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O'Brien v. BradyO'Brien v. Brady

California Supreme Court
Jul 1, 1863
Reporters:
Before:
Crocker
Crocker, J.

delivered the opinion of the Court—Norton, J. concurring.

This is an appeal from an order granting a new trial. The grounds of the ‍‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‍motion for a new trial were, newly-discovered evidence, insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict, and that the verdict is contrary to law and the instructions of the Court. *244The appellant contends that the affidavits of newly-discovered evidence do not make out such a ‍‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‍case as entitles the defendant to a new trial. Where the motion is founded upon newly-discovered evidence, or that the verdict is against the evidence, an enlarged discretion is vested in the Court below in the granting of new trials; and this Court will ‍‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‍rarely interfere with them action in granting the motion on such grounds. This case comes within this rule, and we do not find any abuse of this discretion to justify a reversal of the order. Where the motion for a new trial is founded ‍‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‍entirely upon alleged errors of law, in the proceedings of the Court below, and the order for a new trial is granted solely upon that ground, this Court will review such action of the Court, as in other cases, where questions of law and ‍‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‍not matters of mere discretion are involved. This case, however, does not come within this exception to the general rule.

The order is affirmed.

Case Details

Case Name: O'Brien v. Brady
Court Name: California Supreme Court
Date Published: Jul 1, 1863
Citation: 23 Cal. 243
Court Abbreviation: Cal.
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