Smith v. Bell Tel. Co. of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
153 A.2d 477 (1959)
Relevant factsFree
Years after Bell Telephone and its contractor (defendants) laid underground conduits near Smith's (plaintiff) property, adjacent sewer pipes were found crushed and leaking sewage into his house; the trial judge imposed a compulsory nonsuit, reasoning the multi-year gap between the telephone work and the discovered damage meant Smith's purely circumstantial evidence couldn't rule out other causes.
IssueFree
Whether a jury may base its verdict on logical inferences and reasonable conclusions drawn from circumstantial evidence, even if other inferences and conclusions can also be drawn from that evidence.