Cheney v. Trammell

65 Fla. 451
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 20, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 65 Fla. 451 (Cheney v. Trammell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cheney v. Trammell, 65 Fla. 451 (Fla. 1913).

Opinions

Hocker, J.

This action was originally brought by Albert W. Gilchrist, as Governor, for the benefit of Pinel[453]*453las County, amj afterwards Park Trammell, the present Governor, was substituted as plaintiff. Demurrers to the declaration were overruled and final judgment entered in favor of the defendant in error. The case is here on writ of error from the final judgment. The declaration is as follows:

“Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of the State of Florida, who sues for the benefit of Pinellas County, plaintiff, by his attorney, H. S. Phillips, State Attorney of the. Sixth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida, sues Jose It. Fuentes, as principal, and Carl Doerler and John, K.. Cheyney as sureties, defendants, for that whereas on the. fifteenth day of February, A. D. 1912, in a certain cause then and there pending in the Circuit Court of Pinellas County, Florida, wherein the State of Florida was plaintiff and the said Jose R. Fuentes was defendant, judgment was rendered against the said Jose If. Fuentes, sen-' fencing him to confinement for a period of five years at hard labor in the State Prison; and for that whereas the said defendants in and by their writing obligatory signed and sealed with their seals bearing date February-19-, 1912, jointly and severally acknowledged themselves to be held and firmly bound unto the plaintiff herein in the penal sum of two thousand dollars well and. truly to be paid to the plaintiff herein; which said writing obligatory was and is subject to a certain condition therein written whereby after reciting to the effect that on the 14th day of February, 1912, in the Circuit Court of Pinellas County, Florida, in a certain cause therein pending wherein the State of Florida was plaintiff and Jose R. Fuentes was defendant, the said Jose R. Fuentes being then and there charged with manslaughter, he, the said Jose R. Fuentes, was duly convicted and by the said court sentenced to confinement for a period of five years [454]*454■at hard ’ labor in the State Prison; from which said judgment and sentence of the court the said Jose R. Fuentes sued out a writ of error to the Supreme Court of the State of Florida; and whereas it was further provided in said condition of said writing obligatory that if ¡the said Jose ,R. Fuentes should be personally forthcoming at the next term of Circuit Court held in Pinellas County, on the second Tuesday in September, 1912,. to. answer and abide the final order, sentence or judgment that might be passed in the premises by the said" Supreme Court as by said writing obligatory and the said condition thereof remaining filed in said Circuit Court will appear, reference being had to a certain certified copy of. said bond hereto attached and marked exhibit ‘A;’ and although afterwards to-wit, on the..................... day of ....................'............................................., 1912, the said Supreme Court holden at Tallahassee, the said cause coming on to be heard by the said Supreme Court, it was considered by the said Supreme Court that the said judgment of the said Circuit Court in the said writing obligatory mentioned be affirmed and that said plaintiff herein recover of and from the said Jose R. Fuentes, party defendant herein, all costs expended by the plaintiff herein in .said cause by reason of said appellate proceedings taxed at the sum of $.............................................., as by the mandate- of said Supreme Court upon record in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Pinellas County, Florida, aforesaid, in Minute Book...................................., at page ................................ will appear;
"Nevertheless, the said Jose R.' Fuentes was not personally forthcoming at the said term of the. Circuit Coitrt in Pinellas-County, Florida, held in and ¡for said county on the second Tuesday in September, 1912, to answer and abide the final order and judgment passed [455]*455in the premises of said Supreme Court as in and by said writing obligatory, he the said Jose R. Fuentes, as principal, and the said Carl Doerler and John K. Cheyney, as sureties, defendants therein, obligated themselves, he should and would be; wherefore, an action has accrued to the said plaintiff to demand of said defendants the said sum of two thousand dollars and interest thereon, together with the sum of $....................................expended by the plaintiff by reason of said appellate proceedings, yet said defendants, though requested, have not paid the said sum of money or any part thereof to the plaintiff, but refuse so to do; to the damage of the plaintiff in the sum of four thousand dollars; wherefore plaintiff sues.
HERBERT S. PHILLIPS,
State Attorney for Sixth Judicial Circuit, State of Florida, Attorney for Plaintiff.”

This declaration was demurred to on seven grounds as follows:

“First. The said declaration fails to state a cause of action against these defendants.
Second. That said declaration fails to show that after the alleged breach of the obligation sued upon these defendants were called upon to produce the body of the principal obligor therein, and that upon failure to do so the said bond was estreated by due order of the court.
Third. Because said declaration fails to show the right or authority by which the plaintiff is entitled to maintain his said action.
■ Fourth. Because the declaration fails to show affirmatively that the conditions of said obligation have been breached in such manner as to entitle plaintiff to maintain his said action.
Fifth. Because the obligation sued upon, and which [456]*456is made a part of the declaration by reference, is not a statutory form of supersedeas bond.
Sixth. Because the declaration fails to show the authority of C. W. Weicking, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Pinellas County, to approve the said bond.
Seventh. Because the said declaration fails to show that said bond was made under authority of any lawful order of the court.”

This demurrer was overruled, the fact of non-service of Jose R. Fuentes noted in the record, and the defendants declining to plead further, final judgment was entered for the plaintiff. The assignments of error are based on the order overruling the demurrer, and on the giving of final judgment for the plaintiff below.

Under the first assignment the several grounds of the demurrer to the declaration are presented. The first is not especially argued in the brief “inasmuch as” to quote from the brief of plaintiffs in error, “the more specific grounds thereafter incorporated in the demurrer will point out the defects of the declaration and bond which we contend render the declaration insufficient to justify a recovery.” The second ground of demurrer is that the “declaration fails to show that after the alleged breach of the obligation sued upon the defendants were called upon to produce the body of the principal obligor therein and that upon failure to do so the bond Avas estreated by due order of the court.”

It is admitted that there is no express statutory authority for such a proceeding in case of a supersedeas bond, yet it is contended there ought to be in order to protect the sureties. This leads to an examination of the state of the statute laAV Avith reference to legal proceedings upon appearance bonds in criminal cases.

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Related

Cash v. State
73 So. 2d 903 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1954)
Fulghum & Union Indemnity Co. v. State
109 So. 644 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1926)
Doty v. Mason
244 F. 587 (S.D. Florida, 1917)

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Bluebook (online)
65 Fla. 451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cheney-v-trammell-fla-1913.