Farni v. Tesson

Mr. Justice GRIER. The amendments made to the deela- . ration after demurrer have not removed the original mistake, as to the parties who should have been joined as plaintiffs. In ' an action of debt on bond,' the demand is for the- penalty-. The condition of tide bond is no part of the obligation. It is true, the judgment for the penalty will be released, on performance of the condition annexed to it. The plaintiff may declaré bn it as single, and defendant would then have to pray . oyer of the deed, arid have the condition put on the record, so that he could, plead a performance of it, or any other defence founded on it. The bond being set forth at length in the declaration, precluded the necessity of oyer, but did not relieve -the pleader from the mistake patent in his plea. He sues on a several covenant to pay a sum of money to A, and shows a covenant to páy A B and C jointly. If one of the joint covenantees be dead,'a suggestion of that fact is sufficient to show a right to sue in the names of the survivors. If, by -the condition, the .money to be recovered be not.for the joint benefit ' of all, the suggestion of that fact cannot alter the obligation; but will show only that, though-all the parties to it should-join in the suit, and show a legal title to recover, the judgment will be for the .use of the party named in the condition, and .equitably entitled -to the money. The true reason for the course pursued by the pleader in this case, though, riot alleged' in the pleading, was, perhaps, to give jurisdiction to the Circuit Court of the United States, by omitting the names of obligees who. are citizens, of Illinois. But it is admitted that such a. *315 reason, even if alleged in the pleading, would not have cured the omission': It is an elemental principle of the common law, that where a contract is joint and not several, all the joint obligees who are alive.must be joined as plaintiffs, and that the defendánt can object to a non-joinder of plaintiffs, not only by demurrei but in arrest of judgment, under the plea of.the general issue. When there are several covenants by the obligors, as, for instance, to-“pay $300 to,A and B, viz: to A $100, and B $200,” no. doubt each may sue alone on his several covenant. The true rule, as stated by Baron Parke, is, that “'a covenant may be construed to be joint or several, according to the interests of the'parties' appearing upon the face of the obligation, if the words, are capable of. such a construction; but it will not be construed to be several, by reason of sevei’al interests, if it be ■expressly joint.” • In this'case, the covenant is joint, and will admit of no construction. The condition annexed cannot affect the plain words of the obligation. . It has not been denied on the argument that such is the established rule of the law, and such-the plain construction of the bond; but it is insisted, that the court should disregard it as merely a technical rule, which does not affect the merits of the controversy.' The same reason would require the court to reject all rules of. pleading. These rules are founded on sound "reason, and long experience of their benefits.' It is no wrong or hardship to suitors, who come to the courts for a remedy, to be required to do it in the mode established by the law. State- legislatures may substitute, by codes, the whims of sciolists and inventors for the experience and wisdom of ages j but the"success of these experimentáis not such as .to allure the court to follow their example. If any one should be curious on this subject, the cases of Randon vs. Toby, (11 How., 517;) of Bennet vs. Butterworth, (ib., 667;) of McFaul ,vs. Ramsey, (20 How,., 523;) and Green vs. Custard, ( 23 How., 484,) may be consulted. The- judgment of -the Circuit Court is therefore reversed, with costs.