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7 Cal. 152

McCarron v. O'Connell

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1857

California Supreme Court · decided 1857-07-01

This was an action of trespass, against a number of defendants, for breaking plaintiffs’ dam, and destroying plaintiffs’ ditch and flume. The defendants file several answers. That of O'Connell merely denies the trespass. The answer of some of the defendants denies that plaintiffs were the owners of the property.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently February 1967

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1857-07-01

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Heydenfeldt, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the Court, Murray, C. J. concurring.

¶2Possession in the plaintiff is sufficient to enable him to recover against a trespasser, and although a higher title may be attempted to be set up, the failure to sustain it will not operate against the right to recover damages. So in this ease, the bills of sale, not under seal, although insufficient to convey the right intended, do not weaken the claim of the plaintiffs under their possession. Besides this, the only issue made by the appellants was as to the fact of the trespass, and thus all of the errors assigned, which affect the questions of law, are disposed of.

¶3The remaining one relies upon the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict. It seems that although several defendants are declared against jointly, no joint trespass was proved, hut only a trespass by one. Now it is true, that if a joint trespass had been proved, the plaintiffs could not have been allowed to waive that, and give evidence of another trespass against one only. But such is not the case here; a trespass is found against one only, and the plaintiffs are entitled to recover.

¶4Judgment affirmed.

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