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78 Ill. 558

Evans v. Anderson

Illinois Supreme Court

Decided September 15, 1875

Illinois Supreme Court · decided 1875-09-15

Writ of Error to the Circuit Court of Iroquois county; the Hon. N. J. Pillsbury, Judge, presiding. This was an action of assumpsit, by Joseph Evans, against Milton Anderson, upon a promissory note given by the defendant to John W. Jones, and assigned to the plaintiff.

Relies on Roundtree v. Baker

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1875-09-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently October 1976

8 state decisions

3018751880189019001910192019301940195019601970decided

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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Mr. Justice Breese

¶1delivered the opinion of the Court:

¶2It would be an useless waste of time to discuss the principle which lies at the bottom of this case, as it has received the assent of all the common law tribunals of the United States, this State included.

¶3The principle is, that the law of the place where a contract is made must govern the contract.

¶4The note in question was made in the State of Indiana, and the laws of that State must govern as to the defenses which might be set up against a recovery thereon. It was in that State the maker undertook to pay. It was a contract of the place where made and where to be performed.

¶5It is true, the note does not, on its face, purport to have been made in the State of Indiana, yet, it so appears by the plea, and the fact is not denied. The existing laws of a State at the time of making a note, form a portion of the contract, and the liability of the maker must be determined under them. Stacy, Admr. v. Baker, 1 Scam. 417; Holbrook et al. v. Vibbard et al. 2 ib. 465; Roundtree, Admr. v. Baker, Admr. 52 Ill. 241; Bradshaw v. Newman, Breese (2d Ed.), 133; Humphreys v. Collier et al. ib. 297.

¶6It is a principle adopted everywhere, that the nature, validity and interpretation of contracts must be governed by the laws of the country where the contracts are made, or are to be performed.

¶7There is no difference of opinion on this question.

¶8The judgment is affirmed. The liability of the maker of this note must be determined by the laws of Indiana, the State in which it was made.

¶9Judgment affirmed.

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