Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

65 Cal. 49

Vanderford v. Foster

California Supreme Court

Decided February 12, 1884

California Supreme Court · decided 1884-02-12

Action to recover possession of certain wheat which plaintiff claimed as purchaser from one Mitchell. The defendant justified the taking under a writ of attachment issued to him as sheriff, at the suit of one Dicus against Mitchell. On the trial the plaintiff introduced evidence to sustain the allegations of her complaint. The defendant then introduced evidence showing that there had been no actual and continued change of possession of the wheat.

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently May 1922

5 state decisions

Relies on Geary v. Simmons

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1884-02-12

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

The Court.

¶1In Geary v. Simmons, 39 Cal. 224, it was held a court is justified in granting a nonsuit, after the evidence on both sides has been heard in a case where, if the motion had been denied and a verdict found for the plaintiff, it would have been set aside as not supported by the evidence. If the case' before us had gone to the jury upon the evidence in the transcript, it would have been the duty of the court to set aside a *50verdict in favor of plaintiff on motion. It comes within the rule laid down in Geary v. Simmons.

¶2We think it proper to say, however, that the practice of moving for nonsuit after the defendant’s evidence is in should rarely be resorted to. Especially is this so when, as in the case at bar, the plaintiff introduced evidence to sustain all the averments of the complaint, as against a mere trespasser, and the materiality of establishing an immediate delivery and actual and continued change of possession only appeared after the defendant had made out his affirmative defense; that he was sheriff and took the property under process, etc.

¶3Judgment and order affirmed.

/65/cal/49 · .json · Public domain