DOWS & Another v. JOHNSON

DOWS & Another v. JOHNSON. APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOE THE DISTRICT OF IOWA. Submitted January 7th, 1884. Decided January 21st, 1884. Jurisdiction. When the value of the matter in dispute in this court is less than $5,000 the court is without jurisdiction of the'cause, although an amount more than $5,000 may have been involved below. Hilton v. Dickinson, 108 U. S. 165, approved and followed. Motion to dismiss. Case also submitted on tbe briefs. Mr. Jlenry 8. Monroe for plaintiffs in error and against tbe motion. • Mr. Samuel F. Chapman and Mr. W. F. Sapp for defendant in error and for the motion. [MAJORITY — Me. Chief Justice Waite] Me. Chief Justice Waite delivered tbe opinion of tbe court. ■ We have no jurisdiction in this case. Tbe suit was brought ■by Dows & Co. to recover damages for tbe unlawful conversion of ten thousand bushels of corn, tbe value of which, according to tbe findings, did not exceed $6,000. With interest added to this sum from tbe date of the alleged conversion until tbe judgment, tbe most that could have been recovered, upon tbe special finding, was $6,360. A judgment was in fact rendered for $2,430. The matter in dispute in this court is tbe difference between these two sums, or only $3,930. In Hilton v. Dickinson, 108 U. S. 165, it was settled that our jurisdiction depends on the value of tbe matter in dispute here, and as that in the present case is less than $5,000, it follows that tbe suit must be dismissed ; and it is so ordered. Dismissed.