Bargreen v. Little

177 P.2d 85, 27 Wash. 2d 128, 1947 Wash. LEXIS 262
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 4, 1947
DocketNo. 30026.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 177 P.2d 85 (Bargreen v. Little) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bargreen v. Little, 177 P.2d 85, 27 Wash. 2d 128, 1947 Wash. LEXIS 262 (Wash. 1947).

Opinion

Jeffers, J.

The original complaint in this action was verified on November 2, 1945; and on November 5, 1945, as shown by the sheriff’s return, a copy of the summons and complaint was personally served on defendant, Jess Little, in Skagit county. The summons and complaint were filed December 10, 1945.

The basis of the action instituted by Howard Bargreen and J. S. Van Gasken, a copartnership, doing business as Bargreen & Van Gasken, as shown by the complaint, is that on July 15, 1945, a truck owned by plaintiffs and being operated by one of its employees, collided with an automo *129 bile owned by defendant and being operated at the time of the accident by defendant’s daughter, for the benefit of defendant and his farhily; that due to the negligence of the driver of defendant’s car, plaintiffs’ truck was damaged in the sum of four hundred dollars. It is further alleged that plaintiffs were deprived of the use of their truck for nine and one-half weeks, to their damage in the sum of ninety-five dollars.

It appears from the affidavit of James R. Hammack, an attorney of Mount Vernon, that he was at one time attorney of record for defendant in this action, and that he caused to be served on Alfred McBee, attorney of record for plaintiffs, sometime prior to December 5, 1945, a notice of defendant’s appearance in the cause.

On December 5, 1945, Mr. McBee, as counsel for plaintiffs, filed in the cause a motion and affidavit for default. In this affidavit, Mr. McBee stated that the summons and complaint were served upon defendant on November 5, 1945; that on November 16, 1945, defendant appeared by serving upon affiant a notice of appearance, wherein Dave Hammack and James R. Hammack appeared as attorneys for defendant; that defendant has made no appearance in the action, other than by such notice, and that more than twenty days have elapsed since the service of the summons and complaint upon defendant.

On December 5, 1945, a notice that the above motion would be brought on for argument on December 17th following, was served on Hammack & Hammack, attorneys for defendant, who accepted service of the notice on December 5th.

On December 10th, defendant signed and verified an answer to the above complaint, wherein Hammack & Ham-mack appear as attorneys for defendant. It appears from the affidavit of James R. Hammack that this answer was served upon counsel for plaintiffs sometime before the motion for default was called up for argument. It does not appear that the answer was ever filed of record. Apparently, after this answer was served, counsel for plaintiffs *130 did not press his motion for default. There is nothing in the record to show when Hammack & Hammack withdrew as attorneys for defendant.

On January 3, 1946, defendant signed and verified an amended answer and cross-complaint, in which John W. Brisky appeared as attorney for defendant. The record shows that on February 11, 1946, Mr. McBee, as attorney for plaintiffs, accepted service of the amended answer and cross-complaint, and so far as the record shows, Mr. McBee had no knowledge of any change of defendant’s attorneys until this amended answer and cross-complaint was served upon him.

Prior to the service of the amended answer and cross-complaint, and on February 7, 1946, Mr. McBee served upon Hammack & Hammack a notice that on February 11th he would ask the court to fix a date for the trial of the action. This notice, as is customary, also contained a direction to the clerk to place the cause on the calendar for Monday, February 11, 1946. James R. Hammack, as attorney for defendant, accepted service of the above notice. On February 11th, the cause was apparently set for trial on March 26, 1946, without objection, in so far as the record shows.

On February 23rd, defendant filed in the cause an affidavit of prejudice against Judge Brickey. It does not appear in the record that the affidavit of prejudice or the motion to which we shall refer were ever called to the attention of Judge Brickey, or that he ever acted thereon in any manner.

The only thing which appears relative to the affidavit of prejudice is a statement contained in what is termed “Motion in Support of Affidavit of Prejudice,” signed by John W. Brisky, attorney for defendant, and filed on March 21, 1946, wherein Mr. Brisky states that counsel for plaintiffs agreed that this motion might be filed and argued at the convenience of the court. Service of the motion was accepted by Mr. McBee on March 21st. It does not appear that the motion was ever argued, or, as stated, ever called to the court’s attention.

*131 Defendant also filed a demand for a jury on March 21, 1946, but the record does not show that defendant ever deposited the necessary jury fee, as required by Rem. Rev. Stat., § 316 [P.P.C. § 99-1], which provides:

“In all civil actions triable by a jury in the superior court any party to the action may, at or prior to the time the case is called to be set for trial, serve upon the opposite party or his attorney, and file with the clerk of the court a statement of himself, or attorney, that he elects to have such case tried by jury. At the time of filing such statement such party shall also deposit with the clerk of the court twelve dollars, which deposit, in the event that the case is settled out of court prior to the time that such case is called to be heard upon trial, shall be returned to such party by such clerk. Unless such statement is filed and such deposit made, the parties shall be deemed to have waived trial by jury, and consented to a trial by the court: Provided, that, in the superior courts of counties of the first class such parties shall serve and file such statement, in manner herein provided, at any time not later than two days before the time the case is called to be set for trial.”

The jury fee not having been deposited as required, defendant will be deemed to have waived his demand for a jury. In addition, it does not appear that this demand was called to the court’s attention, and so far as the record shows, defendant went to trial before Judge Brickey without objection, either in regard to his affidavit of prejudice 'or his demand for a jury.

We have no statement of facts before us in this case. The judgment in favor of plaintiffs was filed April 15, 1946, and the statement of facts was filed with the clerk of the superior court August 8th following. It is thus apparent that the statement of facts was not timely filed, and counsel for defendant does not contend otherwise.

The trial court made and entered findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment. The findings recite:

“This matter, having come on regularly for trial before the above entitled court, on this 26th day of March, 1946, upon the complaint of the plaintiffs and the answer and cross-complaint of the defendant, and J. S. Van Gasken, one of the plaintiffs, appearing in person and by his attor *132 ney, Alfred McBee, and the defendant, Jess Little, appearing in person and by his attorney, John W.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
177 P.2d 85, 27 Wash. 2d 128, 1947 Wash. LEXIS 262, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bargreen-v-little-wash-1947.