From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Estep v. Armstrong

Supreme Court of California
May 20, 1886
69 Cal. 536 (Cal. 1886)

Opinion

         Department One

         Appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court of Lake County, and from an order refusing a new trial.

         COUNSEL:

         Woods Crawford, and Eugene W. Britt, for Appellant.

          R. W. Crump, for Respondent.


         JUDGES: Myrick, J. Ross, J., and McKinstry, J., concurred.

         OPINION

          MYRICK, Judge

          [11 P. 133] Fraud is the subject of the action. The complaint contains two counts. As the court found in favor of defendant as to the second count, and rendered judgment accordingly, and the plaintiff has not appealed, it is not necessary to consider that branch of the case.

         It appears from the first count of the complaint that the plaintiff held the promissory note of defendant, originally given for $ 7,629.25, on which payments had been made, which payments reduced the amount to $ 5,240.25. The defendant offered to pay (and did pay), and the plaintiff accepted, $ 4,455.17 for the delivery to him (defendant) of the note, at the same time claiming this sum to be $ 2,000 more than was justly due. The fraud complained of by the plaintiff, in consequence of which she asks judgment for the difference between $ 5,240.25 and $ 4,455.17, relates to the settlement had between the parties by which she agreed to accept and accepted the less amount. It is a well-known rule, that in pleading fraud, the facts must be clearly stated, so that the court may determine therefrom whether the charge of fraud is well founded.

         We are of the opinion that the facts stated in the first count do not constitute a cause of action; that the facts as stated do not form a basis for relief on the ground of fraud. It is not apparent therefrom that the plaintiff was misled by any false misrepresentations by defendant.

         The demurrer should have been sustained.

         No error appears in the order of the court setting aside the order of transfer of the place of trial.

         The judgment and order are reversed, and the cause is remanded, with directions that the demurrer to the first count be sustained.


Summaries of

Estep v. Armstrong

Supreme Court of California
May 20, 1886
69 Cal. 536 (Cal. 1886)
Case details for

Estep v. Armstrong

Case Details

Full title:SARAH R. ESTEP, Executrix, etc., of Joseph H. Estep, Deceased, Respondent…

Court:Supreme Court of California

Date published: May 20, 1886

Citations

69 Cal. 536 (Cal. 1886)
11 P. 132

Citing Cases

Mirkin v. Wasserman

The law appears always to have been so in this state. (See, e.g., Colton v. Stanford (1890) 82 Cal. 351, 383…

McClure v. Cerati

[11] The rule is well established that the pleading must allege that the complainant relied upon asserted…