Court Opinion

ID: 7807158
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-09-07 17:07:56.104388+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:30:21.536176
License: Public Domain

on rehearing. Hart, J. Counsel for appellants has called our attention to the fact that the court over his objection gave the following instruction: “If you find for the plaintiff against both defendants, your verdict will be for amount of note sued on together with 10 per cent interest from date to present time.”. The court erred in giving’ this instruction. The note stipulated that it should bear interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum without stipulating for interest after maturity. Therefore, it bears interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from date until maturity, and thereafter at 6 per cent. Johnson v. Downing, 76 Ark. 128, and cases cited. Therefore, the judgment will be modified in accordance with this opinion. It does not follow, however, that appellant should be entitled to the costs of appeal. The rule in regard to interest announced above has been established by many decisions of this court, extending over a long period of time. The action of the court in giving the instruction in regard to the interest was not a material issue in the case, and only arose as incidental to the other issues involved. Therefore, it may be regarded as an inadvertence, or oversight, on the part of the court in the nature of a clerical error. If counsel for appellant had specifically called the court’s attention to the instruction and had pointed out the error in it, the court doubtless would have corrected it. In other words, counsel should have made a specific objection to the instruction, or, in his motion for a new trial, should have specially called the court’s attention to the mistake, and, not having done so, appellant will not be allowed to recover the costs of appeal. It has been held that costs will not be awarded on reversal of the judgment where the error could have been corrected on motion in the trial court without appeal. 11 Cyc. 209.