8 Ga. App. 592 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1911
Wall sued Bashinski Brothers for damages claimed by him as consequent upon their ■ breach of a contract for the purchase of 100 bales of cotton. The jury found in favor of the defendants, and the trial judge refused a new trial. The original motion is based upon the general grounds. In the amendment to the original motion, complaint is made, in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th grounds, that the court erred in omitting to call the attention of the jury (although not so requested to do) to certain specified portions of the testimony bearing upon and favorable to the plaintiff’s contention; and in the 4th ground error is assigned upon-the fact that the judge, in stating the contentions of the parties to the jury stated that the defendants contended, among other things, that time was of the essence of this contract. The matters referred to in all of the grounds of the motion for new trial, with reference to which- it is insisted the court erred in omit
Where the trial judge, in his charge to the jury, fairly submits and states in a general way the controlling contentions of each party, he is not required, in the absence of a pertinent timely request, to specially direct the attention of the jury to specific fragments of the testimony, or to instruct the jury as to the effect of each fact and circumstance adduced in support of the respective contentions. In no case should a trial judge express his opinion as to the weight of the testimony; and he is not required to anatyze it and charge upon the effect of segregated portions of the evidence, unless specially requested so to do.
In the first ground of the amendment to the motion for new trial the complaint is made that the judge, even without request, should have instructed the jury as to the meaning, character, and effect of rule 102-B of the rules of the Savannah Cotton Exchange, which was in writing; this for the reason that, under the undisputed testimony, this rule of the Cotton Exchange was a part of the contract, a breach of which was alleged in the petition. This rule, which the jury had before them,' was as follows: “When time of delivery has expired, and the cotton does not arrive by noon of said day, the seller shall have twenty-four hours in which to substitute cotton of equal quality and character. . Should he fail to substitute such cotton within time named, the contract shall be closed, and settlement made at the difference between price of . sale and value of cotton of equal quality and character, deliverable at ship’s side within twenty-four hours, and the seller shall also pay to the buyer a penalty of one eighth cent per pound.” It
The third ground of the amendment to the motion for new trial deals more minutely with rule 102-B of the rules of the Savannah Cotton Exchange, and assigns error upon the failure of the court, even without a request, to call the attention of the jury to the fact that even if they found that the time of delivery of the cotton had expired, then settlement should be made in accordance with the provisions of this portion of the rule, and that if they found that the provisions of the rule had been complied with by the plaintiff,
Under the testimony of both the plaintiff and the defendants, that Bashinski Brothers, upon a declining market, contracted to. pay a premium above the market price for the cotton involved in the contract, in order that it might be delivered within the next week, we find no error in the mere statement by the court, of which complaint is made in the fourth ground of the amended motion, that the defendants contended that time was of the essence of the contract. So far as disclosed by the record the trial was free from error. The jury merely resolved the issues in fav.or of the defendants instead of the plaintiff. 1 Judgment affirmed.