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85 Me. 108

Bain v. Walsh

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided November 7, 1892

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1892-11-07

<p> Mviüence. Lost Documents. Practice. </p> <p>The evidence of the loss of a document adduced to lay the foundation for introduction of secondary evidence of its contents, is addressed solely to the discretion of the presiding justice; and his decision upon its sufficiency, in the absence of any apparent abuse of his authority, is not revisable.</p>

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently May 1977

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1892-11-07

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Virgin, J.

¶1Assumpsit on a promissory note alleged to have been given on October 13,1883, to the plaintiff by the defendant’s intestate who deceased April 9, 1890.

¶2*109The non-production of the note at the trial was attempted to be accounted for by the contention that it had been lost.

¶3The evidence of the loss adduced to lay the foundation for introduction of secondary evidence of its contents, is addressed solely to the discretion of the presiding justice ; and his decision upon its sufficiency, in the absence of any apparent abuse of his authority, is not reviewable. Camden v. Belgrade, 78 Maine, 204, 209.

¶4The only evidence of its loss came from the plaintiff herself, who simply testified that she had not been able to find the note since the date of the maker’s decease in April, 1890; nor had she assigned or transferred it since that date. She omitted to testify by affidavit whether or not it was lost prior to that date.

¶5Bxceptions overruled. JSTonmit confirmed.

Peters, C. J., Walton, Libbey, Foster and Haskell, JJ., concurred.
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