12 Wend. 207 | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | 1834
By the Court,
In the case of Strong v. Smith, 2 Cowen, 28, the court say, that at nisi prius the defendant could not avail himself of the general issue, as the whole matter appears on the record. Probably the record in that case did show the fact that the action then before the court was a' suit brought for the same cause of action as the suit before the justice. Here that fact is averred by the plaintiff, and 'denied by the defendant; it did not appear, therefore, upon the record, and upon the record it was a question of fact to be decided by the jury. Before the revised statutes, the defendant was bound to rely in the court above upon his-plea of title’
When a suit is discontinued before a justice on the ground of a plea of title being delivered, a suit may be prosecuted in the common pleas for the same cause of action. “ And the , plaintiff in such suit shall declare only for the same cause of action whereon he relied before the justice; and the plea, or plea and notice of the defendant shall be the same which he tendered to the justice.” 2 R. S. 237, § 64. The intention of the legislature was, that the same issue joined before the justice should be tried in the common pleas. Hence the plaintiff is as much bound by his declaration as the defendant is by his plea. If, therefore, the plaintiff declares in the common pleas for a cause of action different from that contained in his declaration before the justice,' and the defendant puts in other pleas, and the parties go down to trial upon such pleadings, the suit should be regarded as an original suit, and not a continuation of the- suit before the justice. Such was the case of Percy v. Parsons, in Rensselaer common pleas, 2 Wendell, 647, where the plaintiff new assigned in the common pleas, and the defendant pleaded the general issue to the new assignment. The cause was tried upon the new assignment and general issue. We held it could not be considered a continuation of the suit before the justice, but an original suit, and the question of costs did not depend upon the fact of title having been pleaded before the justice. It was said in this case, by Mr. Justice Nelson, that the identity of the cause of action should not be put in issue, but that if either party departs from the issue joined before the justice, that is a matter to be corrected by a special motion. Such was the motion in Strong v. Smith, 2 Cowen, 28. There is no other way in which the object of the legislature can be attained.
'The object of the present motion is to require the defendant to abide by the plea put in by him before the justice. The defendant does not object, provided the plaintiff is confined to the declaration which he presented in the justice’s court. That