Case Name: William Lea v. William Little
Court: Allegheny County Court
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1794-03
Citations: 1 Add. 192
Docket Number: 
Parties: William Lea v. William Little.
Judges: 
Reporter: Addison
Volume: 1
Pages: 192–192

Head Matter:
William Lea v. William Little.
Lea brought an action of debt against Little, a justice of the peace, to recover 50l. the penalty, for marrying his daughter, a minor under the tuition of her father, contrary to the directions of the supplement to the act intitled An act for preventing clandestine marriages.
Ross, for the defendant,
offered to prove, that Lea acquiesced in the marriage, and received the parties into the house afterwards.
Brackenridge, for the plaintiff,
objected, that this was only submitting to a thing, which he could not prevent; it was an act of humanity and paternal affection; and amounts only to this, that William Lea had the sense and kindness not to transfer his resentment against the magistrate, to his daughter and his son-in-law, now irrevocably bound together.
1 St. L. 36, 246.
1 St. L. 604, See the case of Macklin v. Taylor, post. and of Huston v. Ayres, post.

Opinion:
But some favourable circumstances appearing on the part of the justice, and the plaintiff not having served notice before bringing the action, a compromise was recommended and agreed to. The defendant paid the costs, and the plaintiff waved all further claim to the penalty.