Opinion ID: 88567
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The jury were misled in view of the evidence in this case

Text: First . By the distinction made by the court between the motive or inducement for giving the note, and the consideration of the note; and, Secondly . (If the distinction were a sound one) in applying it to the contingency of a present existing debt from Philpot and Picket or Philpot, Sherman & Co., whereas it should have been confined to a present existing indebtedness from Philpot, Sherman & Co. As to the latter proposition—— Assuming that the jury might have fairly found that there was a debt of $3500 from Philpot and Picket only for the well purchased on the 19th of October, 1864, yet, as to Sherman, who did not owe the debt, what possible motive could he have for becoming liable to Gruninger for this debt? 'The execution of this agreement by Gruninger,' says the court. Then, if without that agreement he would not have been induced to put the debt in that shape, it follows that such agreement was, as to him , the consideration of the note. As to Sherman, therefore, especially, this distinction between the motive or inducement and the consideration, if well founded in any case, was inapplicable to the facts in evidence, and was, therefore, well calculated to, and in fact did, mislead the jury. Then, as to our first proposition, that the distinction made by the court, in view of the evidence in this case, between the consideration of the note and the motive or inducement operating to cause defendants to give it, misled the jury. There was obviously controversy between Gruninger and defendants just previous to and at the time this note was given, as to the sale of the well on the Blood Farm. Concede that the evidence is insufficient to show that it was worthless, and that on the whole the defendants were lawfully indebted to Gruninger $3500 for it, but in good faith thought otherwise and refused payment or would only consent to pay or execute the note in question, provided Gruninger would agree to go into and put his property into the proposed new company. Now, says the court to the jury: 'It may well happen that A. may owe a valid debt to B., and B. may say to A., 'If you will put the debt in the shape of a note I will do some act for you;' and then, when it is so done, the promise to put the debt in that shape is not the consideration of that note, but the debt which is due from one to the other.' This was put by way of illustration, to show the distinction between the consideration and the motive or inducement. If this distinction is known to the books, it can only apply to such a case as this put by the court, where A. owes a valid debt to B. and does not dispute it, but it could never apply to a case where, although A. owed a valid debt to B., he believed otherwise and denied it, and B. in order to induce A. to give him an acknowledgment of it in the shape of a promissory note, promises on his part to do some other thing. In such case, while the valid debt may be in part the consideration of the note, it is not the whole consideration, and to allow B. to repudiate his promise and sue and recover on that note would be to encourage fraud. II. We submit also that the court erred in excluding from the consideration of the jury the articles of copartnership between Philpot, Sherman, and Picket. Mr. O. K. Hutchings, contra .