Burger v. Sinclair

140 N.W. 235, 24 N.D. 326, 1912 N.D. LEXIS 34
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 20, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 140 N.W. 235 (Burger v. Sinclair) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burger v. Sinclair, 140 N.W. 235, 24 N.D. 326, 1912 N.D. LEXIS 34 (N.D. 1912).

Opinions

Fisk, J.

Eespondent moves to dismiss the appeal herein upon the grounds:

1st. That the undertaking for costs which was served and filed with [328]*328the notice of appeal on March 27th last is not conditioned, as provided by statute, for the payment by appellant of all costs and damages which may be awarded against him on the appeal, not exceeding $250.
2d. That such alleged undertaking does not contain a justification of the sureties to the effect that they were worth the certain sum mentioned in their affidavit of justification over and above their debts and liabilities “in property within this state not by law exempt from execution;” and
3d. That appellant has failed to file abstracts and briefs on such appeal at least twenty-five days prior to the October term of this court pursuant to statute and rule xxii. of this court.

Notice of such motion was not served on appellant’s counsel until September 23d, and the motion was noticed for the first day of the present October term.

The undertaking is concededly defective as to the justification of the sureties, and we think is also defective in the particular pointed out in the first ground of respondent’s motion. Appellant, however, makes a counter motion for leave to amend or supply a new undertaking. This is resisted by respondent, his contention, in brief, being that such undertaking was and is ineffectual to confer any jurisdiction on this court over such appeal; and that the time for appeal having expired, this court is powerless to grant appellant any relief under § 7224, Eev. Codes. Respondent relies upon the cases of Aldrich v. Public Opinion Pub. Co. 27 S. D. 589, 132 N. W. 278; Drinkwine v. Eau Claire, 83 Wis. 428, 53 N. W. 673; State ex rel. Rayssiguier v. Monroe, 37 La. Ann. 113; and Thompson v. Thompson, 24 Wis. 515.

To the extent that the South Dakota court in the Aldrich Case holds that no jurisdiction is conferred by the attempted appeal, sufficient to enable the supreme court to permit an amendment of, or the giving of a new undertaking in lieu of the defective one, we think the decision is both unsound and contrary to the great weight of authority under statutes substantially like that in South Dakota. It is held in effect by the majority opinion that the jurisdiction to permit such amendments or the giving of new bonds is derived from the statute conferring the power of amendments, and pot from the attempted appeal; the line of reasoning being that because § 445 of the South Dakota Code [329]*329provides that “to render an appeal effectual for any purpose an undertaking must be executed on the part of the appellant,” etc., a failure to comply therewith confers no jurisdiction, even for the purpose of permitting an amendment under § 461 of their Code. Among other things, it is there said: “If it [the legislature] had assumed that jurisdiction was acquired by the giving of notice of appeal, it would follow as a necessary consequence that, after the giving of such notice, the circuit court would cease to have jurisdiction of the case, and it is inconceivable to suppose that the legislature would confer upon the circuit court or judge power to relieve parties from default in cases over which they had lost jurisdiction and jurisdiction had vested in the appellate court, and by the same section, confer the same power upon the supreme court by virtue of its jurisdiction of the cause upon appeal.” The fallacy of such reasoning is apparent, for it is elementary that after an appeal is taken and perfected the lower court retains jurisdiction to take any step necessary in furtherance of the appeal; and were this not so, it is perfectly clear that the legislature would have the power, by express statute, to confer such jurisdiction. Jurisdiction to hear and determine the cause by the appellate court is one thing, while jurisdiction sufficient to enable the appellate court to permit amendments or the necessary acts to be done in order to complete its jurisdiction over the cause on appeal, is quite another thing, and such distinction is clearly made by the supreme court of Wisconsin in construing the statute from which both the statutes of South and North Dakota were borrowed. In Harrigan v. Gilchrist, 121 Wis. 127, 99 N. W. 909, it was said on page 212 of the opinion:

“Next it is contended on the part of respondents’ counsel that, though the notice of appeal was served as required by § 3049, and the record transmitted to this court, no jurisdiction was obtained here for any purpose whatever; and that the defect is not remediable. On the other hand, appellants’ counsel just as confidently contend that the failure to execute the bonds required, or to serve the same as the statute provides, does not militate against jurisdiction having been conferred here for some purposes, citing in support of that, Helden v. Helden, 9 Wis. 557; Russel v. Bartlett, 9 Wis. 556; Smith v. Chicago & N. W. R. Co. 19 Wis. 89; White v. Polleys, 20 Wis. 503, 91 Am. Dec. 432; Grant v. Connecticut Mut. L. Ins. Co. 28 Wis. 387; Branger v. Butt[330]*330rick, 30 Wis. 153; Ulrich v. Farrington Mfg. Co. 69 Wis. 213, 34 N. W. 89. The effect of those cases is that the mere taking of an appeal by the service of a proper notice and sending the record here does not give the court such jurisdiction as to enable it to hear the cause, but does give it the necessary jurisdiction to enable it to permit the appeal to be perfected by the service of a proper bond, or cure any other defect in the proceedings within the period limited by statute for appealing; and that, if the proper undertaking is executed and filed, but not properly served, the court acquires such jurisdiction as to enable it to hear and decide the cause, the adverse party not seasonably objecting, failure in that regard being deemed a waiver of such service or an estoppel as regards suggesting such failure with effect. In that the court, as will be seen, gave force to the statute in all substantial essentials. Section 3052 says that, ‘to render an appeal effectual for any purpose, an undertaking must be executed,’ etc. That suggests at once that an appeal may have an existence before the execution of the undertaking, though not for all purposes. The term 'any purpose’ clearly includes the duty of the clerk below to certify up the record and proceedings here as regards a hearing of the'cause. The clerk has no right to act in the matter till he can accompany the papers with some semblance, at least, of a proper undertaking under § 3052. That is the effect of § 3050. That the former section means as indicated must be the case to render it harmonious with § 3049, to the effect that any appeal will be deemed 'taken by the service of the notice of appeal and perfected on the service of the tindertaking for costs, or the deposit of money instead, or the waiver thereof as hereinafter prescribed.’ The waiver mentioned is required to be in writing. § 3051. Consistent with the meaning we attribute to §§ 3049, 3050, and 3052, we have § 3068, providing that: 'When a party shall, in good faith, give notice of appeal, and shall omit, through mistake or accident, to do any other act necessary to perfect the appeal, or make it effectual, or to stay proceedings, the court from which the appeal is taken, or the presiding judge thereof, or the supreme court, or one of the justices thereof, may permit an amendment or the proper act to be done, on such terms as may be just.’ So, as said in Grant v. Connecticut Mut. L. Ins. Co. 28 Wis.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
140 N.W. 235, 24 N.D. 326, 1912 N.D. LEXIS 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burger-v-sinclair-nd-1912.