Sobel v. Diatz
Decision Date | 12 April 1951 |
Docket Number | No. 10681.,10681. |
Parties | SOBEL v. DIATZ et al. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit |
Stanley H. Kamerow, Washington, D. C., with whom Allan L. Kamerow, Washington, D. C., was on the brief, for appellant.
Before CLARK, PROCTOR, and FAHY, Circuit Judges.
This action was brought against the appellant and the Washington Technical School, Inc., to recover twenty-six hundred and fifty dollars for the unexpired term under a lease which had been assigned to the appellant. Counsel for the appellant moved for a directed verdict both after the presentation of the appellees' case and at the termination of the entire case. The trial court denied both and submitted the case to the jury which rendered a verdict of twenty-six hundred and fifty dollars in favor of the appellees and against the appellant but not against the Washington Technical School, Inc.
The appellant moved in the Municipal Court for a new trial or in the alternative for judgment non obstante veredicto. The Court overruled the motion for a new trial but granted appellant's motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. On appeal to the Municipal Court of Appeals the judgment of the Municipal Court was reversed and the verdict of the jury in favor of the appellees was ordered reinstated.
The appellant first contends that the appeal taken by the appellees to the Municipal Court of Appeals from the Municipal Court was taken from a non-appealable order and consequently the Municipal Court of Appeals had no jurisdiction to review the case or to order a reversal of the same. Judge Hood correctly stated the law applicable to this point, and since we do not feel we can add materially to it we adopt his conclusion. * * *"73 A.2d 228.
The appellees next contend that the judgment n. o. v. was not properly granted, and with this position we agree. In McSweeny v. Wilson, 1946, 48 A.2d 469, 470 the Municipal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held:
To the same effect is Nickel v. Scott, Mun.App.D.C. 1948, 59 A.2d 206 which cites Montgomery Ward & Co. v. Duncan, 1940, 311 U.S. 243, 61 S.Ct. 189, 85 L.Ed. 147, and McSweeny v. Wilson, supra.
It is apparent that we must determine here whether, viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the appellee, the appellee failed, as a matter of law, to make out a case for himself and whether, therefore, a verdict in the movant's favor should have been directed. Obviously, the trial judge who granted the judgment n. o. v. did not think that the appellant had failed to make out his case, because he denied motions for a directed verdict both after the appellee had presented his case and at the end of the trial.
When we look at the evidence and testimony of this case, we quite agree with the trial judge that a directed verdict should not have been granted, and consequently we feel the judgment n. o. v. should not have been granted. The only element of the appellees' case which the appellant alleges was not proved is that the appellees did not consent to the assignment of the lease, and therefore there existed no privity of contract. Mrs. Diatz who is one of the appellees, and her rental agent, and Junsch, the original lessee, testified that the appellant assumed the lease. Mrs. Diatz, also testified that she gave her consent to the assignment, and the jury before whom the question of both appellees' consent was raised gave the verdict in favor of the appellees. The Municipal Court of Appeals drew the conclusion that it could reasonably be inferred from the testimony of Mrs. Diatz that "she was not only...
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