ordered dismissed without costs, the decree must be modified by the insertion of a clause to this effect and as thus modified it should be affirmed. Holbrook v. Schofield, 211 Mass. 234, 237.

¶3Ordered accordingly.

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