Bowden v. Perdue

59 Ala. 409
Supreme Court of Alabama·Decided December 15, 1877·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinions

BRICKELL, C. J.—

The bill is filed for the correction of errors committed by the Court of Probate, on the final settlement of a guardianship. It is not averred that by accident, mistake, surprise, or fraud, or by any act of the guardian, the ward, now complaining, could not have had in the Court •of Probate, the full benefit of every fact now relied on as a ground of equitable interference. On the contrary, it is averred these facts were introduced in evidence, and the [413] court exercising its proper jurisdiction, adjudged they were insufficient to charge the guardian for moneys he had loaned, without taking security for their repayment, which were eventually lost. It is apparent the court erred, and it is to be regretted that any court should have fallen into such gross error, working such grievous injury. Irregularities injudicial proceedings, or the errors of courts of competent jurisdiction, can not create an equity, which will justify the interference of a court of equity.—High on Inj. § 130. Judgments at law, sentences of courts of exclusive jurisdiction, or decrees of courts of jurisdiction concurrent with that of a court of equity, are of the same finality and conclusiveness in equity, as at law. Injustice may have been done—the court may have misconceived or misapplied the law—the jury may have erred in judging, or disregarded the facts, a court of equity can not intervene merely to revise and correct the error. In Duckworth v. Duckworth, 35 Ala. 73, it was said, relief being sought in equity, against a decree of the Cohrt of Probate: “ No rule is better established, than that a court of chancery will not relieve in regard to a matter as to which the complainant could have had redress in a previous litigation, unless he was prevented from obtaining it, by accident, fraud, or the act of the opposite party, umnixed with fault or negligence on his part.” In Watts v. Gayle, 20 Ala. 825, it was said by Goldthwaite, J.: The rule allowing parties to appeal to chancery against-a judgment in another court is of great strictness and inflexibility, and it is necessary that it should be so, as otherwise the jurisdiction of that court would supplant that of the other tribunals.” There is no part of its acknowledged jurisdiction, a court of equity has so cautiously and sparingly exercised, as that of interference with judgments at law, or the sentences and decrees of other tribunals of competent jurisdiction, restraining their execution, or reopening the litigation they involved. The conscience of the court may be satisfied that injustice has been done—that the judgment or decree has not declared and enforced, but has defeated the right—the unvarying condition precedent to its interference, is, that it must clearly appear, the wrong occurred without faxdt or negligence on the part of the party complaining. Quieting litigation, silencing controversies, in the policy of that court is of more importance, than that justice maybe done in every case.—Bateman v. Willor, 1 Sch. & Lef. 204.

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Bowden v. Perdue, 59 Ala. 409 (Ala. 1877).

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