Case Name: The People ex rel. Dorothy Stortz v. The Circuit Judge for Ingham County
Court: Michigan Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Decision Date: 1878-01-23
Citations: 38 Mich. 243
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People ex rel. Dorothy Stortz v. The Circuit Judge for Ingham County.
Judges: 
Reporter: Michigan Reports
Volume: 38
Pages: 243–244

Head Matter:
The People ex rel. Dorothy Stortz v. The Circuit Judge for Ingham County.
Breach of promise.
Breach of promise must be sued for in assumpsit before a justice of the peace if the damages are below $100.
Costs go to the defendant when judgment for breach of promise does not exceed $100.
Mandamus.
Submitted January 22.
Decided January 23.
Denied.
Chapin & Handy for the relator.
M. V. Montgomery for the respondent.

Opinion:
Per Curiam.
Breach of promise is sued for in assumpsit like any other agreement; and no statute has denied jurisdiction over such suits to justices of the peace, whose jurisdiction is exclusive in assumpsit to $100.
It was decided in Strong v. Daniels, 3 Mich., 466, that where the judgment is for an amount within the jurisdiction of a justice, and not reduced by set-off from a larger sum, or otherwise specially provided for in the statutes concerning costs, the defendant and not the plaintiff is entitled to costs. There is a clerical error in the recital of the statute in that case as reported.
The circuit judge was right in holding that on a judgment for $100, costs should go to defendant.