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Is, of course, necessary that the essential elements of deceit

should be present in order to found an action in tort. There-

fore if the agent makes the representation believing it to be

true, he is not guilty of fraud, although his principal may

have known it to be false.^ But if he knows it to be false,

then whether his princij)al knew it or not, and whether it

was authorized or unauthorized, he is liable.**

(2) Conversion. " Any ])crson who, however innocently,

1 Delaney r. Kochereau, .tuprn : Osborne v. Morgan, 130 Mass. 102;

Baird v. Shipman, 132 111. 10.

2 Post, В§ 291.

8 Swift *•. Jewsbury, L. R. 9 Q. B. 301 ; Campbell v. Ilillman, 15 B.

Mon. (Ky.) 508; Ileddeu v. (iriffin, 136 Mass. 229 ; Allen r. llartfield,

70 111. 358; Clark /•. Levering, 37 Minn. 120; Hamlin v. Abell, 120 Mo.

188.

♦ Weber v. Weber, 47 Mich. 509.

'' Eaglesfield r. Londonderry, 38 L. T. 303; 20 W. R. 510. See ante,

В§ 152.

6 Pollock on Torts (5tli ed.), pp. 290-291; Ilempfling v. Burr, .59 Mich.

294.

LIABILITY IN TORT. 265

obtains possession of goods of a person who has been fraud-

ulently deprived of them, and disposes of them, whether for

his own benefit or that of any other person, is guilty of

conversion." ^ Accordingly an agent is bound to know that

his principal has title to the goods which form the subject-

matter of the agency. " He who assumes to deal or inter-

meddle with personal property which is not his own must see

to it that he has a warrant therefor from some one who is

authorized to give it." ^ If an agent sells stolen bonds for

the thief and pays the proceeds over to his principal, he is

liable to the true owner for conversion, and it is no defence

that he acted innocently or that the bonds were negotiable.^

So if one act innocently as the agent of one of two joint

owners of a chattel and sell the entire chattel without the

consent of the other joint owner, he is liable for conversion.*

A doubt was expressed by some of the judges in the case

of Rollins V, Fowler В° whether the rule was as broad as is

above stated, and one American case at least has held that a

factor is not liable for selling stolen goods unless after demand

or notice.*" But the weight of authority sustains the rule.^

The agent is therefore liable to the true owner if, having

possession of the latter's goods, although believing them to

belong to the principal, he sells and delivers them,^ or un-

qualifiedly refuses to deliver them up to the true owner upon

demand.^ But if he have not possession, a mere contract to

sell is not a conversion. ^"^ So also a mere transportation of

1 Rollins V. Fowler, L. R. 7 H. L. 757.

2 Spraights v. Hawley, 39 N. Y. 441.

3 Kimball v. Billings, 55 Me. 147 ; Swim v. Wilson, 90 Cal. 126.

* Perminter v. Kelly, 18 Ala. 716.

6 L. R. 7 H. L. 757.

6 Roach V. Turk, 9 Heisk. (Tenn.) 708. And see Leuthold v. Fair-

child, 35 Minn. 99, 111.

^ Hoffman v. Carow, 20 Wend. 21, s c. 22 Wend. 285; Rice v. Yocura,

155 Pa. St. 538 J Robinson v. Bird, 158 Mass. 357.

8 Consolidated Co. v. Curtis, 1892, 1 Q. B. 495.

9 Alexander v. Southey, 5 B. & Aid. 247 ; Spraights v. Hawley, 89

N. Y. 441.

10 Barker v. Furlong, 1891, 2 Ch. 172.

26G AGENT AND THIRD PAKTY.

the goods for the possessor is not a conversion, where it

results only in a change of position and not of property or

possession. 1

(3) Other wrongs. An agent is personally liable for an

illegal use of process, ^ malicious prosecution, ^ libel, ^ in-

fringement of patent, ^ or other act of misfeasance.

В§ 214. Whether principal and agent are liable jointly.

The question as to whether the principal and agent may

be sued jointly has given rise to some discussion. Two

classes of cases are distinguishable :

(1) Where the principal and agent are in fact joint tort-

feasors, as where the princij)al commands the wrong to be

done, and therefore purposely participates in it, the two

may be sued jointly.^ They are in no different position than

any other joint tort-feasors. In trespass all participants are

regarded as joint tort-feasors." If there are two or more

principals, one or all or any number may be joined.^

(2) Where the principal and agent arc not in fact joint

в– wrong-doers, but the ijrincipal's liability rests upon the ground

of public policy heretofore explained,^ there is a difference of

opinion as to whether the two are liable jointly. As stated

above, if both are liable in trcsj)ass, they arc regarded as

joint wrong-doers ; but if the princii)al is liable in an action

on the case, simply because of his position as principal, it has

been held that a joint action would not lie.^'' But it is believed

that the w^eight of authority is otherwise, and that in any

1 Metcalf V. :\IcLaughUn, 122 Mass. 81; Gurley i'. Arnistead, 148

Mass. 267.

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