Jensen v. Barnett

A hotel guest was lodged behind bars. False arrest and imprisonment by the hotelkeepers and damages of $2,500 were conclusions of a jury.

Errors assigned and discussed by defendants relate to sufficiency of the evidence. In their view these propositions are correct: (1) The arrest was-made by a chief of police in the exercise of his independent judgment and not upon the persuasion of defendants; and (2) the verdict is excessive.

The evidence describes an unusual occurrence. The guest, James Jensen, was a contractor engaged primarily by telephone and power companies to clear their rights-of-way.…