1960 Tennessee Survey
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Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 13 Issue 4 Issue 4 - October 1960 Article 22 10-1960 Procedure and Evidence -- 1960 Tennessee Survey Edmund M. Morgan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr Part of the Evidence Commons Recommended Citation Edmund M. Morgan, Procedure and Evidence -- 1960 Tennessee Survey, 13 Vanderbilt Law Review 1197 (1960) Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr/vol13/iss4/22 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vanderbilt Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE-1960 TENNESSEE SURVEY EDMUND M. MORGAN* I. PLEADING-DEMURRER 1. Operationand Effect 2. Slander-SpecialDamage 3. Motion To Dismiss and Quash in Habeas Corpus II. PARTIES 1. Class Suits-RepresentativeSuit for Vacation Pay 2. Answer and Cross-bill Bringing in New Parties III. REMEDIES A. Certiorari 1. From Order of Commissioner of Finance and Taxation-Scope of Review by Circuit Court 2. From Denial of Claim for Recovery of Seized Property by Di- rector of Game and Fish Commission 3. Declaratory Judgment as Alternative B. Coram Nobis-Supersedeas C. Habeas Corpus-Sufficiency of Petition IV. BURDEN OF PROOF AND PRESUMPTIONS 1. Burden of Proof of Agency 2. Alibi in Criminal Prosecution-Measureof Persuasion 3. Venue in CriminalProsecution 4. Presumptionof Innocence-On Appeal from Conviction 5. Affirmative Defense-Capacity of Foreign CorporationTo Sue 6. Consideration for Promise-Statutory Presumption-Prima Facie Evidence 7. Statutory Presumptionor Prima Facie Evidence Re Motor Vehicles V. JUDICIAL NOTICE VI. EVIDENCE A. Relevance 1. Introductory 2. Testimonial Evidence 3. Real Evidence 4. Direct and Circumstantial 5. Similar Occurrences 6. Prioror Contemporary Conduct in Same Series 7. Tending To Prove Motive 8. Other Crimes 9. CharacterEvidence * Frank C. Rand Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University; Royall Profes- sor of Law Emeritus and former Acting Dean, Harvard Law School; Reporter, A.L.I. Model Code of Evidence; member, Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; co-editor, Morgan, Maguire and Wein- stein, Cases and Materials on Evidence (4th ed. 1957); author, Basic Problems of Evidence (1954). 1197 1198 VANDERBILT LAW REVIEW [VOL. 13 B. Hearsay 1. Admissions-Introductory 2. JudicialAdmissions-Pleadings 3. Exceptions C. Opinion 1. Insanity-Lay Opinion-RequiredFoundation for Admissibility 2. Expert Witness-Value-Admissibility and Weight D. Best Evidence Rule 1. Summaries of OriginalWorksheets 2. Official Acts of Quarterly Court E. ParolEvidence Rule 1. Contemporaneous ContradictoryPromise 2. Parol Evidence of Title 3. ParolEvidence To Identify Person Named in Document F. Weight and Sufficiency 1. Negative Testimony 2. Expert Opinion G. Witnesses 1. Examination-Offer of Proof 2. Competency-InterestedSurvivor 3. Impeachment-Judgmentof Conviction VII. JURISDICTION AD VENUE A. County Court 1. Wills Administration 2. Wills Contest B. Court of General Sessions Created by Private Act-Sumner County- Power to Increase Jurisdiction C. Chancery 1. Inherent Jurisdiction-Controlof Bar 2. Limit of Jurisdiction-AmountInvolved 3. Quia Timet To Determine Disputed Boundaries D. Continuing Jurisdiction E. Acquisition of Jurisdiction-Enforcementof Mechanic's Lien F. Supreme Court-PowerTo Revise Sentence VIII. TRIAL A. Right to Jury Trial 1. In CriminalProsecution 2. Question of Law-Unlawful Search and Seizure 3. Procedure in Habitual Criminal Charge-SeparateTrial of Charge 4. In Chancery B. Selection of Jurors-Challenges-Peremptory C. Dismissal or Abandonment of Claim D. Instructions 1. Requests for Instructions-Requisites 2. Curative Instructions 3. Burden of Proof 4. Contents E. Motion for Directed Verdict 1. Distinguishedfrom Demurrer to Evidence-Time for 1960] PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE 1199 2. The Scintilla Rule 3. Effect of Party's Own Testimony 4. In CriminalProsecutions F. Verdict 1. Special Interrogatories 2. Polling Jury-Effect of Answer G. Taxation of Costs-Motion To Retax IX. JUDGMENT 1. Final-WhatConstitutes-In Justice Court-Splitting 2. Final Judgment in Criminal Prosecutionfor Violation of Game Law 3. Costs-When Properly Included-Divorce X. MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL A. Contents-Form B. Grounds for New Trial 1. IrregularitiesAffecting the Jury 2. Misconduct of Juror 3. Verdict Against the Evidence 4. Excessive Damages 5. Punitive Damages C. Requisites of Order Disposing of Motion XI. APPEAL AND ERROR A. In Forma Pauperis-InWhat Actions Allowed B. PreliminaryRequisites-Bill of Exceptions 1. Time for 2. When Required C. Scope of Review 1. Simple Appeal 2. Workmen's Compensation Case 3. Complicated Account 4. Divorce Action-Omission of Finding 5. Evidence ErroneouslyExcluded D. DiscretionaryAppeal XII. RECORD ON APPEAL 1. Inconsistent Provisions-Effect of 2. Omission of Material Details-Effect 3. Inclusion of Improperly Authenticated Matter 4. Diminutionof Record-Amendment of Record 5. Assignment of Error 6. Dispositionon Appeal XIII. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CASES 1. Presumptions 2. Evidence 3. Jurisdictionof Person-Service of Process 4. Jurisdictionof Subject Matter 5. Scope of Review-Referee Under Social Security Act 1200 VANDERBILT LAW REVIEW [VOL. 13 XIV. SixTH CiRcuiT COURT OF APPEALS 1. Remedies-Motion To Vacate Sentence 2. Evidence 3. -Jurisdiction-Courtof Appeals 4. Trial 5. Judgment-Res Judicata-DoubleJeopardy 6. New Trial-Misconduct of Juror 7. Appeal and Error INTRODUCTION This survey is in large part merely what Professor Chafee once characterized as a horizontal digest. In the previous survey a re- quest was made that interested members of the Bar advise the "Editor-in-Chief of this Review whether the character of the annual survey of this subject should be changed. The request is repeated herewith. In this connection it should be said that it is difficult to frame satisfactory comments on the work of our courts in this field without knowledge of the contents of the record. The opinions are of such varied character in many important respects that their bearing upon the efficient administration of justice in general can not be evaluated. To what extent the members of the court other than the opinion writer have a real acquaintance with the record cannot be known. The practice in the various states differs radically. In the New Jersey Supreme Court, at least while Chief Justice Vander- bilt was presiding, each member of the court had, before argument, studied the record and briefs and had noted the problems on which he needed help from the oral argument. In the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, neither the record nor the briefs are studied by any member of the court before argument, and are seldom studied thereafter except where the argument has left some matter unsolved. In some others only the opinion writer reads the record; consequently his interpretation of it must be accepted by the other members except where the oral argument has left a contrary im- pression. And a reading of the opinions during a period of about ten years has made it reasonably clear to this surveyor that many statements in opinions cannot have met the approval of some members of the court. Where the result, on the whole, seems satisfactory the content of the opinion is rarely adversely criticised. As a result this survey leaves very much to be desired. In some instances where there have been "trials by newspaper" which to an outsider seem to make a really fair trial almost, if not quite, impossible, no satisfactory comment can be ventured without a careful examination of the record. And such a comment is scarcely to be recommended, for the 19601 PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE chief purpose of a survey is to present the judicial pronouncements which may furnish some sort of guide to probable future action by the courts. I. PLEADING--DEIVURRER 1. Operation and Effect.-A demurrer is addressed to a pleading and presents an issue of the sufficiency of the averments of fact there- in to call for a response in denial or avoidance. The pleading may include the contents of an accompanying writing incorporated therein by reference, but is neither aided nor harmed by an accompanying writing, designated as an exhibit, which is not so incorporated.' The commonly used generalization that a demurrer admits the truth of all well-pleaded allegations of fact is inaccurate and mis- leading unless qualified. The admission is effective only for the purpose of testing the sufficiency of the allegations. In truth a de- murrer is merely a default on the facts and raises only an issue of law. When it is overruled with leave to plead, it ceases to have any effect if later pleadings are interposed. This is made clear in a recent decision. The chancellor had held in overruling a demurrer that a specified averment in the bill was sufficient. After defendant had answered denying this averment, the chancellor heard the evidence and found for defendant. The court of appeals held specifically that his ruling upon the demurrer did not prevent him from finding the 2 fact to be contrary to the well-pleaded averment. 2. Slander-Special Damage.-A complaint which alleges the utter- ance, in the presence of others, of defamatory statements which do not charge plaintiff with the commission of a crime or misdemeanor, and does not allege special damages resulting therefrom, is demur- rable. An allegation that the uttered statements were "you are drunk. ... You are drunk and you were driving that car under the influence," is insufficient to charge a crime or misdemeanor in the absence of averment that the incident occurred on a public highway in the State of Tennessee. Hence such an allegation without an averment of resulting special damage fails to state a cause of action.3 3. Motion to Dismiss and Quash in Habeas Corpus.-A motion to dismiss the petition in habeas corpus and to quash the writ is properly considered as a demurrer.