Devens v. Bower
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Writ of entry to foreclose a mortgage. Plea, nul disseisin, without any specification of defence, or statement that the tenant intended to deny his possession of the demanded premises. At the trial in the court of common pleas, the demandant gave in evidence a mortgage of the demanded premises, an assignment of the mortgage to himself, and a deed of the premises from the mortgagor to the tenant, dated subsequently to the mortgage; and rested his case.
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Writ of entry to foreclose a mortgage. Plea, nul disseisin, without any specification of defence, or statement that the tenant intended to deny his possession of the demanded premises. At the trial in the court of common pleas, the demandant gave in evidence a mortgage of the demanded premises, an assignment of the mortgage to himself, and a deed of the premises from the mortgagor to the tenant, dated subsequently to the mortgage; and rested his case. The tenant then offered in evidence a certificate duly made and recorded of an entry by the demandant to foreclose the mortgage before the date…
1Opinion of the CourtDewey, J.
The tenant having pleaded the general issue, unaccompanied by any specification of defence that he was not tenant of the freehold, the demandant was not required to show that the tenant was in possession of the demanded premises; nor could the tenant, upon any proof he might offer, rely upon such ground of defence. Washington Bank v. Brown, 2 Met. 293. Burridge v. Fogg, 8 Cush. 183.
This view of the case would be a sufficient answer to the proposed defence. But it would seem that if the facts had been introduced into the case under proper pleadings, they would have constituted no defence to an…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- Vertrees v. SheanCourt of Appeals of Kentucky · 1859