134 P. 274 | Wyo. | 1913
The defendant in error as plaintiff recovered judgment for the sum of $500 and costs against the plaintiffs in error as defendants in the District Court of Fremont County for an alleged malicious prosecution. A motion to set aside the verdict and for a new trial was filed, which the court overruled and the defendants bring error..
There are two separate counts contained in the petition, but the court withdrew the first and the issue as finally submitted to the jury was upon the second count and the evb dence directed thereto. It is alleged in the second count as follows:
“And the said plaintiff, Nancy Wales, further complains of the said named defendants, P. J. McIntosh, Jesse Johnson, and Donald A. Beaton, and each of them, and for her second cause of action alleges and says that on the 30th day of May, A- D. 1910, the said named defendants, and each of them, wrongfully, falsely and maliciously, and without probable cause, before Emil Jamerman, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Fremont in the State of Wyoming, charged that this plaintiff did, on the 22nd day of May, A. D. 1910, and during the last five years prior to said date, in Rongis, in the County of Fremont, State of Wyoming, unlawfully, maliciously and feloniously steal unbranded calves from the range adjacent to the ranch of this plaintiff and adjacent to the ranches of John Wales and William Johnson, and thereupon prayed and demanded that this plaintiff be forthwith apprehended on the said charge of the said defendants, and said defendants caused this plaintiff to be wrongfully arrested, detained and deprived of her liberty and be brought before the said magistrate and be arraigned to plead to the said charge on the said 30th day of May, A. D. 1910.
“That this plaintiff was so wrongfully detained, imprisoned and deprived of her liberty for the space of about five hours and was compelled to leave her home and work and be taken under arrest a distance of about eight miles and*406 to be taken before the magistrate in the presence of a large number of the friends and neighbors of this plaintiff and accompanied by the defendants as complainants, and the said defendants there caused and procured the said magistrate to order this plaintiff to give bond and this plaintiff was then and there-compelled to give bond in the sum of $500.00 for her further appearance before the said magistrate at a time fixed by him, and in default of said bond that she stand committed to the County Jail in said County of Fremont, that plaintiff was afterwards required without her consent and against her will to be and appear before the said magistrate on the 15th day of June, A. D. 1910, and again on the 25th of June, A. D. 1910, to answer said charge.
“That afterwards, on the 25th day of June, A. D. 1910, the said cause came on for hearing before Emil Jamerman, Justice of the Peace, and John Dillon, County and Prosecuting Attorney for the said County of Fremont, appeared on behalf of the prosecution of said cause, and after inquiry and investigation, said John Dillon as such Prosecuting Attorney failed and refused to prosecute said charge and the said charge against this plaintiff was without the consent of the said named defendants herein dismissed and this plaintiff was acquitted of said charge and then released from custody, and said prosecution is now ended and wholly determined.
“And this plaintiff says -that she was not guilty of the charge made by said defendants and was never before charged with being guilty of any crime whatever, and up to that time had always been esteemed a good and worthy citizen and respected by all her neighbors and acquaintances in the community where she resides, and the plaintiff further says that the charge was made by the defendants against this plaintiff and said arrest and detention of said plaintiff was made and caused without any probable cause to suspect the plaintiff guilty of the charge as made by said defendants, or of stealing any livestock whatever; and the said*407 arrest of plaintiff was malicious and was caused and procured by the said defendants in furtherance of their expressed intention and design to prosecute and litigate this plaintiff and involve this plaintiff in expensive litigation until she would be forced to abandon her' residence and home in the community and dispose of her holdings "to the said defendants and those interested with them, to the end that the said defendants for their benefit and profit might have the fences removed from around the lands of this plaintiff and of her husband and permit the said defendants easy access to the open territory and stock range upon the mountain and beyond the holdings of this plaintiff and of her said husband.
“That by reason of the wrongful acts of the said defendants this plaintiff has been greatly injured and damaged in her credit, standing and reputation in the community where she resides, and has been brought into public scandal, infamy and disgrace, and has suffered great anxiety, mental anguish, great humiliation, shame and disgrace, and has been obliged to expend the sum of $100.00 in procuring her discharge from said prosecution and imprisonment.
“That the whole of said proceedings by said defendants against this plaintiff were unlawful, wanton and malicious, and have greatly distressed and humiliated plaintiff and injured her in her good name and reputation, and by reason of the premises plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars.
“WsRRRRORR, Plaintiff prays judgment against the said named defendants, P. J. McIntosh, Jesse Johnson, and Donald A. Beaton, and each of them, in the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, and that Plaintiff may have and recover such other further or different relief as may be just and equitable.” .
The defendants answered jointly, denying generally and specifically each allegation of the petition, alleged that defendants stated the facts to the justice in good faith, for good cause believed to exist as a duty to the public and for
It is assigned as error (1) that the court erred in overruling defendant’s demurrer to the second cause of action on the ground that it failed to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; (2) that the court erred in refusing plaintiff’s motion at the close of the testimony to instruct the jury to find for the defendants; and (3) that.the evidence does not support the verdict and that the court erred in not granting the motion for a new trial. The essential elements necessary to be shown by the petition and evidence in an action for malicious prosecution are (1) the institution of the proceedings; (2) without probable cause; (3) with malice; (4) that the proceedings have terminated and in plaintiff’s favor; (5) damage to plaintiff. (19 A. & E. Ency. of Law, 653, 13 Ency. PI. & Pr. 427.) In the case here the evidence tends to support the allegations of the second cause of action contained in the petition and if sufficient to entitle the plaintiff to recover what we have to say on that question would be determinative of the sufficiency of the petition. It is urged that proof to the effect that the information which failed to charge plaintiff with the commission of an offense under the laws of this state and the warrant issued thereon were written and prepared by the justice of the peace, the defendants doing nothing more than signing the information and taking no part in the arrest or any other .or further action after signing the information is not sufficient to maintain the action. It is also contended that the dismissal of the criminal proceeding by the justice of the peace at the request of the prosecuting attorney without submitting any evidence was not a termination of that proceeding in plaintiff’s favor.
The argument as to the first contention is based upon a false premise. The evidence is undisputed that the defendants applied to the justice, furnished him the information,
It may be conceded, as eminent counsel for the defendants claim, that the complaint or information filed before the justice of the peace and upon which the warrant issued did not state a criminal offense, and it may further be conceded that the courts are at variance as to whether an action for malicious prosecution upon such a complaint can be maintained. The great weight of authority supports the right and we think the better reasoning sustains that view. In Shattgen v. Holnback, 149 Ill. 646, 36 N. E. 969, it is said: “It is not necessary, in order to sustain an action for malicious prosecution, that the affidavit on which the prosecution was based properly charged the offense.” It may be said that that court had reference to a defective description of an offense, but not where there is no offense charged in the criminal complaint. In Bell v. Keepers, 37 Kan. 64, 14 Pac. 542, it was held that “in an action for malicious prosecution it is no defense that the complaint upon which the warrant of arrest was issued did not state a criminal offense.” The reasons for so holding were pointedly stated in that case as follows: “A warrant was issued substantially following the complaint, and it is now claimed that this complaint does not state a criminal offense, and for this reason plaintiff insists that no action for malicious prosecution can be maintained for the arrest made there
In Mask v. Rawls, 57 Miss. 270, it is said that “trespass on the case lies for malicious prosecution, although the affidavit which was the commencement of the prosecution fails to charge an offense known to the law.” To the same effect is Lueck v. Heisler, 87 Wis. 644, 58 N. W. 1101. In the note to Ross v. Hixon, 46 Kan. 550, 26 Pac. Rep. 955, 12 L. R. A. 760, 26 Am. St. 123, 129, Mr. Freeman says: “It may be that the charge as made does not constitute a public offense, or that for some other reason no conviction can be had under it, or though constituting some offense, it does not justify the proceeding taken or warrant issued by the magistrate, and cannot for that reason result in a conviction. In each of the instances supposed, there cannot, if the law is properly construed and applied, be any conviction, and on that account it has been insisted that there is no prosecution such as will sustain an action, though it is shown to be malicious and without probable cause. As we shall hereafter show, it is necessary, to maintain an action for malicious prosecution, that the defendant was guilty of malice and acted without probable cause in preferring the charge which he made. If both of these elements are shown to have been present, it is not material that the prosecutor, in the complaint which he made, did not state facts sufficient to constitute a crime, or that some irregularity of proceed
As already stated there'are courts which have held contrary to the views of Mr. Freeman as above expressed, arid to those courts from whose opinions the above quotations are taken, but we think the better reasoning is with the courts which hold that the action can be maintained even though the affidavit upon which the warrant was issued failed to charge a criminal offense, provided the other necessary elements are present in order to make out a case. Indeed to hold otherwise, would, we think, be contrary to the policy of the law, for it would deprive the injured party of a remedy for what is usually a great wrong and far-reaching in its effect.
It is urged that the dismissal of the case by the justice of the peace at the request of the County and Prosecuting Attorney without the introduction of any evidence was not. such a termination of the criminal proceeding as to enable plaintiff to maintain her action. In Graves v. Scott et al., 104 Va. 372, 51 S. E. 821 (2 L. R. A. (N. S.) 927, 113 Am. St. Rep. 1043, 7 A. & E. Ann. Cas. 480), the plaintiff was arrested on a warrant issued upon a criminal complaint charging him with obtaining goods under false pretenses. The complaint was dismissed at the time set for trial because of the failure of the prosecuting witness to be sworn and give evidence, and it was held that this was such a termination of the case as would support an action for malicious prosecution for the reason that the case had been disposed of in such a manner that any further action would have .to be based upon a new complaint, or by proceedings de novo. The case is an interesting one. both upon the law and facts
It was necessary in order to maintain her action to prove that the defendants acted maliciously and without probable cause. It is urged that proof of the dismissal of the proceeding at the request of the county and prosecuting attorney without submitting any evidence to the justice before whom the proceedings were had was not proof of want of probable cause. As already stated, the evidence of dismissal was admissible as showing a termination of the proceeding, and while theoretically the county and prosecuting attorney was acting officially for all citizens, including the defendants, yet he was not their attorney. He was acting in his official capacity and for the state and not under employment or direction of the defendants. Had they employed a private attorney to draw up the complaint and file it, and such attorney had asked the dismissal, his action would be construed as their act, through their authorized agent, but we are unable to understand how the act of the public prosecutor in procuring the dismissal of the criminal complaint and proceedings which were not instituted by him or upon his advice without having'produced any evidence in support of the charge would be evidence against the defendants upon the issue of want of probable cause in commencing
The finding of the jury, the verdict being general, was a finding upon all the issues in favor of the plaintiff. It is contended that the verdict, unless the dismissal upon request of the State be deemed competent, finds no support in the evidence that the prosecution was commenced without probable cause. In this connection it may be said to be the established rule that malice may be inferred from a showing of want of probable cause, but that want of probable cause will not be inferred from proof of malice alone. (19 Cyc. 680.) Both elements are necessary to be shown to warrant a recovery in this kind of an action, although malice may be inferred from a showing of want of probable cause. As to what evidence is admissible as showing want of probable cause, it is said in 19 Cyc., at page 698: “It has been held that the plaintiff is entitled to introduce proof of his general good character or reputation on the question of want of probable cause for the prosecution, or the defend
This decision is one of the many cited in Cyc. supporting the text above quoted, and while it is the general rule as therein stated, that one may not introduce evidence as to his general reputation for honesty and integrity before his character has been assailed in that respect, yet the courts generally have made an exception in this class of cases, as the burden is upon the plaintiff to negative the existence of probable cause, or to show want of good faith on the part of the defendant in the prosecution of the criminal charge. Such a rule is founded in justice and gives the defendant no shelter from his wrongful act, purposely and maliciously accomplished. The defendant is then given the fullest opportunity to show affirmatively in his defense that he acted in good faith or upon probable cause. The defendants in order to show that they acted upon probable cause in instigating the criminal proceeding, introduced evidence of different witnesses tending to show that plaintiff’s reputation
The plaintiff testified that one of the effects of her being publicly arrested and taken before the justice of the peace was that it injured her credit at the First National Bank of Rawlins. The following inquiry was then made, viz.: “Just tell the jury the facts as to how it was hurt, and what the transaction was.” The question was objected to as follows: “We object to this; the best testimony as to whether credit was refused would be that the bank itself.” The court overruled the objection and such ruling is here assigned as error. It will be observed that the objection goes to the manner of proof and not to the competency of the evidence. If competent at all, and it was not objected to on that ground, the fact could be proved by her as well as by the bank officials, for it would be a fact within her knowledge. We express no opinion as to whether this evidence was competent for that question was not presented to nor ruled upon by the trial court in the first instance and consequently can not be raised for the first time in this court.
Plaintiff was further permitted to testify over objection that she and her 'husband paid an attorney’s fee to Stone & Winslow for attending the justice court in their behalf on June 25, 1910. While the ruling was not assigned as error the sufficiency of such evidence to warrant a recovery of attorney’s fee may be considered under the general assignment (1) that there was error in the assessment of the amount of recovery, the same being too large. The right to recover a reasonable attorney’s fee in a case of this kind is well established. Evidence that such a fee amounting to $250 had been paid by herself and her husband was proper
Errors are assigned to the court’s refusal to give certain instructions requested by defendants and to the giving of certain instructions over their objections. We have examined these questions and find that the refusal to give the instructions requested and the giving of the instructions objected to are complained of because contrary to the contention of defendants that there was a failure in proof to sustain the action. As we have already held that the proof was sufficient to make out a prima facie case sufficient to go to the jury we deem it unnecessary to discuss these questions further than to say that, in our opinion, the instructions fairly presented the law of the case to the jury. The judgment will be affirmed. ' Affirmed.