5 Blackf. 585 | Ind. | 1841
This was an action'of debt for 1,108 dollars and 46 cents, brought by Harris, assignee of Pollock, against Thomas Woods and Edward Armstrong, on a promissory note. -'.There were three pleas in bar. Upon the'first and third there were issues to the country. The second was demurred to generally, and the demurrer sustained. The issues to the country were tried by the Court,' and judgment rendered in favour , of the plaintiff for the amount of the note.’
The only error assigned is,t that the' demurrer to the'second plea should not have been sustained., That, plea is as follows': '
This plea, as a plea of set-off under the statute, is insufficient, because none of the claims set out in it are legal matters of set-off. Four of the charges are debts alleged to be due from Pollock to Woods, one of the defendants. One of the others is a debt said to be due from Pollock to Arm-charge is strong, the other defendant. And the remaining' an alleged debt due from Pollock and one •Murray jointly to the ’defendants. The defendants could not jointly sue Pollock alone upon-any one of the alleged debts, and none of them,-therefore, can be a legal set-off in this suit. - .
We consider the’plea, however, to be substantially goo.d as a plea of accord and satisfaction. It shows-that,-before' Pollock assigned'the note-sued-on, he was indebted to each' of the defendants in several sums of money, and that he and: one Murray were indebted in a certain sum to the. defen-' dants. These debts amounted, in all, to 963 dollars and 92 cents; and to that amount of the debt sued for, the plea was pleaded. It is alleged by the plea, that the indebtedness described in it was made' so many payments on the note described in the declaration, and was received and accepted by Pollock as a payment on that note before its assignment. The objection, to the plea, á's a plea of accoi'd and satisfaction, is, that it-does not show how the indebtedness relied on was made a .payment by the defendants, and accepted as ■such by Pollock, in part discharge of his, demand. . For example, a part of the indebtedness pleadpd arises from a 'note due by Pollock and' one Murray to the defendants. The plea says, that that indebtedness was made and accepted as a payment; but it does not inform us .in what manner the indebtedness was made >a payment and accepted as such. If the plea had stated, that,"before, the assignment of -the note
The plea, with regard to the other parts of the indebtedness- which it describes, is subject to a similar objection to. that' which we have •’ mentioned as applicable’to the. debt due from Pollock' and Murray, but not to'any greater objection.
The judgment is reversed, and the proceedings subsequent to the issues set aside, with costs. Cause remanded, &c. ■ •