Defendant appeals from a judgment in favor of plaintiff, and from an order denying defendant’s motion for a new trial, at the same time bringing up for review an intermediate order opening plaintiff’s default in suffering a judgment to be entered against him for $104.76 costs.
On a previous trial of this action, without a jury, the court awarded damages for plaintiff, which judg
Defendant presented affidavits, in one of wMch extracts were set forth from the Law Journal of April eighth, whereby it conclusively appeared that plaintiff’s attorney was not and could not have been actually engaged in either Part XVII or Part II of the Supreme Court, as averred, for the reason that neither of said cases was tried on April 7, 1915.
In the absence of an affidavit setting forth actual engagement of counsel, and in the absence of any other valid ground for an adjournment, the case having been set down for trial by stipulation, the trial justice properly granted the default and directed judgment for costs in favor of the defendant; and unless we are to' adopt the rule that any litigant may submit to a .default, and, without presenting any ground whatever, except a belief of counsel on such facts as his client may see fit to acquaint him with, that there is a good cause of action, the litigant shall be entitled to open the default, the motion should have been denied. To adopt such a rule would be, in effect, to nullify the effect of the provisions of the Code providing for the taMng of judgment by default.
Judgment in favor of plaintiff reversed with thirty dollars costs to the defendant-appellant; order open-'
Bijur and Gavegan, JJ., concur.
Judgment reversed, with thirty dollars costs, to appellant. Order opening default reversed and judgment in favor of defendant reinstated.
