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40 S.D. 594

Knittle v. Ernst

South Dakota Supreme Court

Decided September 3, 1918

South Dakota Supreme Court · decided 1918-09-03

ITon. Chas. A. Davis, Judge. Action by S'arah, Kniittle, against Alfred Ernst, -in which Walter H. K-upfer, as guardian -of the person and estate of Jacob Ernst, an incompetent person, .intervenes-. From a judgment f-or plaintiff, and- from an order -denying -a new trial, defendant and intervener -appeal. Appellants cited; Jones Commentaries- on Ev., Blue Book, V-o-1. 4, p. 710, Sec. 779 ( 791)> -anti -cases cited. Respondent cited: Hawley vs. B-ou'd, 20 S. D. 215.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently May 1938

2 state decisions

Relies on Hawley v. Bond

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Affirmed · Decided 1918-09-03

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

SMITH, J.

¶1(-dissenting). The fact of -ownership in this case is plainly a -conclusion -o-fi the witness -drawn from- transactions- with her deceased-mother, as to which transactions the- majority opinion as well -as th-e statute ’declares her incompetent t-o testify.

¶2The majority conclusion, life founded upon- the rule -announced toy this court in Hawley v. Bond, 20 S. D. 215, 105 N. W. 464. T-h-e precise point 'decided in -that -case -was that 'the question as to- ownership in that case called for the statement of -a fact, and1 not cf an *597opinion- or -eanduisi'an of the witness. The distinction- 'between •“ownership as ia fact” arid' “ownership as -a- -eonchtsion of the witness” may bé sórh-tíwfaát difficult to define, but as applied to tran-sacfiions -donceming whiidh the witness- is competent to testify, as in Hawley v. Bond, ¡is perhaps n'oit important. B-ut when1 the witness is incompetent to testify to' the transaction upon which the ultimate fact of ownership rests-, the rule -adopted by the majority -opinión amounts to - an- abrogation lotf ;tíhe statute.

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