Cartmell v. Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.

5 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 604, 18 Ohio Dec. 380, 1907 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 59
CourtLogan County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedOctober 13, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 5 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 604 (Cartmell v. Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Logan County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cartmell v. Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., 5 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 604, 18 Ohio Dec. 380, 1907 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 59 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1907).

Opinion

Brodrick, J.

Appeal from justice of the peace on motion to discharge attachment.

Both cases came before the court in the same manner and alb the questions raised are common to both, except that in the first case the defendant is a domestic corporation, and in the second the defendant is a foreign corporation. In each case an attachment was issued and the writ was levied upon property of the defendant. In each case the affidavit set forth the nature of the claim to be for damages for breach of a contract.

In order to properly determine the power of the court under this proceeding, an examination of the statute under which this proceeding is prosecuted will be necessary.

Section 6494, Revised Statutes, provides as follows:

[606]*606“Provided, that in any case the defendant may make a motion before the justice of the peace to dissolve the attachment or release the property, money, or credits attached or garnisheed, either or both; which if overruled may be appealed by the defendant to the court of common pleas, if in session, or to a judge thereof in vacation, by giving notice to that effect to the justice of the peace, but no bond shall be required. Upon such notice of appeal being given, the justice of the peace shall forthwith transmit to the clerk of the court of common pleas all the original papers; and thereupon within three days- from such notice of appeal, or upon such further time as may be for good cause allowed, said court or judge shall hear and determine said motion in the same manner as though it was originally brought in said court of- common pleas and upon the final hearing said court or judge shall forthwith transmit the judgment with said original papers to said justice of the peace, which judgment shall be entered upon the docket of said justice of the peace as the final determination of said motion; and said attachment property, moneys and credits shall be disposed of as directed in said judgment. ’ ’

What is the meaning of the language, “Said court or judge shall hear and determine said motion in the same manner as though it was originally brought in said court of common pleas ? ’ ’ The proceedings in actions originally brought in the court of common pleas are proceeded in under Sections 5562 and 5563, Revised Statutes.

Section 5562 is as follows:

‘1 The defendant may, at any time before judgment, upon reasonable notice to the plaintiff, move to discharge an attachment, as to the whole or any part of the property attached; the motion may be heard and decided by the court at any term or regular session thereof, or it may be made, heard, and decided by any judge thereof in vacation. ’ ’

Section 5563 is as follows:

“When the motion is made upon affidavits on the part of the defendant, or papers and evidence in the case, but not otherwise, the plaintiff may oppose the same by affidavits or other evidence, in addition to the evidence on which the order of attachment was made. ’ ’•

[607]*607The manner then, in actions originally brought in the court of common pleas, would seem to be that the evidence to be used before the court or judge should be by affidavits, or such evidence as might be used in a reviewing court on error, as Section 5563a provides for proceedings in error.

The same rule ought to apply in'a hearing on motion to discharge an attachment before a justice of the peace, for under Section 6494 the hearing before the court or judge must be confined to the same evidence that was before the justice. It is due to the justice and due to the defendant that it be so confined, else an entirely different case might be presented before the court or judge than was heard before the justice. The jurisdiction of the court or judge in this case being appellate, it must strictly conform to the proceedings before the justice, for the only foundation for reviewing the decision of the justice is the ruling of the justice upon the motion to discharge. It would be unfair to the justice to permit other evidence to be heard in the court or before the judge, for the justice is entitled to have his decision reviewed in the same light in which the decision was given.

It would be unfair to the defendant, for if the plaintiff was permitted to give evidence before the court or judge that was not presented before the justice, the defendant might be subjected to the payment of costs and expenses upon a hearing not contemplated in the appeal. The motion, having been heard and passed upon by the justice, the defendant desiring to pursue the statutory remedy by appeal to review the decision of the justice is entitled to stand upon the letter of his appeal, and if the ruling of the justice was erroneous upon the evidence presented on the hearing before him, the defendant has the right to meet only the issues presented on such hearing on his appeal to a reviewing court or judge.

In construing the provisions of Section 6494, Revised Statutes, in the case of Williams v. McCartney, 10 C. C.—N. S., 161, as reported in The Ohio Law Reporter, Vol. 5, No. 30, the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, say:

“It is quite clear from the provisions of this section that all the court or judge of the court of common pleas can do when the [608]*608matter is brought before him is to ascertain whether the provisions of the statute have been complied with, and if so to proceed to determine whether the justice did right in overruling the motion, and to transmit his decision to the justice. There is no case pending in the court of common pleas. The case itself is still pending before the justice. It is not in the court of common pleas for any purpose* of a trial, is not to be heard upon evidence, is not subject to motion or demurrer; the only question is whether the justice ruled rightly in overruling the motion to discharge the attachment. ’ ’

From the foregoing I am of opinion that the only evidence allowable upon the hearing on appeal is the same evidence that was heard on the hearing before the justice, and if oral testimony was used on the hearing, unless a transcript of such evidence has been filed with the original papers before the court or judge on appeal, the oral evidence can not be again offered before the court or judge. Such practice would open the doors on the hearing before the court or judge to other oral testimony in impeachment and confirmation of such testimony, and when concluded the reviewing court would not be sure that he heard the case upon the same evidence that was used before the justice. When affidavits are used in suport of the motion, the safe practice is to rebut by affidavits and then the court is sure to have the identical evidence before it that was presented to the justice, and upon which his decision was based.

In the case of Seville v. Wagner, 46 O. S., 52, the Supreme Court fixes the rule of law to be that where the statements of the affidavit for an attachment are denied by the affidavit of the defendant, the burden of proof is upon the plaintiff to substantiate the averments. See, also, Market Nat. Bank v. Bethel, 32 B., 135; Costin v. Paige, 9 O. S., 397; Bradley v. Wacker, 13 C. C., 530; Kirk v. Stevenson, 59 O. S., 556.

One of the points insisted upon by counsel for the defendants is that the affidavit must set forth the nature of the plaintiff’s claim, and cites the case of Driscoll v. Kelley, 5 N. P., 243.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 604, 18 Ohio Dec. 380, 1907 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cartmell-v-rudolph-wurlitzer-co-ohctcompllogan-1907.