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78 N.C. 47

Williams v. . Thomas

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided January 5, 1878

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1878-01-05

Civil AotioN, tried at Fall Term, 1877, of Davidson Superior Court, before Cox, J. It was alleged that an award in a certain suit was filed at Spring Term, 1867, of the late Court of Equity for Davidson County, to which no exceptions were taken, and upon which it was decreed that March & Hampton, plaintiffs, ■should have judgment against John W. Thomas, defendant, {intestate of defendant in this action) for $1409,25, and that execution should issue'therefor; that said decree…

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently August 1980

1 state decisions

Relies on H. W. Burton v. . Admiral Charles Wilkes

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1878-01-05

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Eairclotii, J.

¶1 Does the reference of an action by consent to the attorney in said action for arbitration ipso facto revoke his authority as an attorney? This is an interesting, and in the present case, an important question. We were about to proceed to consider the question, but finding that we arc compelled to order another trial, on another exception,-and inasmuch as His Honor submitted-the question to the jury as one of intent, without a distinct issue, we have concluded not to pass upon' it at present

¶2 Was it a question of law or of fact?.- This of course depends on the evidence; and if the latter, was there any- évi-dence of the intent to go to the jury? We-make these suggestions, but do.not-mean any expression of opinion until the facts are established by another .trial. ■ . i ■

¶3*49 His Honor banded important papers to the jury as they retired, which had been read in evidence, to which the? plaintiff's objected, but the jury were allowed to keep the-papers until the verdict was rendered. Whilst the decisions1, in different States of the Union- do not agree on this subject,, the practice has never been recognized in this State, and the rule against it has been uniform, unless by consent. See the following cases for the reasons on the subject: Outlaw v. Hurdle, 1 Jones 150; Watson v. Davis, 7 Jones 178; Burton v. Wilkes, 66 N. C. 604.

¶4 Error.

¶5 Per Curiam. Judgment reversed..

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