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3 E.D. Smith 177

Mulhern v. Hyde

New York Court of Common Pleas

Decided May 15, 1854

New York Court of Common Pleas · decided 1854-05-15

This was an application for a new trial, under § 366 of the Code. The defendant having suffered judgment by default in one of the district courts, produced affidavits, to the effect that he and his counsel had been prevented from appearing on the trial below, by engagements elsewhere. The nature of these engagements did not appear.

Decided 1854-05-15

By the Court. Ingraham, First J.

¶1The justice returns that the defendant did not appear on the return day or the adjourned day.

¶2The defendant shows no sufficient excuse for his default in not appearing. We can never sanction a practice that a defendant and his counsel may absent themselves from the court on the day of trial, and then offer a mere allegation of other engagements as an excuse for their failure to appear, and as a ground for setting aside the judgment. If such should be established as the law of this court on appeals, very few judgments could hereafter be recovered in justices’ courts in this city which we should not be compelled to reverse on appeal

¶3Judgment affirmed.

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