The Cavender v.
Cavender case was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in a unanimous 9-0 ruling on April 20, 1885.
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The case originated from the U.S.
Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The plaintiff in the circuit court was Robert S.
Cavender, who laid out his case in the bill of complaint.
The case centered around the last will and testament of John Cavender, dated May 6, 1858, and probated in the probate court of the city of St.
Louis on February 4, 1862.
In his will, John Cavender named the defendant, John S.
Cavender, as the executor.
The key legal issue was whether the defendant's answer in the chancery court, which included material facts omitted from the plaintiff's bill of complaint, constituted a waiver of the right to object to the bill.
The Supreme Court ruled that the defendant's answer did in fact waive the right to object to the omissions in the bill of complaint.
This Supreme Court decision established the legal precedent that an answer in chancery setting forth material facts that should have been in the original bill is considered a waiver of the right to object to the bill for those omissions.
The case is significant in shaping the requirements and expectations for the contents of bills of complaint and answers in chancery proceedings.
Beyond the Cavender v.
Cavender case, there is a separate case involving a different Cavender - David Michael Cavender v.
The State of Texas - in which Cavender was convicted and sentenced for injury to the elderly.
The Cavender v.
Cavender Supreme Court decision has been cited and applied in numerous subsequent legal cases over the past 135+ years.
The unanimous 9-0 ruling in Cavender v.
Cavender indicates the Supreme Court justices were in strong agreement on the legal principles established by the case.