If there is a bona fide dispute between the parties as to the existence or amount of the claim, it is frequently said that the compromise of such claim by mutual agreement is supported by sufficient consideration, since the parties have mutually released rights which are asserted in good faith and which they believe to exist.1 Whether the good faith of the claimant or the existence of some reasonable ground for his belief in his claim, is the test or not the test, by the great weight of modern authority, is not the actual validity of the claim.

6 Thayer v. Harbican, 70 Wash. 278, 126 Pac. 625.

1 England. Miles v. New Zealand Afford Estate Co., L. R. 32 Ch. Div. 266; Callisher v. Bischoffsheim, L. R. 5 Q. B. 449; Williams v. O'Keefe [1910], A. C. 186.

United States. Northern Liberty Market Co. v. Kelly, 113 U. S. 199, 28 L. ed. 948; Sims v. Three States Lumber Co., 135 Fed. 1019, 68 C. C. A. 413; Ofner v. Weigel, 199 Fed. 720, 118 C. C. A. 158; Chadeloid Chemical Co. v. H. B. Chalmers Co., 243 Fed. 606, 156 C. C. A. 304.

Alabama. Western Ry. v. Foshee, 183 Ala. 182, 62 So. 500.

Arkansas, Kress Co. v. Moscowitz, 105 Ark. 638, 152 S. W. 298; Mosaic Templars v. Austin, 126 Ark. 327, 190 S. W. 571; Coffman v. Mckee, 127 Ark. 28, 191 S. W. 402.

California. McClure v. McClure, 100 Cal. 339, 34 Pac. 822.

Colorado. Percheron-Norman Horse Co. v. Downen, 18 Colo. 71, 31 Pac. 501; Consolidated Juchem Ditch &

Reservoir Co. v. Old, 62 Colo. 470, 163 Pac. 78; Stanley-Thompson Liquor Co. v. Southern Colorado Mercantile Co. (Colo.), 178 Pac. 577.

Connecticut. Court Harmony, etc, v. Court Abraham Lincoln, etc, 70 Conn. 634, 40 Atl. 606; Thomas Appeal, 85 Conn. 50, 81 Atl. 972.

Georgia. Johnson v. Redwine, 98 Ga. 112, 25 S. E. 924.

Idaho. Russell v. Lambert, 14 Ida. 284, L. R. A. 1915B, 20, 94 Pac. 54.

Illinois. Caesell v. Roes, 33 111. 244, 85 Am. Dec. 270; Knotte v. Preble, 50 111. 226, 99 Am. Dec 514; Pool v. Docker, 92 111. 501; Davis v. Thorn-ley, 204 111. 266, 68 N. E. 482; Brett-man v. Fischer, 216 111. 142, 74 N. E. 777; Jackson v. Security Mutual Life Ins. Co., 233 111. 161, 84 N. E. 198; Janci v. Cerny (111.), 122 N. E. 507; Lawrence v. Coddington, 59 111. App. 133; Frank v. Heaton, 56 111. App. 227; Harland v. Staples, 79 111. App. 72; Norton Bros. v. Eastman, 83 111. App. 303; Murphy v. Murphy, 84 111. App. 292.

Passing by the question of the necessity of reasonable ground for belief in the claim, it is generally held that if the claims which are compromised are each genuine and asserted in good faith, the fact that one of them is invalid does not avoid the compromise, and the

Indiana. Bement v. May, 135 Ind. 664, 34 N. E. 327, 35 N. E. 387.

Iowa. Everts v. Rose Grove, 77 la. 37, 14 Am. St. Rep. 264, 41 N. W. 478; French v. French, 84 la. 655, 15 L. R. A. 300, 51 N. W. 145; Sloan v. Davies, 105 la. 97, 74 N. W. 922; Urdangen v. Fryer, - la. - , 166 N. W. 693.

Kansas. Kiler v. Wohletz, 79 Kan. 716, L. R. A. 1915B, 11, 101 Pac. 474.

Kentucky. Fisher v. May, 5 Ky. (2 Bibb.) 448, 5 Am. Dec. 626; Fain v. Turner, 96 Ky. 634, 29 S. W. 628; Hillenbrand v. Shippen (Ky.), 58 S. W. 525; Reinecke v. Bailey (Ky.), 112 S. W. 569, 33 Ky. Law Rep. 977; Kelly v. Peter & Burghard Stone Co., 130 Ky. 530, 113 S. W. 486; Howard v. Straight Creek Coal Co., 140 Ky. 700, 131 S. W. 804; McNeill's Heirs v. Thompson, 178 Ky. 90, 198 S. W. 571.

Louisiana. Peirce v. Building Co., 9 La. 397, 29 Am. Dec. 448.

Massachusetts. Adams v. Wilson, 53 Mass. (12 Met.) 138, 45 Am. Dec. 240; Gloucester, etc., Co. v. Cement Co., 154 Mass. 92, 26 Am. St. Rep. 214, 12 L. R. A. 563, 27 N. E. 1005; Ridenour v. H. C. Dexter Chair Co., 209 Mass. 70, 95 N. E. 409.

Michigan. Converse v. Blumrich, 14 Mich. 109, 90 Am. Dec. 230; Bull v. Hepworth, 159 Mich. 662, 124 N. W. 569; People v. Fidelity & Deposit Co., 195 Mich. 738, 162 N. W. 338.

Minnesota. Hansen v. Gaar, 63 Minn. 94, 65 N. W. 254; Helvetia Copper Co. v. Hart-Parr Co., 137 Minn. 321, 163 N. W. 665.

Missouri. Wood v. Kansas City Home Telephone Co., 223 Mo. 537, 123 S. W. 6; Zinke v. Knights of the Maccabees (Mo.), 205 S. W. 1.

Nebraska. Carter White Lead Co. v. Kinlin, 47 Neb. 409, 66 N. W. 536; Hileman v. Maxwell, 97 Neb. 14, 149 N. W. 44.

New Hampshire. Pitkin v. Noyes, 48 N. H. 294, 97 Am. Dec. 615; Goodrich v. Webster, 74 N. H. 474, 69 Atl. 719.

New Jersey. Grandin v. Grandin, 49 N. J. L. 508, 60 Am. Rep. 642, 9 Atl. 756; Bowers Hydraulic Dredging Co. v. Hess, 71 N. J. L. 327, 60 Atl. 362; Decker v. Smith, 88 N. J. L. 630, 96 Atl. 915; Castelli v. Jereissati, 80 N. J. L. 295, 78 Atl. 227.

New York. Russell v. Cook, 3 Hill (N. Y.) 504; Stewart v. Ahrenfeldt, 4 Denio (N. Y.) 189; Craus V. Hunter, 28 N. Y. 389; White v. Hoyt, 73 N. Y. 505; Feeter v. Weber, 78 N. Y. 334; Dunham v. Griswold, 100 N. Y. 224, 3 N. E. 76; Wahl v. Barnum, 116 N. Y. 87, 5 L. R. A 623, 22 N. E. 280; Sears v. Grand Lodge, 163 N. Y. 374, 50 L. R. A. 204, 57 N. E. 618.

North Carolina. Peyton v. Hamilton-Brown Shoe Co., 167 N. Car. 280, 83 S. E. 487.

North Dakota. Silander v. Gronna, 15 N. D. 552, 108 N. W. 544.

Ohio. McClure v. Lorain County, 24 Ohio C. C. 72.

Oklahoma. Sherman v. Pacific Coast Pipe Co., - Okla. - , L. R. A. 1917A, 716, 159 Pac. 333; Hollister v. Smith,

- Okla. - , 162 Pac. 706; Jarecki Mfg. Co. v. Cimarron River Oil & Gas Co.,

- Okla. - , 170 Pac. 252.

Oregon. Smith v. Farra, 21 Or. 395, 20 L. R. A. 115, 28 Pac. 241; Board of Regents v. Hutchinson, 46 Or. 57, 78 Pac. 1028; Bailey v. Frazier, 62 Or. 142, 124 Pac. 643; Hirsch v. May, 75 validity or invalidity of the original claim is immaterial2 A compromise of a claim which is genuinely asserted is sufficient consideration, even if such claim is without merit.3 It is sufficient if the parties who enter into a compromise believe at the time that there is a bona fide question between them, although it might turn out eventually that there is no such question.4 A public corporation may bind itself by a compromise of a disputed claim arising out of a contract, although the contract was invalid because it was not entered into in the manner required by statute.5

Or. 403, 146 Pac. 831; John Wilson Estate Co. v. Dammeier Investment Co., 83 Or. 283, 163 Pac. 590.

Pennsylvania.. Sutton v. Dudley, 193 Pa. St. 194, 44 Atl. 438; Chahoon v. Hollenback, 16 Serg. & R. (Pa. St.) 425, 16 Am. Dec. 587; Gaynor v. Quinn, 212 Pa. St. 362, 61 Atl. 944.

Rhode Island. Kendall v. Rossi, 35 R. I. 451, 45 L. R. A (N.S.) 985, 87 Atl. 186.

South Carolina. Deal v. Deal, 91 S. Car. 351, 74 S. E. 482.

Tennessee. Lewis v. Cooper, 3 Tenn. (Cooke) 466; Danheiser v. Germania Savings Bank & Trust Co., 137 Tenn. 650, 194 S. W. 1094.

Texas. East Line, etc., R. R. v. Scott, 72 Tex. 70, 13 Am. St. Rep. 758, 10 S. W. 99.

Vermont. Green v. Seymour, 59 Vt. 459, 12 Atl. 206.

West Virginia. Davisson v. Ford, 23 W. Va. 617; Rutherford v. Rutherford, 55 W. Va. 56, 47 S. E. 240.

Wyoming. Bolln v. Metcalf, 6 Wyom. 1, 71 Am. St. Rep. 898, 42 Pac. 12, 44 Pac. 694. See Two Theories of Consideration, by James Barr Ames, 12 Harvard Law Review, 515.

2 England. Williams v. O'Keefe [1910], A. C. 186.

United States. Union Bank v. Geary, 30 U. S. (5 Pet.) 99, 8 L. ed. 60; Daly v. Busk Tunnel Ry. Co., 129 Fed. 513; Sovereign Camp v. Bridges, 165 Fed. 342, 91 C. C. A. 328; Chadeloid Chemical Co. v. H. B. Chalmers Co., 243 Fed. 606, 156 C. C. A. 304.

Arkansas. Gardner v. Ward, 99 Ark. 588, 138 S. W. 981; Kress Co. v. Mosco-witz, 105 Ark. 638, 152 S. W. 298.

Colorado. Coffee v. Emigh, 15 Colo. 184, 10 L. R. A. 125, 25 Pac. 83; Consolidated Juchem Ditch & Reservoir Co. v. Old, 62 Colo. 470, 163 Pac. 78.

Illinois. McKinley v. Watkins, 13 111. 140; Honeyman v. Jarvis, 79 111. 318; Woodall v. Peden, 274 111. 301, 113 N. E. 608.

Indiana. Proctor v. Heaton, 114 Ind. 250, 15 N. E. 21; Sweitzer v. Heas-ley, 13 Ind. App. 507, 41 N. E. 1064; Rollins v. Hare, 15 Ind. App. 677, 44 X. E. 374.

Iowa. Shahan v. Bayer Vehicle Co.,

179 la. 923, 162 N. W. 221; Illinois Cent. R. Co. v. Waterloo, C. F. & N. Ry. Co., - la. - , 164 N. W. 208 [opinion modified on petition for rehearing, Illinois Cent. R. Co. v. Waterloo, C. F. & N. Ry. Co., - la, - , 165 N. W. 993]; Urdangen v. Fryer, - la. - , 166 N. W. 693.

Kansas. Lewis v. Gove County Telephone Co., 95 Kan. 136, 147 Pac. 1122.

Kentucky. Martin v. Conley (Ky.), 99 S. W. 613; McNeill's Heirs v. Thompson, 178 Ky. 90, 198 S. W. 571.

Maryland. Alexander v. Maryland Trust Co., 106 Md. 170, 66 Atl. 836.

Massachusetts. Dunbar v. Dunbar,

180 Mass. 170, 94 Am. St. Rep. 623, 62 N. E. 248; Blount v. Wheeler, 199 Mass. 330 [sub nomine, Blount v. Dilla-way, 17 L. R. A. (N.S.) 1636, 85 N. E. 477]; Mackin v. Dwyer, 205 Mass. 472, 91 N. E. 893.

Michigan. Hall Mfg. Co. v. Supply Co., 48 Mich. 331, 12 N. W. 205; People v. Fidelity & Deposit Co., 195 Mich. 738, 162 N. W. 338.

Minnesota. Kelley v. Hopkins, 105 Minn. 155, 117 N. W. 396; Helvetia Copper Co. v. Hart-Parr Co, 137 Minn. 321, 163 N. W. 665.

Missouri. Zinke v. Knights of the Maccabees (Mo.), 205 S. W. 1.

Montana. Noyes v. Young, 32 Mont. 226, 79 Pac. 1063.

Nebraska. Carter White Lead Co. v. Kinlin, 47 Neb. 409, 66 N. W. 536.

If it were not for the rule that the existence of a valid claim or defense is not necessary, few, if any, compromises could be upheld.