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35 Me. 125

Ellis v. Warren

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided July 1, 1852

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1852-07-01

On Exceptions from the District Court, Rice, J. Action or the Case. Under instructions to the jury, a verdict was rendered for the plaintiff. The defendant, before having offered any written exceptions for the signature of the Judge, moved to have the verdict set aside and a new trial granted; which motion, after a full hearing, was overruled. He thereupon filed exceptions to the instructions given to the jury, and the exceptions were certified by the Judge.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently December 1954

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1852-07-01

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Shefley, C. J.

¶1—It is insisted, that this case is distinguishable from the case of Cole v. Bruce, 32 Maine, 512.

¶2The record states, that the. motion to have the verdict set aside, and a new trial granted, was made; and that it was overruled after a full hearing, before any exceptions were presented.

¶3Exceptions, authorized by the statute, c. 97, § 18, are not usually drawn and presented for allowance, until after all proceedings in the action for that term have been closed. When duly authenticated, they operate as if made and allowed at the time, when they were taken. This appears to have been understood by the legislative department, for the provision is, that the trial shall proceed until a verdict is rendered.

¶4The Judge, not being informed that the defendant would insist upon his exceptions, might properly consider and decide *126upon his motion. If a bill of exceptions was subsequently presented, stating the facts correctly, the Judge might properly allow it, leaving the appellate court to decide, whether it could entertain the case.

¶5The Judge could not, however, legally entertain and act upon the motion, without considering the exceptions, which had been taken but not drawn, as waived or abandoned.

¶6The defendant cannot now be permitted to allege, that the Court, at his request, acted illegally and without authority upon his motion, and that his exceptions having been presented and certified afterward will therefore lie.

¶7Case dismissed from the docket of this Court.

Tenney, Howard and Hathaway, J. J., concurred.
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