Opinion

Davis v. Southern Railway Co.

  • 147 N.C. 68
  • 60 S.E. 722
  • 1908 N.C. LEXIS 16
Court
Supreme Court of North Carolina
Filed
Mar 11, 1908
Status
Published
Author
OlaeK
On the bench
Waleer, Olaek
Cited by
9 cases
Authority
More cited than 11.7%

The opinion

OlaeK, C. J.,

concurring in result: The form of the issue, “What damage (or what amount), if any, is the plaintiff entitled to recover ?” has been so long used and in so many different kinds of actions, and its meaning is so well understood, that the advisability of now calling it in question is doubtful. It could only add to the number of issues, without any corresponding benefit.

When, as in this case, more than one inference can be drawn from the evidence, a charge to the jury, “If you believe the evidence, answer the issue ‘Yes’ (or ‘No/ as the case may be),” is erroneous. But when only one inference can be drawn such charge would be correct. The long-settled practice is thus summed up by Brown, J., in a recent case (Clark v. Traction Co., 138 N. C., 80 ), where, speaking for a unanimous Court, he says: “His Honor instructed the jury, ‘if *73 they believed tbe evidence, to answer that issue “Yes.” ’ In this instruction toe are unable to discover any error. The evidence in the case was practically undisputed, and we do not see how any reasonable mind can draw more than one inference from it.”

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.