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59 How. Pr. 238

Fish v. Hose

New York Supreme Court

Decided April 15, 1880

New York Supreme Court · decided 1880-04-15

<p>Pleading— Complaint—when it is sufficient—Misjoinder of panties defendant—Demurrer— Code of Gimil Procedure, section, 488.</p> <p>In an action against two defendants a complaint will not be held defective on a joint demurrer by both, put upon the ground that it does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, if it states a cause of action against either.</p> <p>That there is a misjoinder of parties defendant is not a ground of demurrer. The defect of parties defendant, for which a demurrer may be interposed, is a deficiency.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1880-04-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently April 1909

3 state decisions

10188018901900decided

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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Van Vorst, J.

¶1This is a joint demurrer by the defendants. The plaintiff has clearly a cause of action against the defendants, separately. The demurrer takes the objection that the facts stated do not constitute a cause of action against the defendants, jointly or severally.

¶2But in an action against two defendants the complaint will not be held bad on a joint demurrer by both defendants, put upon the ground that it does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, if it states a cause of action against *239either (Phillips agt. Hagadorn, 12 How. P. R., 17; Eldridge agt. Bell, idem, 547).

¶3In order to have reached the true ground of objection which is argued in this behalf the demurrer should have assigned as grounds thereof that causes of action had been improperly united (Jackson agt. Brookins, 5 Hun, 531).

¶4It is objected by the demurrer that there is a misjoinder of parties defendant.

¶5But no such objection can be taken by demurrer. The defect of parties defendant, for which a demurrer may be interposed, is a deficiency (Code Civil Procedure, sec. 488, subs. 5 and 6 ; Peaboddy agt. Washington Co. Mutual Ins. Co., 20 Barb., 339; Richtmyer agt. Richtmyer, 50 Barb., 55).

¶6There should be judgment for the plaintiff on the demurrer, with liberty to the defendants to answer on payment of costs.

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