This section is from the book "The Law Of Contracts", by William Herbert Page. Also available from Amazon: Commercial Contracts: A Practical Guide to Deals, Contracts, Agreements and Promises.
A person who, under a mistake of material fact, makes a payment which he is not under legal liability to make, can recover the money thus paid, if the other elements necessary in an action to recover payments are present.1 In other words,
6 Blue v. Smith, 46 111. App. 166.
7 See Sec. 840 et seq.
1 Kelly v. Solari, 9 M. & W. 54; Adams v. Henderson, 168 U. S. 573; United States v. Barlow, 132 U. S. 271; Espy v. Bank, 18 Wall. (U. S.) 604; Hardigree v. Mitchum, 51 Ala. 151; Lutz v. Rothschild (Cal.) ; 38 Pac. 360; Putnam v. Dungan, 89 Cal. 231; 26 Pac. 904; Corson v. Berson, 86 Cal. 433; 25 Pae. 7; Hogben v. Ins. Co., 69 Conn. 503; 61 Am. St. Rep. 53; 38 Atl. 214; Mansfield v. Lynch, 59 Conn. 320; 12 L. R. A. 285; 22 Atl. 313; People v. Foster, 133 111. 496; 23 X. E. 615; Tuller v. Fox, 46 111. App. 97; Blue v. Smith, 46 111. App. 166; Stotsenhurg v. Fordice, 142 Ind. 490: 41 X. E. 313, 810; Stokes v. Goodykoontz, 126 Ind. 535; 26 N. E. 391; Cross v. Herr, 96 Ind. 96; Tarplee v. Capp, 25 Ind. App. 56; 56 X. E. 270; Chickasaw, etc., Ins. Co. v. Weller, 98 la. 731; 68 N. W. 443; Cook v. Ry., 81 la. 551; 25 Am. St. Rep. 512; 9 L. R. A. 764; 46 X. W. 1080; Rhodes v. Lambert (Ky.), 58 S. W. 60S; Lyon v. Mason, etc., Co., 102 Ky. 594; 44 S.
W. 135; Gould v. Emerson, 160 Mass. 438; 39 Am. St. Rep. 501; 35 X. E. 1065; Garland v. Bank, 9 Mass. 408; 6 Am. Dec. 86; Con-nell v. Hudson, 53 Mo. App. 418; Jordan v. Harrison, 46 Mo. App. 172; Wood v. Sheldon, 42 X. J. L. 421; 36 Am. Rep. 523; Martin v. Bank, 160 N. Y. 190; 54 X. E. 717; Sharkey v. Mansfield, 90 X. Y. 227; 43 Am. Rep. 161; Kingston Bank v. Eltinge, 40 X. Y. 391; 100 Am. Dec. 516; Ward v. Ward, 12 Ohio C. D. 59; McKibben v. Doyle, 173 Pa. St. 579; 51 Am. St. Rep. 785; 34 Atl. 455; Boaz v. Upde-grove, 5 Pa. St. 516; 47 Am. Dec. 425; Phetteplace v. Bucklin, 18 R. I. 297; 27 Atl. 211; Glenn v. Shannon, 12 S. C. 570; Caldwell v. Maxfield, 7 S. D. 361; 64 X. W. 166; Dickens v. Jones, 6 Yerg. (Tenn.) 483; 27 Am. Dec. 488; Guild v. Baldridge, 2 Swan (Tenn.) 295; Neal v. Read. 7 Baxt. (Tenn.) 333 ; Cleveland School Furniture Co, v. Hotchkiss, 89 Tex. 117; 33 S. W. 855; Alston v. Richardson. 51 Tex. 1; Peterson v. Bank, 78 Wis. 113; 47 X. W. 368; Buffalo v. O'Malley, such payments are not looked on as voluntary payments.2 The right of recovering payments made under a mistake of fact is especially clear where government funds have thus been expended,3 though the right to recover such funds does not rest solely on the ground of mistake.4
 
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