Burton v. Rice

This is an action at law by the appellant landlord to recover possession of a farm that he orally leased to the appellee in the fall of 1958 for a term of four years. At the close of the plaintiff’s proof he asked for a directed verdict on the ground that the principal allegations in the complaint had not been denied by the answer and were therefore admitted. The court denied the motion for a directed verdict; the correctness of that ruling is the only issue on appeal. The case was fully tried on its merits and resulted in a verdict for the defendant.

The lack of complete clarity in the…