Casey v. Cooledge

4 S.E.2d 63, 60 Ga. App. 531, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 74
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJuly 15, 1939
Docket27362
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 4 S.E.2d 63 (Casey v. Cooledge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Casey v. Cooledge, 4 S.E.2d 63, 60 Ga. App. 531, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 74 (Ga. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

Broyles, C. J.

Clyde Casey brought an action, in Fulton County, Georgia, against A. H. Cooledge, on a judgment reviving a dormant judgment rendered in the State of Alabama. The court sustained a general demurrer to the petition as amended, and the plaintiff excepted. The original petition substantially alleges: 1. The defendant is a resident of Fulton County, Georgia. 2. On February 24, 1925, a jury in the Jefferson County circuit court of the tenth judicial circuit of Alabama rendered a verdict against A. H. Cooledge and H. M. Mauck for $3000 and costs, and the court entered a judgment on that verdict; a duly-authenticated and exemplified copy of said judgment being attached to the petition as exhibit A. 3. On April 1, 1936, plaintiff filed in the [532]*532same Alabama court his motion to revive said judgment; said proceeding being brought in full and strict accordance with “the provisions of article 8, chapter 291 (§§ 7862-7873) Michie’s 1928 Alabama Code and 1936 Cum. Supp., entitled ‘Kevivor of Judgments and Executions Thereon.’” 4. “In addition to being .property served and made a party in said revivor proceeding, A. EL Cooledge . . appeared and filed his motion to quash, his motion to dismiss, and his plea and answer, and had his day in court.” 5. On July 12, 1937, the court rendered a judgment reviving the original judgment and ordered that an execution issue thereon; a duly-authenticated and exemplified copy of said judgment of revivor being attached as exhibit A. (Paragraph 6 is immaterial.) 7. Said judgments of February 24, 1925, and July 12, 1937, remain unpaid, and A. EL Cooledge is indebted to plaintiff thereon in the principal sum of $3046.50 principal, with interest.

In order to reach a proper understanding of the question for decision in this case, whether the court erred in sustaining the general demurrer to the petition as amended, it is necessary to consider the ruling of this court, made in Cooledge v. Casey, 58 Ga. App. 134 (198 S. E. 96), that the court “erred in overruling the general demurrer to the [original] petition.” In rendering that decision this court said: “This is a suit on a revived judgment. If the petition had simply alleged the rendition of the judgment, it would not have been subject to general demurrer. It did not stop with that, but set forth the entire proceedings upon which the judgment was based. The judgment roll attached to the petition shows: (1) that the defendant was a. non-resident of Alabama; (2) that the notice, the only service in the case, was by mail; (3) that a motion to quash the service was first filed; (4) that later, other special pleas and a general answer were filed; that the court in Alabama rendered a final judgment without specifically ruling on the motion to quash. Unless the defendant waived the lacle of jurisdiction of his person, the judgment of revival is void. Owens v. Henry, 161 U. S. 642 (16 Sup. Ct. 693, 40 L. ed. 837). [Italics ours.] One of three things occurred. The Alabama court impliedly ruled against the motion to quash, by ruling on the merits and reviving the judgment; or it ignored it over the protest of the defendant; or the parties went to trial on the merits without call; ing the court’s attention to the motion to quash, the effect of which [533]*533would have been a waiver by the defendant of the jurisdictional question. This court will presume that one of the first two possibilities is the truth of the case. No waiver appears in the record, and will not be presumed. . . If the plaintiff cm allege and p-ove a waiver, his case will be different from what it now is. [Italics ours.] In the absence of a waiver of the jurisdiction of his person, the Alabama court did not and could not have jurisdiction to render the judgment. . . No court, at any time, anywhere, can render a valid judgment against a person of whom it has no jurisdiction, unless he waives it. In this case there has been no adjudication by the Alabama court to the effect that the defendant waived the jurisdictional question or abandoned his motion to quash. ■ If there had been, our decision might be different. Even if this defendant submitted the question of jurisdiction to the Alabama court, unless he waived it the court had no right to say that it had jurisdiction, for the reason that the motion to revive the judgment showed on its face that the defendant was a nonresident of Alabama, and the judgment roll in Fulton superior court does not affirmatively show that jurisdiction was waived. In the status of the record it is the same as if the court had expressly ruled against the motion to quash, and had proceeded to render final judgment on the merits. [Italics ours.] . . No Alabama law is pleaded to the effect that a special appearance is a submission to jurisdiction for all purposes. . . Some States have such a rule, which is valid; but this court can not presume that it exists in Alabama. From the judgment roll itself we are of the opinion that the Alabama court did not have jurisdiction of the person of the defendant, and was powerless to render a valid judgment against him; and that he may properly raise such a question'in the present suit. In these circumstances it was error for the court to overrule the general demurrer to the petition.”

Before the remittitur from this court was made the judgment of the trial court, Casey amended his original petition by adding thereto, paragraphs 8, 9, 10, and 11, the substance of which appears from the following statement: “8. Plaintiff shows that there was attached to his original petition . . , as exhibit A thereto, a duly-authenticated and exemplified copy of all proceedings and the judgment roll in the Jefferson County circuit court of the tenth judicial circuit of Alabama, out of which issued the [534]*534judgment upon which, the plaintiff brings this action. 9. Plaintiff shows that the motion to quash for want of jurisdiction and defect in service, filed in said Alabama action . . , came on to bo heard . . in said court on May 12, 1936, and that upon said hearing, with counsel for all parties being present and after arguments being heard, the said motion was overruled and denied by the trial judge, and a proper entry of such ruling was made a part of the record in said cause; that said Oooledge did not, within the thirty days allowed, file exceptions in writing to- said ruling, or carry exceptions to the Supreme Court of Alabama. An authenticated and certified copy of such motion and ruling thereon is attached hereto as exhibit B. 10. The plaintiff further shows that by filing his demurrer, plea, and answer in said Alabama action and by proceeding to trial thereon, and by abandoning his right to except to the denial of his motion to quash, the defendant, A. H. Oooledge, waived his motion to quash and made a general appearance in said cause which constituted a waiver of all irregularities, including ladle of jurisdiction over his person and defects in service; that the law of . . Alabama as to such waiver of jurisdiction has been clearly established, and plaintiff here specially pleads the law of the State of Alabama as set out in the following-decisions of the Supreme Court of that State.” (Italics ours.) (Here are cited eight decisions of the Supreme Court of Alabama, including Casey v. Cooledge, 234 Ala. 499 (175 So. 557).

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Bluebook (online)
4 S.E.2d 63, 60 Ga. App. 531, 1939 Ga. App. LEXIS 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/casey-v-cooledge-gactapp-1939.