Moser v. Mayberry

7 Watts 12 | Pa. | 1838

*14The opinion of the Court was delivered by

Rogers, J.

After the jury had given their verdict, and before it was entered, the defendant’s counsel asked the court to request the jury to say upon which of the notes attached they found the sum returned to be due. Although debts are attachable under a foreign attachment, yet the garnishee is not compellable to pay the money before it is due. The notes in controversy were payable, some before, and some after the attachment, so that it was difficult to tell on which of the notes the jury found. To remove this uncertainty was the object of the defendant’s motion. The jury found generally for the plaintiff, 478 dollars; the legal effect of which is, that the money was due. But admitting that the jury were mistaken in their conclusion on the facts, the ordinary remedy is by a motion for a new trial. The court may, and frequently do, recommend the jury, when a palpable error has been committed, to reconsider the verdict; but it has never been held that this is a matter of right, on which any party can insist., and that a refusal to do so would be error. This would make the court in the last resort, judges of the fact, as well as the law. It is not for us to say whether the court of common pleas was wrong in refusing the defendant’s prayer, although we cannot see, if we may venture to express our opinion, that any great injustice has been done, as it is admitted that one of the notes, to a greater amount than the sum found, was due, and payable by the vendee. If the counsel had requested a direction on this point to *15the jury, perhaps an omission to do so would have been matter of exception. But, having slipped the time, they cannot now assign it as error.

A judgment must follow the verdict; the court was bound to enter judgment for the plaintiff without stay of execution. If the verdict warrant it by a special finding, the court may enter judgment, with stay of execution, until it is due.

Judgment affirmed.