58 A.D. 302 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1901
There are eighteen causes of action set forth in the complaint, herein, each of which contains appropriate allegations'to charge the defendant with liability for false representations contained in a prospectus issued by it, upon the faith, of which representations the various parties, in whom the right of action originally vested, subscribed to stock of a corporation, known as the Chicago Zinc Mining Company. All of the causes of action were assigned to the plaintiffs. The defendant demurring to the complaint insists that an action for deceit will not lie against a corporation.. That contention finds support in some adjudicated cases in England and in other jurisdictions, but more recent views of courts and text writers favor a contrary rule and assimilate the liability of a corporation for false Representations made by those having authority'to bind it, to that of an individual against whom a cause of action -of • the same character ■ is alleged. As stated by Mr. Cook, in his treatise on the. Law
It is urged as a second ground of demurrer that causes of action are improperly joined; that each of the injured parties has a separate and independent cause of action, and the wrong done one is not related to that done the others. But the causes of action set up in the complaint were transferred by assignment to the plaintiffs. There is no doubt that such causes of action are assignable (Code Civ. Proc. § 1910), and thus vesting in the plaintiffs they may be joined in one action, for two or more causes of action for injuries to
■ The interlocutory judgment overruling the demurrer is affirmed, with costs, with leave .to-the defendant to withdraw the demurrer and answer within twenty days, on the payment of costs in this court and in the court below.
Yan Brunt, P. «I., Rumsey, O’Brien and McLaughlin, JJ., concurred.
Judgment affirmed, with costs, with leave- to defendant to withdraw demurrer and answer in twenty days, on payment of costs in this court and in the court below.