Hunter

The plaintiff sued for the reasonable value of a “bonus” promised to be paid to his assignor in a letter which read, in part, “I have a job for you. I will give you $50 a week and a bonus to try it out.” The cause was tried before a jury, which returned a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum of $5,000. On a motion for a new trial the trial court reduced the verdict to $2,000, and from the judgment for that amount the defendant has appealed upon a bill of exceptions.

Defendant was engaged in a very successful business in the city of New York. Plaintiff’s assignor was employed in a clerical capacity in an insurance company in San Francisco. They became very warm friends and defendant made the written offer to employ plaintiff’s assignor in her New York office with the end in view that she might become a valuable member of her organization. The offer was accepted and the employment continued for approximately one year when a dispute arose and plaintiff’s assignor terminated the employment. During all this time she was paid regularly $50 a week for her services, but nothing was said by either regarding the bonus until some time after the employment ceased. On this appeal the only…