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4 Iowa 463

Gilson v. Johnson

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided July 1, 1857

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1857-07-01

Replevin for a chest of carpenter’s tools. The cause was originally tried before a justice of the peace, and judgmenti rendered against the plaintiff for nine dollars and costs. The transcript of the justice shows that on trial before him, the plaintiff, after examining one witness, and reading a receipt to the jury, which was not objected to, rested his cause. The defendant then moved for a nonsuit, on the ground that plaintiff’s witness had not been sworn.

Decided 1857-07-01

' Stockton, J.

¶1The only reason, urged by defendant, why the District Court should have dismissed the appeal, is that no appeal lies from a judgment of nonsuit. To the contrary, see Code, section 2328 ; Griffin v. Moss, 3 Iowa, 261. But this was more than .a j udgment of nonsuit. The defendant recovered judgment for nine dollars against the plaintiff. Defendant claims that the District Court, should have affirmed the judgment of nonsuit entered by the justice, because a motion made by defendant before the justice to quash the writ of replevin and dismiss the suit, was improperly overruled.

¶2It is also further insisted that the District Court erred in permitting a trial on the merits, on the appeal. In answer to these objections, it is only necessary to refer to section 2311 of the Code: “ An appeal brings up a cause for trial on the merits and for no other purpose ; all errors and irregularities before the justice are to be disregarded.”

¶3The remaining objection is, that the District Court did not rend,er judgment against defendant, for any amount in damages. This objection cannot be made by the defendant, because of it was a valid one, he is not prejudiced thereby.. It is sufficient, if the judgment was satisfactory to the plaintiff.

¶4Judgment affirmed.

¶5/

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