Candal v. Vargas

29 P.R. 251
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMarch 29, 1921
DocketNo. 2418
StatusPublished

This text of 29 P.R. 251 (Candal v. Vargas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Candal v. Vargas, 29 P.R. 251 (prsupreme 1921).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Wole

delivered the opinion of the court.

The appellees move to dismiss the appeal because the notice of appeal was never served on them. It is not disputed that it was served by mail on their attorney of record [252]*252in the contested election case from which the' appeal was taken. .

Section 11 of the Act of March 7, 1906, Session Laws of that year, p. 80, is particularly involved. The act is entitled “To provide a manner for contesting the election of officers other than members of the legislature and resident commissioner to the United States,” and the section in question is as follows:

“Section 11. — Either the contestant or the contestee may appeal from the judgment of the district court to the Supreme Court within ten days from the rendition of the final judgment, and not later, by filing a written notice of said appeal with the secretary of the court after serving a copy thereof on the adverse party, and no motion for new trial shall be authorized before the appeal is taken, and such appeal shall be taken under the same' rules and regm lations as are provided for appeals in civil eases; and the appellant shall file with the notice of appeal a bond with two or more good and sufficient sureties, to be approved by the trial court or judge, conditioned that the appellant will prosecute his appeal to effect and will pay all costs that may be awarded against him by the Supreme Court, and such case shall have precedence in the Supreme Court over all other cases: Provided,, That within thirty days after the final judgment is rendered, and not later, unless and extension is granted by the Supreme Court for good cause, the appellant shall file in the Supreme Court a transcript of all the proceedings had in the contest, certified to by the secretary of the trial court or by the attorneys of record of all the parties to the contest. When the transcript has not been filed within the thirty days allowed for the filing of the same, and no extension has been granted by the Supreme Court, or, if granted, the transcript has not been filed within the period of the extension, the appellee may obtain a certificate from the secretary of the trial court, which certificate shall contain the number of the suit, the names of the parties to the contest, a recital of the judgment in full and the date thereof, and shall be signed by the secretary and sealed with the seal of the court; and upon the fifing of such certificate by the appellee in the Supreme Court, it shall be the duty of said court, without delay, to affirm the [253]*253judgment of the trial court and at once certify its action to the court below for observance.”

The appellees maintain that the Act being a summary and special one, jurisdiction to be acquired by the court of appeals must be strictly construed and appeals taken in the sole manner authorized by the statute. They urge that if the Legislature had' wished to permit an alternative method it would have said so, as it did in section 296 of the Code of Civil Procedure and as was done in section 3 of the §aid Election Act. They deny that said section 296 may be applied, either from the words of said Act itself, or by analogy, inasmuch as such an election contest may not be considered as a civil action in its ordinary sense, and they cite Kreitz v. Behrensmeyer, 8 A. S. R. 349; Odell v. Wharton, 87 Tex. 173; Butler v. Turbeville, 19 Tex. 121; González v. Gallegas, 62 Pac. 1102.

In opposition, the appellants say that the principal question involved is what interpretation should be put upon the words “adverse party” in the connection in which it is used, and furthermore that the Act itself gives force to the view that it was the intention of the legislators that matters of procedure should be governed by the Code of Civil Procedure.

Section 997 of the Eevised Statutes of the United States provides:

“There shall be annexed to and returned with any writ of error for the removal of a cause, at the day and place therein mentioned, an authenticated transcript of the record, an assignment of errors, and a prayer for reversal, with a citation to the adverse party.”

The words “adverse party” as used in said section have been invariably treated by the Supreme Court of the United States as including the attorney of record. United States v. Curry, 6 How. 112; Bacon v. Hart, 1 Blanck, 38; Bigler v. Waller, 12 Wall. 142, 147; Scrubbs v. Memphis & Charleston R. R. Co., 131 U. S. cciv; Tripp v. Santa Rosa Street [254]*254Railroad Company, 144 U. S. 129; Davis v. Wakeles, 156 U. S. 684. The words of Chief Justice Taney in United States v. Curry, supra, have been frequently quoted, viz:

“So, too, as to the service of the citation on the attorney. It is undoubtedly good, and according to the established practice in courts of chancery. No attorney or solicitor can withdraw his name, after he has once entered it on the record, without the leave of the court. And while his name continues there the adverse party has a right to treat him as the authorized attorney or solicitor, and the service of notice upon him is as valid as if served on the party himself. And we presume that no court would permit an attorney who had 'appeared at the trial, with the sanction of the, party, express or implied, to withdraw his name after the case was finally decided. For if that could be done, it would be impossible to serve the citation where the party resided in a distant country, or his place of residence was unknown, and. would in every case occasion unnecessary expense and difficulty, unless he lived at the place where the court was held. "And, so far from permitting an attorney to embarrass and impede the administration of justice, by withdrawing his name after trial and final decree, we think the court should regard any attempt to do so as open to just rebuke.”

The words “adverse party” were thus unqualifiedly accepted by the Supreme Court of the United States as including within their definition the attorney of record.

The subject matter is summed up in 3 C. J. 1214:

“1314. Sufficiency of Service — On Attorney. — Service made upon or accepted by the attorney of the appellee or defendant in error is usually sufficient, generally by express statutory provision; but under the statute in some jurisdictions such service is only allowable where appellee or defendant in error is a nonresident or cannot be found.”
“1335. (3) Persons to be Served. The persons to be served with notice are specified by the statutes of the different states. The provisions of such statutes are generally mandatory, and a failure to serve the notice on the persons specified, or on persons legally representing them for the purpose, is fatal.
“On Attorney. — When a statute requires service of a notice of appeal to be made upon a party, service upon the attorney is not a compliance, unless it is within some exception. But in the absence [255]*255of a statute providing otherwise or when a statute requires notice of appeal to be served on the party or his attorney, service may and generally must be made on the attorney of record for the party, or upon the party.” 3 C. J. 1230.

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Related

Bigler v. Waller
79 U.S. 142 (Supreme Court, 1871)
Tripp v. Santa Rosa Street Railroad
144 U.S. 126 (Supreme Court, 1892)
Davis v. Wakelee
156 U.S. 680 (Supreme Court, 1895)
Boca & Loyalton R.R. v. Superior Court of Lassen Cty.
88 P. 718 (California Supreme Court, 1907)
Odell v. Wharton
27 S.W. 123 (Texas Supreme Court, 1894)
Boynton v. Tidwell
19 Tex. 118 (Texas Supreme Court, 1857)
Grant v. White
6 Cal. 55 (California Supreme Court, 1856)
Board of Commissioners (No. 2) v. Younger
29 Cal. 147 (California Supreme Court, 1865)

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Bluebook (online)
29 P.R. 251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/candal-v-vargas-prsupreme-1921.