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Prescott v. Patterson

George W. Prescott v. Miner Patterson

Prescott v. Patterson, 14 N.W. 571 (Mich. 1883)
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Court
Michigan Supreme Court · State Highest Courts
Decided
January 10, 1883
Judges
Graves, Other
Citations
14 N.W. 57149 Mich. 6221883 Mich. LEXIS 687
Disposition
Affirmed.
Headnotes
Error — Estoppel by acceptance of satisfaction. An allegation of error based upon instructions to the jury will not be considered if the portion of the charge to which it refers is not excepted to. Unconditional acceptance of a township order in satisfaction of damages occasioned by laying out a highway estops one from afterwards contesting the proceedings on the ground of mere irregularities therein. An exception to a charge is bad where it covers distinct propositions of which some are in favor of the excepting party.
Summary
Error to Kent. Trespass. Plaintiff brings error.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Graves

Text extracted by OCR from a scanned original; check the original for exact wording.

Graves, C. J.

The defendants being highway commissioners went on to premises claimed to be a highway through the plaintiff’s land and removed certain fences which were there standing and he sued in trespass before a justice and the case was certified to the circuit court, where a verdict was given for the defendants. He took no objections to evidence nor preferred any requests for instructions. But he seeks a reversal on two allegations of error against the charge given by the court. The first is not supported by the record. The portion of the charge to which it refers was not excepted to. Moreover, the only exception having any relation to the subject proceeded on a mistake of fact. The other charge of. error rests on a single exception covering distinct propositions, of which some were in the plaintiff’s favor and undoubtedly accurate. Still, if the allegations of error had any basis, they would not avail anything to the plaintiff.

The validity of the proceedings to lay out the highway was disputed and it was claimed that the plaintiff appealed to the township boards and that they decided against him after a hearing on the merits, and moreover that he actually received a township order for the damages awarded to him in the very proceedings cpmplained of. He contended that'the appeal was irregular and ineffectual and that although he took the order at one time, he yet never accepted it unconditionally and subsequently tendered it back.

The jury were instructed that admitting that the proceedings to lay out the highway were not regular, still if the plaintiff actually accepted the order in satisfaction of his damages and without any condition, it was sufficient to estop him from setting up the irregularities, and in answer to a request they found specifically that he did take the order and with the intention at the time that it should be in *624 u payment for his land and [for] letting the public have the right of way over it.”

We think the charge was correct on this question and that the finding of the jury was decisive. Chatterton v. Parrott 46 Mich. 432; Kile v. Town of Yellowhead 80 Ill. 208 ; Kellogg v. United States 1 Ct. of Cl. 310; Snow v. Walker 42 Tex. 154 .

The judgment must be affirmed with costs.

The other Justices concurred.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

1891: 118912026peak 1891 · 1

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Marks v. Tompkins7 Utah 421 (1891)

Most recent

  1. Marks v. Tompkins7 Utah 421 (1891)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 3

DepthCaseCited by
Kile v. Town of Yellowhead, 80 Ill. 208 (1875) 28
Chatterton v. Parrott, 9 N.W. 482 (Mich. 1881) 10
Snow v. Walker, 42 Tex. 154 (1874) 2

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