114 Ga. 651 | Ga. | 1902
McC. Pate brought suit, upon a promissory note, against J. R. Allison and H. B. Moore, late partners as J. R. Allison & Co., and J. H. Allison. The note, which was joint and several, was payable to Adams, McMurray & Co., or bearer, and was signed, " J. R. Allison & Co.,” and " J. HP Allison,” and indorsed, " Adams, Me-Murray & Co.” The third paragraph of plaintiff’s petition alleged “ that said promissory note was, before its maturity, and for value
In Martin v. Bartow Iron Works, decided by Judge Erskine, in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Georgia, and reported in 35 Ga. 320, it was held: “Where several pleas in bar are pleaded, each must stand upon its own merits, and the construction of one will not be aided by reference to another.” See also Davies v. Byrne, 10 Ga. 333 (4). The paragraph of the defendant’s answer setting up duress in no way referred to the other paragraph containing a general denial of the third paragraph of the plaintiff’s petition, and even if it had contained such a reference, it seems that it might have been subject to a special demurrer, as it was held in Cooper v. Portner Brewing Co., 112 Ga. 894, that, “Since the pleading act of 1893, each count must contain a complete cause of action in distinct and orderly paragraphs numbered consecutively; and it is not permissible to make paragraphs of one count a part of another count by mere reference-to the same.” It is, however, unnecessary for us to decide whether the defendant’s plea of duress would have been sufficient to withstand the demurrer thereto, if it had been connected by words of reference to the paragrajjh of his answer containing a general denial of the allegations of the third paragraph of the plaintiff’s petition; as it contained no such reference. If one separate and distinct plea could be aided by simply looking to the allegations in another, we see no reason why it could not be vitiated by the same process, and this surely is not permissible, since a defendant may set up as many contradictory pleas as he sees fit. Under the view which we have taken of this case, we have not, of course, taken into consideration the question whether the allegations of the plea were sufficient to
Judgment reversed.