Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

3 Mont. 208

Conklin v. Fox

Montana Supreme Court

Decided August 15, 1878

Montana Supreme Court · decided 1878-08-15

Apjpeal from Third District, Lewis and Clarke County. This action was tried by Wade, C. J, Fox was charged as a member of a firm, and judgment was entered against him because he was not in the firm. The complaint was not amended. Where evidence establishes a different cause of action from the one complained of, it is a total failure of proof, and cannot be cured by amendment. The allegata and probata must correspond. Code Civ.

Relies on McIntosh v. . Ensign · Rowe v. Chandler

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1878-08-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently June 1941

5 state decisions

2018781880189019001910192019301940decided

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 →

Blase, J.

¶1The respondents bring this action on an account for goods sold and delivered to three persons, who are described in one part of the complaint as copartners. The summons was served upon Fox, one of the defendants, and judgment was entered against him alone. The complaint alleges that “said defendants are indebted to these plaintiffs in the sum of … upon an account for goods … sold and delivered to said defendants by these plaintiffs at their special instance and request.” … The separate answer of Fox denies the allegations of the complaint, and denies also that he is indebted on his individual account, or in any manner, to the respondents. '

¶2The errors which are complained of can be determined by the consideration of one question — Can this judgment be entered against the appellant under the pleadings? The complaint alleges that the defendants are copartners, but it does not state that they are indebted as such copartners to the respondents. The evidence supports the judgment. There is no controversy respecting this branch of the case. Under the Code of Civil Procedure of this Territory, “judgment may be given for or against one or more of several plaintiffs, and for or against one or more of several defendants.” § 231. “ In an action against *211■several defendants the court may, in its discretion, render judgment against one or more of them, leaving the action to proceed against the others whenever a several judgment is proper.” Code Civ. Pr., § 232. We are satisfied that we may treat as immaterial the allegations of the complaint concerning the copartnership, and that a cause of action is stated against the defendants. The proof showed that too many persons had been joined as defendants, but this fact does not appear upon the face of the complaint, and the answer of the appellant did not plead it. The appellant thereby waived his objection to the misjoinder of the parties defendant. e< If no such objection be taken, either by demurrer or answer, the defendant shall be deemed to have waived the same.” Code Civ. Pr., § 86; Parchen v. Peck, 2 Mon. 567.

¶3The action of the court in entering the judgment is sustained by the following authorities: Pomeroy on Rem., §§ 289, 290; Rowe v. Chandler, 1 Cal. 168; Rutenberg v. Main, 47 id. 213; Claflin v. Batterly, 5 Duer, 327. In McIntosh v. Ensign, 28 N. Y. 169, Mr. Justice Weight says: “A plaintiff is not now to be nonsuited because he has brought too many parties into court. If he could recover against any of the defendants upon the facts proved, had he sued them alone, the recovery against them is proper, although he may have joined others with them in the action against whom no liability is shown.” The sections of the Code of Civil Procedure, supra, embody the principle which is maintained by these authorities. The allegations of the pleadings have been liberally construed, and substantial justice has been done between the parties. Code Civ. Pr., § 98.

¶4Judgment affirmed.

/3/mont/208 · .json · Public domain