Carrier v. Neal

35 N.E.2d 870, 34 Ohio Law. Abs. 32, 22 Ohio Op. 6, 1940 Ohio App. LEXIS 1149
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 8, 1940
DocketNo 3139
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 35 N.E.2d 870 (Carrier v. Neal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carrier v. Neal, 35 N.E.2d 870, 34 Ohio Law. Abs. 32, 22 Ohio Op. 6, 1940 Ohio App. LEXIS 1149 (Ohio Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

OPINION

By BARNES, J.

The above entitled cause is now being determined as an error proceeding by reason of plaintiff’s appeal on questions of law from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, of Franklin County, Ohio.

The plaintiff, Carrier, was injured in an automobile accident which occurred [33]*33within the territorial limits of Franklin County, Ohio, and which involved a motor vehicle being operated by the plaintiff and a motor vehicle being operated by one Kelsey Neal, who died instantaneously. Neal was a resident of Mount Gilead, Morrow County, Ohio. Esther Neal was appointed administratrix of his estate by the Probate Court of Morrow County. Esther Neal was, is and has been, at all times of import hereto, a resident of Morrow County.

The plaintiff filed his petition in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, seeking to recover damages for injuries to his person caused by the alleged negligence of Kelsey Neal, the owner and operator of the motor vehicle which caused said injuries.

Esther Neal, administratrix of the estate of Kelsey Neal, was named as defendant and the action was filed in Franklin County, being the county wherein the injury to plaintiff occurred.

Summons was duly issued out of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court to the sheriff of Morrow County and served on the defendant administratrix.

The defendant filed a motion to quash the service of summons.

After hearing, the trial court, on December 7th, 1939, by journalized entry, sustained the motion quashing the service and this terminated the action.

Within due timé the plaintiff filed his notice of appeal thus lodging the case in this Court.

Plaintiff’s claimed authorization for bringing the action in Franklin County, Ohio, is based on §6308 GC, which reads as follows:

“Jurisdiction in actions for injury to person or property. — Actions for injury to a person or property, caused by the negligence of the owner or operator of a motor vehicle, may be brought, by the person injured, against such owner or operator in the county wherein such injury occurs. A summons in such action against any defendant or defendants shall be issued to the sheriff of any county within this state wherein such defendant or defendants reside and may be served as in other civil actions, notwithstanding any contrary provision of law for the service of summons in civil actions.”

It is the claim of counsel for defendant, and concurred in by the trial court, that actions under §6308 GC may only be brought “against such owner or operator in the county wherein such injury occurs.”

There is thus presented the single question, whether, under the above section, a plaintiff injured as a result of the operation of an automobile by one killed in the collision may sue the administrator of the deceased for personal injuries in the county wherein the collision took place, although neither the deceased nor the defendant reside or resided in that county.

It has been repeatedly held by our Court that §6308 GC, is a venue statute and, therefore, should be liberally construed to effect the purpose for which it was enacted.

The Supreme Court of Ohio in Allen v Smith, 84 Oh St 283, determined the section to be constitutional. Later, the Supreme Court again considered the section in the case of Furnace Company v Rhinehart, 108 Oh St 117, Syllabus 1, which reads as follows:

“1. All statutes relating to procedure are remedial in their nature and should be liberally construed .and applied to effect their respective purposes.”

Since the decision of the Supreme Court in the two cases above cited, the Legislature has. amended the section so that it now reads that the action may be brought “in the county wherein such injury occurs”, whereas, it previously read “in the county wherein such injured person resides”.

It is our determination that the amendment will not, in any particular, alter the principle or the rule as above announced.

The Court of Appeals of this District in 1923 had under consideration and determined the identical question as pre[34]*34sented in the instant case. W¿ refer to the case of Southern Savings Bank & Trust Company, Administrator v Taxis, 3 Abs 311 (Montgomery County).

The above case was brought, tried and determined before the amendment of §6308 GC, so that under its provisions, venue was at the place of residence of the plaintiff.

Plaintiff Taxis, who resided in Montgomery County, filed his action in the latter county against the administrator of the claimed negiigent owner, who resided in and died in Hamilton County. The administrator was appointed in Hamilton County and had its situs therein.

Summons was issued in Montgomery County and served in Hamilton County. The defendant, by motion, objected to the jurisdiction over the person of defendant and later raised the same question by answer. The trial Court overruled the objections and retained the case for trial. The Court of Appeals in a per curiam opinion stated that the sole question presented was one of personal jurisdiction and then followed with the following determination:

“Under a liberal construction of §6308 GC, which gives jurisdiction over actions of this kind in the county where the plaintiff resides, we are of opinion that the objections to the jurisdiction over the defendant were properly overruled.”

This pronouncement has not been reversed or modified by any Ohio Court and thus under the rule of stare decisis, it should be accepted as the law of this district, unless perchance, we feel called upon to reverse the holding.

Counsel for defendant-appellee argue that the rule has not been followed either by Our Court or other Courts of Appeals within the State.

-We are unable to so conclude.

So far as we are able to find, the cited case from 2 Abs, supra, stands alone with identical facts to the instant ■case. • ...

Counsel for defendant-appellee urged that the wording of §6308 GC does not confer a right of action against an administrator of the “owner or operator” and, hence, it is urged that to so construe the Section would be judicial legislation.

We find a line of cases in Ohio where the actions by administrators of the person injured have been sustained. In these cases it was urged that the statute limited the right of action to the person injured and that this language should not be construed to include administrators. The Courts of Ohio universally held against this contention.

The leading case is that of the Wellston Iron Furnace Company v Rinehart, Administrator, 108 Oh St, p. 117, Syllabus 2, which reads as follows:

“2. A cause of action for personal injury survives the death of the injured party, and all the rights, privileges, incidents and options which the injured party may have had in his • lifetime inure to the benefit of his personal representatives or next of kin, respectively, unless the statutes clearly provide otherwise.”

The opinion by Wanamaker, J., will be found interesting and elucidating. The above case was taken to the Supreme Court on appeal from the judgment of the Franklin County Court of Appeals. The judgment of the Court of Appeals was affirmed. The opinion of the latter Court will be found in Vol. 32 O. C. A. 476.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
35 N.E.2d 870, 34 Ohio Law. Abs. 32, 22 Ohio Op. 6, 1940 Ohio App. LEXIS 1149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carrier-v-neal-ohioctapp-1940.