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51 Ill. App. 542

Gager v. Dobson

Appellate Court of Illinois

Decided February 1, 1894

Appellate Court of Illinois · decided 1894-02-01

Memorandum.—Assumpsit. Originally commenced in justice’s court. Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County; the Hon. Frank Baker, Judge, presiding. Heard in that court at the October term, 1893, and affirmed.

Decided 1894-02-01

Mr. Justice Waterman

¶1delivered the opinion oe the Court.

¶2This action, originally brought before a justice of the peace, has been successfully prosecuted by appellee in two courts. It is for wages claimed to be due.

¶3Appellant was unfortunately, if he has any defense, absent when the case was last tried, and the testimony of appellee made a clear case, warranting the judgment of $142. Appellant’s counsel asked to have the following instructions given:

¶4First. “ The court instructs the jury, as a matter of law, that the jury must find that there is a certain amount due to Dobson from Gager, and that they must not guess at the same.”

¶5Second. “ The court instructs the jury, as a matter of law, that the plaintiff can not recover for an account that is five years old prior to the commencement of this suit, except upon a new promise made thereafter. This suit was commenced April 3, 1891.”

¶6The court refused this request.

¶7The first of these instructions might have greatly misled the jury. Jurors have many times to form an opinion as to amounts from contradictory and imperfect evidence. An instruction that they must be certain and could not guess, might have been by them understood as forbidding them to use their judgment in reaching a conclusion. Absolute certainty is seldom required in law suits.

¶8There was no evidence upon which the second instruction could have been based.

¶9The judgment will he affirmed.

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