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3 Bradf. 41

Chambers v. Lathrop

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided July 15, 1841

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1841-07-15

This was an action of covenant, brought by Lathrap against Chambers, to which there was a general demurrer and judgment thereon for the plaintiff. And the.case was brought up here on the following assignment of errors: First. That the court erred in not sustaining the demurrer. Second. That the court.entered judgment on the demurrer, and assessed the- damages without the intervention of a jury.

Decided 1841-07-15

BY THE COURT.

¶1The declaration in this case consists of two eouhts: to which there was a general demurrer. This being overruled, judgment was rendered for the plaintiff for seventy-five dollars and costs, without the intervention of a jury. It is assigned for error, in the first place, that the demurrer should have been sustained. If either count of the declaration were good, the demurrer was properly overruled. Although neither of these counts seems drawn up with much professional accuracy, and although the first is peculiarly defective, the second .appears sufficient in substance to sustain the judgment already rendered.

¶2The other error assigned is, that judgment was rendered on the demurrer without empannelling a jury to assess the damages. There certainly seems no necessity for the intervention of a jury where the plaintiff is entitled to recover a fixed amount, or one which may be ascertained by arithmetical computation.

¶3This case seems to stand in such a predicament. The whole burden of the declaration is a claim of seventy-five dollars, to which, by the result of the proceedings, the plaintiff has become actually entitled.

¶4The judgment below will therefore be affirmed.

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