Anderson v. Malone

1932 OK 1, 6 P.2d 795, 154 Okla. 4, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 368
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 5, 1932
Docket20485
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1932 OK 1 (Anderson v. Malone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. Malone, 1932 OK 1, 6 P.2d 795, 154 Okla. 4, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 368 (Okla. 1932).

Opinion

CLARK, V. C. J.

This action was commenced in the district court of Muskogee county by plaintiffs in error, Lizzie Anderson, a minor, by Bertha, Anderson, her guardian, appellants in the trial court, against Lewis B. Malone, former guardian, respondent in the trial court, defendant in error herein, by filing in said court a transcript of record of probate proceedings from the county court to review the judgment of the county court approving the final report of the former guardian, Lewis B. Malone, defendant in error herein, to which final report the plaintiffs in error herein had filed their exceptions thereto. Upon a hearing of said cause the district court rendered judgment approving the final report of the former guardian, defendant in error herein. Plaintiffs in error, appellants below, filed motion for new trial, which was overruled, to which they excepted and gave notice of appeal, and bring the cause here for review.

The plaintiffs in error presented their contentions under two issues:

“(1) Did the trial court abuse its discretion in refusing to allow said' minor a *5 continuance as prayed for by affidavit duly filed?
“(2) Is the judgment of the trial court sustained by the evidence?”

The record discloses that on the date the cause came on for trial in the trial court plaintiffs in error herein filed affidavit for continuance for a period not in excess of two weeks, to permit preparation for trial and to procure the testimony of a witness, O. B. Mickle.

The affidavit for continuance set out, in substance:

“That prior to the 17th day of December, 1928, this matter had been tentatively agreed to be tried at different dates, by oral agreement between said affiant and Bower Broad-dus, attorney for Lewis B. Malone, guardian, but that by oral agreement between said pax’ties said case had been continued from time to time; that the last time of an oral agreement between said attorneys no definite date was set for said trial; it being orally agreed by and between said attorneys, in effect, that they would agree upon an early date for trial as soon as convenient after the disposition of a certain ease _ then pending in the United States District Court for (the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in which case both of said attorneys were interested.
“That said Chandler, attorney for the aforesaid minor, had not agreed, and had no definite notice that this matter had been set down for trial on the 19th day of December, 1928, at 9 o’clock a. m. until sometime about noon on the 18th day of December, 1928, at which time he did receive the notice from said attorney Broaddus dated December 17, 1928, postmarked at Muskogee, Okla., 7:30 p. m. December 17, 1928, advising that said case was definitely set for trial on said 19th day of December. Copy of said letter and of said envelope enclosing same are hereto attached. * * *
“That said Chandler was continuously engaged in the above-mentioned suit in said federal court continuously from the 12th day of December, 1928, until late in the afternoon of December 20, 1928.
“That said Chandler appeared before the Hon. W. J. Crump, district judge, on or about 9 o’clock a. m., on said 19th day of December, 1928, and advised said judge in the premises, and requested a continuance of said matter for a reasonable time to permit said attorney to procure necessary "fitnesses and evidence and to make.necessary preparation for trial, but that said district judge, over the protest and objections of said attorney, set this matter for trial on the 22nd day of December, 1928, at the hour of 1:00 p. m.”

Further set out that said minor was without funds to employ other counsel, that counsel had represented said minor and had not received any compensation.

Further set out what plaintiffs in error expected to prove by the absent witness, O. B. Mickle, who lived in another county, regarding the purchase of lands with funds of the minor by a former guardian, whom the defendant in error, Lewis B. Malone, succeeded.

The letter attached as exhibit advised counsel for plaintiffs in error that the appeal was set for trial on the 19th day of December, 1928, at 9 o’clock. The record discloses that the motion for continuance was overruled. The judgment of the trial recites that the motion for continuance was overruled upon counsel for Lewis B. Malone admitting that the witness Mickle would testify as set forth in said motion. To which the appellants below excepted. The cause then proceeded to trial before the court.

The affidavit is silent as to when the clerk set the case for trial, but indicates that the case had been regularly set for trial and continued along from time to time. No evidence was introduced as to when the clerk or judge set the ease for trial on the 19th day of December. The case-made, which was certified as a true and correct ease-made, contains the following statement:

“And now comes the above-entitled cause on regularly for hearing. * * *”

In the case of Eagle Loan & Inv. Co. v. Turner, 113 Okla. 251, 241 P. 138, in the 2nd paragraph of syllabus, this court said:

“The general presumption is that public officers perform their official duty and that their official acts are regular.”

In the case of M., O. & G. Ry. Co. v. Vandivere, 42 Okla. 427, 141 P. 799, in the second paragraph of syllabus, this court said:

“In the calling and setting or resetting of cases for trial, a trial judge must of necessity be vested with a reasonable scope of discretion, and a judgment will not be reversed because the court of its own motion set a case for trial at a later date than that on which it was set by the clerk of the court in making up' its trial docket, nor because the court may have, of its own motion, reset such case for a later day in the term, where no abuse of discretion is shown.”

The main ground for a continuance of the case at bar was absence of a witness who lived in another county, and the motion was overruled upon the grounds that the defendant below would admit that the witness would testify as set forth in said mo *6 tion, and the plaintiff below was thereby not deprived of the testimony of said witness. The--transcript of the county court bad been on file and the case had been at issue in the district court since September 6, 1928, and the record is silent as to any endeavor on the part of the plaintiff below to -procure the deposition of the said witness.

In the case of Shaw v. Stevenson, 119 Okla. 182, 249 P. 306, this court, in the second paragraph of the syllabus, said:

“An application for a continuance, on the ground of absent witness, under section 584, C. O. S. 1921, invokes the sound and reasonable discretion of the trial court, but where the adverse party consents that, on the trial of the case, the facts alleged in the affidavit for the continuance shall be read and treated as the deposition of the absent witness, the rule of discretion ceases to operate, and continuance should not be granted.”

We are of the opinion that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in overruling the motion for continuance.

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 1, 6 P.2d 795, 154 Okla. 4, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-malone-okla-1932.