160 A. 817 | N.J. | 1932
We are unable to perceive any error in the case as laid before us.
The original defendants were John N. Lohman and Pierre Lohman. The complaint — probably intended as in the alternative though it does not so state — is in two counts. The substance of the first count is that defendant John was a customer of H.G. Einstein Company, stock brokers, and through Pierre as his agent ordered Einstein Company to purchase certain stocks for him, which they did, he refused to take it and they resold at a loss.
The second count is the same except that it is directed against Pierre and charges him as principal. Plaintiff is assignee (probably formal) of the Einstein claim.
Pierre Lohman defaulted in pleading and judgment interlocutory entered against him. There has been no ascertainment of the amount of damages, and hence no final judgment as against Pierre.
John filed his answer, and after some interlocutory matters not now material, trial was moved against him, and resulted *216 in a nonsuit, and in this appeal. The sole ground of appeal is:
"Because the trial court erred in directing a nonsuit in favor of the defendant John N. Lohman against the plaintiff in that —
"(a) The trial court held that the plaintiff had elected to hold the defendant Pierre Lohman, only; and
"(b) The trial court ruled that the interlocutory judgment against Pierre Lohman was an election on the part of the plaintiff not to hold the defendant John N. Lohman."
The case will be searched in vain for such rulings. The transcript of proceedings at the trial is very short, and is here reproduced in full, omitting title, date, c.
"Before Honorable William A. Smith, J., and a jury.
"For plaintiff appear Saul Joseph E. Cohn (by Irwin R. Heller).
"For defendant appear Osborne, Cornish Scheck (by Emanuel P. Scheck).
"Mr. Heller opens for plaintiff.
"Mr. Scheck: `I shall ask for a nonsuit on the opening.'
"The Court: `Motion granted.'
"Plaintiff's counsel prays an exception to this ruling of the court.
"Exception noted as ground of appeal."
If the trial court is to be reversed for error in nonsuiting on the opening, it must appear what that opening was, and that it stated a case for the jury within the very liberal rules laid down in such cases as Kelly v. Bergen County Gas Co.,
The presumption on appeal is that no error was committed, and to work a reversal, error must be made manifest in the manner prescribed by the rules of procedure. It is true that statutes have gone a long way in easing the strictness of *217
the old practice: but with the exception of an agreed state of the case in District Court appeals, which, by the way, is almost never met with in practice, the fundamental rule remains unchanged that when error in a lower court is alleged for reversal, it must be manifested in some official manner contemplated by law. In certiorari to a lower court the certificate of that court is controlling as to what took place.Gory v. Jackson,
It should appear plain from an examination of the foregoing authorities, that if a judgment is to be reversed on appeal for trial error, such error must be manifested and proved at common law by a bill of exceptions duly sealed: and where the common law has been changed by statute, the appellate court will not go beyond the statute to reverse a judgment for matters alleged to have occurred at the trial but not so certified by the trial court (or appearing in a stenographic transcript in civil cases) but merely asserted in the briefs of counsel, by whom the right of the trial court to a presumption of legal conduct of the case and to an affirmance unless the contrary properly appears, cannot be stipulated away.
Our reports of cases involving a nonsuit on the opening indicate that in each case the opening sufficiently appeared on the record, where review was had on the merits. *219
In Kelly v. Gas Co.,
"The opening appearing in the bill of exceptions is somewhat meagre, and if objected to on that ground, counsel would, no doubt, have been permitted to make his statement more complete. But I think it does present a case for the jury if the facts stated therein were proved. It appears thereby" (c., stating the facts outlined by counsel).
In D'Aloia v. Unione, c.,
The same may be said of Davenport v. Holden,
In Carey v. Gray,
In Miller v. Stieglitz, just decided by the Court of Errors and Appeals,
It is true that ordinarily the stenographer does not take down an opening; but defense counsel are presumed to know in general when a plaintiff's case is without merit, and it is good practice and common practice in such cases to request the opening to be taken down. If this be omitted, and a nonsuit be either granted or refused at that point, the losing counsel who expects to review the ruling may, and should, resort to the old plan of preparing at once a statement for authentication by the trial court containing what the former bill of exceptions would contain, for use on appeal.
No error being properly manifested to us, the judgment under review will be affirmed. *220