Baldwin Realty Co. v. Smith

23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 489, 1920 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 63

This text of 23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 489 (Baldwin Realty Co. v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baldwin Realty Co. v. Smith, 23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 489, 1920 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 63 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1920).

Opinion

Kinkead, J.

In the municipal court a demurrer was sustained to plaintiff’s petition, to which order no exception was noted. A judgment of dismissal was subsequently entered to which an exception was taken.

The question for decision is whether a failure to note an exception to an order overruling a demurrer, when no final order is made at the time, will prevent the defeated plaintiff from prosecuting error from a final order of dismissal of the cause because of the conclusion of the court' that the petition did not state a cause of action.

It is generally believed that the noting of an exception to all orders and judgments is essential.

In the discussion of the question we should beep in mind the distinction between decision, orders, and judgment. Also let us have in mind the difference between trial of causes, and orders made upon pleadings. Prior to 1912 there was a distinction between orders—there being’ orders, final orders, and judgments.

A decision is distinguishable from them all, made by title 9 of the code of 1893. Decisions, contemplated by this chapter or [490]*490title of the code, are made during trial—and trial definitely means upon the merits—whether to court or to court and .jury—decisions are also made by the court upon the pleadings before trial, but these are evidenced by journal entries placed on the joumalwhereas decisions made during trial are not journalized and become a matter of record only by means of a bill of exceptions.

The record of a case taken up on error consists of pleadings, transcript of journal entries, and bill of exceptions. The face of the record, so called, is shown by the pleadings and journal entries. The bill of exceptions is created and provided for the specific purpose of bringing into the record matters occurring during tria.l, which can only be made part of the record by means of a bill of exceptions signed by the judge.

Decisions by the court may be shown by orders and judgments entered upon the journal. Decisions upon motion or demurrer are made to appear by orders placed upon the journal. They appear upon the ‘ ‘ face of the record, ’ ’ and are not brought upon the record by bill of exceptions as are orders and decisions made during trial. There are, however, certain classes of cases which may be tried to the court, equity eases or jury eases where a jury is waived, in which cases the journal or judgment entry may be so prepared and entered upon the record as to make the grounds of the objection appear in the entry.

In the consideration of this question, and of the adjudicated cases, it must be constantly borne in mind that the sole purpose of chapter entitled *'4 exceptions” is to provide for taking and preserving exceptions to decisions made during trial.

What is the record before the court? It consists of the pleadings and transcript. The record is all here; no bill of exceptions was necessary to bring any part of it here. This court can look at the pleadings and the transcript and see all that was done. There was no trial below, there was nothing but an order and a judgment upon the pleadings. This court can look at the record —the face of the record—without the need of any exceptions, or bill of exceptions, and determine whether the court erred in sustaining the demurrer.

■•‘FrPm dhe early history of procedure under the code it has been

[491]*491the rule that no exception need be noted to a final-judgment or decree in an action not tried to the jury. That is because the provisions o'f the chapter on exceptions was intended only to apply to decisions made during trial, or to judgment entries embodying decisions made during trial.

In Bank v. Buckingham, 12 O. S., 402, a suit in equity, it was held that exception need not be noted to a final judgment in such case in order that it may be reviewed on error.,

Scott, J., stated:

“The object of an exception is, generally, to bring upon the record for review a decision of the court upon a matter of law, which the record would not otherwise show. In such case the exception must be reduced to writing and allowed and signed by the court.”

Again in Justice v. Lowe, 26 O. S., 372, the court held that:

“The sections of the code providing for taking exceptions, have no application to final judgments or orders. ’ ’

White, J., stated that the statutory requirement to the taking of an exception,

“Must be understood as applying only to cases in which an exception is required, and as indicating the time at which it must be taken to make it available. ’ ’

Judge White refers to Bank v. Buckingham, 12 O. S., 402, as clearly showing that the provisions of the. code do not apply to final judgments where all alleged errors appear, on the face of the record, a bill of exceptions being therefore unnecessary to disclose the alleged error.

The purpose of noting an exception to a decision, is to make a record of objections and exceptions to rulings made during trial. The objections and exceptions are brought into the record by means of a bill of exceptions signed by the judge.

The significance to be attached to the decisions which hold that exception,s to final judgments ai’e not essential is, that the title or chapter of exceptions was not intended to apply to them for the reason that a certain class of judgments and orders do [492]*492not have reference to decisions made during trial. It does not follow, as has-been suggested, that an exception must be noted to an order which is not final, such as the sustaining of á demurrer.

Bank v. Buckingham, 12 O. S., 402 (1861), was a decision before the code, in which it was held that it was not essential that an exception be taken to a final judgment at the time of its rendition in order that the same may be reviewed, reversed, vacated or modified.

• The statement made at the close of the opinion in Templeton v. Kroner, 24, O. S., 565, has reference to a decision during trial, as the preceding language clearly indicates.

It is stated that:

“Numerous other errors are assigned * * * to the decisions and rulings of the court * * made in the progress' of the case; but as it does not appear either in the record, etc., * * # 0r jn ^ transcript * * * that the plaintiff excepted to any of the rulings or decisions made, except that overruling his demurrer, * * * he must have relied on that alone.
A decision or ruling of the court, not excepted to at the time, can not be assigned for error in a reviewing court, Code, Art., 5, title 9 and title 16, Geauga Iron Company v. Street, 19 Ohio 300.”

In Justice v. Lowe, 26 O. S., 372, no exception was taken to the final judgment of the district, court, the first proposition of the syllabus is as follows:

“1. The sections of the code providing for taking exceptions, have no application to final judgments or orders.”
“Final judgments or ordersthe entry sustaining the demurrer in this case was not a judgment; it was an order.

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Bluebook (online)
23 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 489, 1920 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 63, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baldwin-realty-co-v-smith-ohctcomplfrankl-1920.