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33 N.H. 520

Flint v. Pattee

Supreme Court of New Hampshire

Decided July 15, 1856

Supreme Court of New Hampshire · decided 1856-07-15

This was an appeal from the decision of the commissioner of insolvency on the estate of Adams Flint, disallowing a note, of which the following is a copy: uAntrim, December 13, 1853. For value received I promise to pay Nathaniel Flint, or his order, the sum of one thousand dollars, to be on demand and on interest, at my decease, and not before. Adams Flint.” Said Adams and Nathaniel Flint were brothers.

Relies on 3 Barb. Ch. 76 - Craig v. Craig · Jones v. Deyer · Raymond v. Sellick

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1856-07-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently June 1907

5 state decisions

20185618601870188018901900decided

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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Bell, J.

¶1This question rests on authority. In favor of the position that a party in his last sickness and in expectation of his approaching death, may make a note without any consideration but his good will to the payee, and deliver it to take effect after his decease; and that such a note will be valid as a donatio causa mortis, are the following cases : Wright v. Wright, 1 Cow. 598; Jones v. Deyer, 16 Ala. 221; Coutant v. Schuyler, 1 Paige 317; Bowers v. Hurd, 10 Mass. 427; Woodbridge v. Spooner, 1 Chitt. 661; Seton v. Seton, 2 Bro. Ch. Ca. 610, and it was held that a bond given under like circumstances was valid. Wells v. Tucker, 3 Bin. 366.

¶2On the other side are the cases cited by the defendant’s counsel. Raymond v. Sellick, 10 Conn. 480; Holly v. Adams, 16 Vt. 206; Parish v. Stone, 14 Pick. 198; Craig v. Craig, 3 Barb. Ch. 76; Harris v. Clark, 2 Barb. S. C. 94; S. C., 3 Comst. 93, are directly in point, and decisive of the present state of the law as held in the neighboring States. With them agree Tate v. Hibbert, 4 Bro. Cha. Ca. 286; 2 Ves. jr. 111; *523and Bouts v. Ellis, 21 E. L. & E. 337, where it is held that the check of the donor is effectual as a donatio causa mortis only where the money is paid before his decease.

¶3The case of Copp v. Sawyer, 6 N. H. 386, is an express decision of the Superior Court upon the point, which has long been regarded and acted upon as the settled law of the State. It cannot now be departed from. There must, therefore, be

¶4Judgment for the defendant.

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