| 词条 | Dougherty v. Stepp | ||||||||||||||
| 释义 |
Holding(s) | Every unauthorised, and therefore unlawful entry, into the close of another, is a trespass. From every illegal entry onto another's land, the law infers some damages, even if only the nominal damages of treading down the grass, herbage, or shrubbery. | Opinion By |
BackgroundStepp incorrectly believed that certain unenclosed land belonging to Doughterty belonged to him. Stepp therefore entered the unenclosed land with a surveyor and chain carriers, who began surveying the land.[2] Before they had marked any trees or cut any bushes, Dougherty challenged their actions.[2] Dougherty then brought suit against Stepp for trespass quare clausum fregit.[2] A trial was held in Buncombe before Judge Martin. Judge Martin held that since Stepp, the defendant, had not damaged Dougherty's land in any way, Stepp had not committed a trespass.[2] He therefore directed the jury to find for the defendant.[2] Dougherty then appealed this ruling to the North Carolina Supreme Court.[2] Dougherty's lawyer argued that every unwarrantable entering on another's real property constituted a trespass, even if the defendant mistakenly believed that the land belonged to him.[2] He also argued that every trespass involves some damage to the property, even if it is only the treading down and bruising of the herbage and shrubbery.[2] Stepp's lawyer did not appear before the North Carolina Supreme Court.[2] Opinion of the CourtIn a per curiam decision authored by Chief Justice Ruffin, the Court granted the plaintiff's appeal.[2] The court found that it was error for the trial court to hold that Stepp's actions did not constitute a trespass.[2] The court held that "every unauthorised, and therefore unlawful entry, into the close of another, is a trespass."[2] From every illegal entry onto another's land, the law infers some damages, even if only the nominal damages of treading down the grass, herbage, or shrubbery.[2] The court therefore granted the appeal and remanded the case for a new trial. References1. ^See, e.g., James Barr Ames and Jeremiah Smith, A Selection of Cases on the Law of Torts (3rd ed., 1910), Vol. 1, pp. 59-60; Richard Epstein, Cases and Materials on Torts (8th ed., 2004), pp. 9-10. 2. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dougherty v. Stepp, 18 N.C. 371, 371 (N.C. 1835). External links
5 : 1835 in United States case law|North Carolina state case law|United States tort case law|1835 in North Carolina|Buncombe County, North Carolina |
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