79 Ga. 538 | Ga. | 1888
The defendant in error was an incorporated bank of Pennsylvania, and brought action against Hatcher & Company upon a negotiable instrument, payable to and indorsed by the Taylor Manufacturing Company. Hatcher & Company made a defence that perhaps would have been good against the payees of the note, but not good against the plaintiffs in the action, unless they could be. affected
“Upon the calling of said case for trial, defendants moved the court to dismiss the same, and after refusal to dismiss, to continue the same, upon the following grounds, to-wit: that on September 23, 1885, the defendants filed certain exceptions to the execution and return cf the commission sued out in the above case by the defendants, to obtain discovery at law from the plaintiff; said exceptions being as follows: 1 Defendants except to the answers to the interrogatories in the above case sued out to obtain discovery, because they refer to certain letters as attached or enclosed, and none such are attached or enclosed in the commission.’ ”
It will be observed that the date was the 23d of September, 1885. That was before the cause of action in this case matured, and the action itself was not brought until May, 1S86. So that, if in making this motion, the counsel intended what they said to be literally taken, they must have filed their exceptions entirely too early, because it was before the action was brought. We are not unwilling to take the bill of exceptions literally, because we find that the object of the exceptions was to get the benefit of strict law. The letters which were not sent with the commission or answers, were probably immaterial; because the answers themselves are very full and apparently very frank in disclosing the whole transaction. Again, it does not appear that any notice of these exceptions was given to the opposite party, and for that reason the court may have denied this motion. ' Again, it is stated in the above exceptions that said commission, interrogatories and answers are thereto attached. There is no visible commission attached. It is invisible to us, and if it were so to the court below, there was no commission at all shown to that court. .Again, the interrogatories are attached, and it does not .appear from any entry upon them, or otherwise, in this
I will add that the statute on discovery does not seem adapted to obtaining a .discovery from, a corporation; it is only from some plaintiff who can testify, some one who, if residing in the county, could be subpoenaed as a witness. Code, §3811. I would add also that it does not appear from this record that the plaintiff ever had anything to do with the execution of these interrogatories. It does not appear that the plaintiff waived any of the points of ob • jection that I have mentioned. If the plaintiff had taken charge of these interrogatories and assumed the burden of having them correctly executed, that might be an answer to all formal objections, and even many substantial objections. But it does not appear that the plaintiff ever took upon itself the burden of having these interrogatories
Judgment affirmed.