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24 Ill. App. 56

Hanchett v. Williams

Appellate Court of Illinois

Decided November 23, 1887

Appellate Court of Illinois · decided 1887-11-23

John G. Rogers, Judge, presiding. An action of replevin was commenced by appellee against appellant in Justice Court, and the goods not being found, the writ stood as a summons in trover. Judgment was entered against the appellant by the Justice. An appeal was perfected to the Circuit Court where the case was submitted to the court for trial without a jury, and there was a finding and judgment against appellant for $150, to review which judgment this appeal is brought.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““Demand and refusal are only evidence of conversion in an action of trover, and if it is shown by the evidence that the goods for which recovery is sought were sold or otherwise disposed of by the person who had the possession of them, then the conversion is proven and it is unnecessary to prove a demand. Howitt v. Estelle, 92 Ill. 218 ; Kime v. Dale, 14 Ill. App. 308 .””

quoted by 1 later decision, including 343 Ill. App. 258 - Community Acceptance Corp. v. Falzone

Relies on Duncan v. Stone · Howitt v. Estelle · Kime v. Dale

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1887-11-23

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently April 1951

4 state decisions

1018871890190019101920193019401950decided

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.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Moran, P. J.

¶1The court found that the four barrels or casks of wine belonging to the plaintiff were in the store of Howe, and levied upon by the Sheriff as the goods of Howe, and were sold by the Sheriff and the proceeds paid over on the execution. This finding is plainly supported by the evidence but it is contended by appellant’s counsel that there could be no recovery against the Sheriff in trover because there was no demand made upon him by appellee for the goods.

¶2Demand and refusal are only evidence of conversion in an action of trover, and if it is shown by the evidence that the goods for which recovery is sought were sold or otherwise disposed of by the person who had the possession of them, then the conversion is proven and it is unnecessary to prove a demand. Howitt v. Estelle, 92 Ill. 218; Kime v. Dale, 14 Ill. App. 308. An officer who levies on the goods of one person under an execution against another and sells them or loses them, is liable in an action of trover, and no demand is necessary, as proof of the sale or loss makes out the conversion. Duncan v. Stone, 45 Vt. 118; Robinson v. McDonald, 2 Geo. 116; Burgin v. Burgin, 1 Ired. 453.

¶3As no demand was necessary under the evidence, it is not worth while to consider whether the demand upon the deputy, Matson, would constitute a good demand upon the Sheriff.

¶4As the appellant appeared and went to trial in the Circuit Court, he can not he heard now to object to the insufficiency of the transcript. Where the parties appear and try the case in the Circuit Court upon its merits, without objection, the. court will have jurisdiction without a transcript, and the evidence will be looked into to see what the demand was and what the defense.

¶5The judgment of the Circuit Court will be affirmed.

¶6Judgment affirmed.

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