Case Name: SHOEMAKER against COVENHOVEN
Court: New Jersey Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: New Jersey
Decision Date: 1810-09
Citations: 3 N.J.L. 684
Docket Number: 
Parties: [504] [†] SHOEMAKER against COVENHOVEN.
Judges: 
Reporter: New Jersey Law Reports
Volume: 3
Pages: 258–259

Head Matter:
[504] [†] SHOEMAKER against COVENHOVEN.
ON CERTIORARI.
Action for a malicious suit, lies not for two complaints before a grand jury.
Covenhoven brought the action before the justice on the following state of demand:
Whereas, the said John Shoemaker did maliciously enter a complaint against me. in the Term of August, 1806, before the grand jury of the county of Hunterdon, and I was acquitted by the said grand jury; said Shoemaker also entered a complaint against me maliciously, in the Term of October following, in consequence an indictment was found against me, to my damage forty-five dollars and twenty-five cents, as will appear by my account, stating an amount for loss of time, expenses, witnesses and counsel fee.
This was tried by the justice without a jury, in the absence of the defendant, on which he rendered judgment for the plaintiff below, for $37.25.

Opinion:
By the Court.
The action below was brought for a malicious prosecution; and the facts disclosed in the state of demand are, that the defendant below made a complaint to the grand jury against the plaintiff below, and that the grand jury did not then find a bill; that at the next court-lie renewed the complaint before another grand jury, and that grand jury found a bill of indictment against the plaintiff below, whereby he was put to costs. We are clear that an action cannot be maintained on these facts.
Judgment reversed.