Citizens Street Railroad v. Shepherd

62 N.E. 300, 29 Ind. App. 412, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 215
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 20, 1901
DocketNo. 3,245
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 62 N.E. 300 (Citizens Street Railroad v. Shepherd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Citizens Street Railroad v. Shepherd, 62 N.E. 300, 29 Ind. App. 412, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 215 (Ind. Ct. App. 1901).

Opinions

Henley, J.

This is an action commenced in the Marion Superior Court for damages growing out of an in[413]*413jury received by appellee, and caused by tbe alleged negligent acts of appellant. The alleged negligent acts of appellant, as described in appellee’s complaint, were as follows : Appellee was a passenger on one of appellant’s cars. It was a dark night and raining. Sbe was accompanied by three small children, one of whom sbe held in her arms. When sbe arrived at tbe point where sbe desired to leave tbe car, sbe helped her children out, and tbe conductor helped her alight. Upon inquiry by her be instructed her as to tbe direction to go, and stepped back upon tbe car step. In some manner appellee’s skirt bad not been removed from tbe car step, and was stepped on by tbe conductor. Tbe car moved away with tbe conductor standing with one foot on her dress skirt, and pulled appellee to tbe ground, inflicting -the alleged injuries for which sbe brings this action.

Tbe sufficiency of tbe complaint is discussed by appellant’s counsel under a proper assignment of error. Tbe complaint is not subject to tbe objections contended for by counsel. Tbe facts stated are sufficient, and are well pleaded. There was no error in overruling tbe demurrer to tbe complaint.

There were seven other specifications of tbe assignment of errors, which assail tbe action of tbe lower court in overruling appellant’s plea in abatement, in granting to appellee, upon her motion, a change of venue to Hamilton county, in sustaining appellee’s demurrer to appellant’s plea to tbe jurisdiction of tbe Hamilton Circuit Court, in overruling appellant’s motion to remand tbe cause to the Marion Superior Court, and in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial. We will dispose of tbe questions presented in tbe above order.

Tbe plea in abatement is based upon tbe following facts therein set out: Appellee, on,tbe 23d day of November, 1897, filed in tbe circuit court of Marion county her complaint on account of tbe same identical cause of action set [414]*414forth in her complaint in this cause, seeking the same relief, and for the same alleged injuries, occurring in the same manner, and to the same extent. Afterwards, on the 13th day of Eehruary, 1899, the cause having been put at issue, and having been called for trial, and while the jury was being impaneled, appellee dismissed her cause, and upon leave of court withdrew her complaint, and on the following day refiled her complaint in this cause in the Marion Superior Court. That the circuit court rendered a judgment against the appellee for $14.20 costs, which remains unpaid, and appellee is prosecuting this cause without first paying said judgment for costs, and that said action in so doing is wrongful and oppressive. Appellee filed her affidavit stating facts tending to show that the second action was not vexatious. In a case like this one it is within the sound discretion of the court to stay, or refuse to stay, the proceedings upon the facts presented, and the presumption of vexation is overcome by the slightest countervailing evidence. Sellers v. Myers, 7 Ind. App. 148; Kitts v. Willson, 89 Ind. 95; Eigenman v. Eastin, 17 Ind. App. 580; Cashman v. Brownlee, 128 Ind. 266; Harless v. Petty, 98 Ind. 53. The proper practice, we think, in cases of this kind, is to move to stay the proceedings until the costs of the former action have been paid. If the facts presented by the defendant justify it, the court will make an order directing the plaintiff to pay the costs within a time named. If the order is not complied with, the action should he dismissed. The record in this case does not show that the trial court abused its discretion in the matter.

Over appellant’s objection, appellee was granted a change of venue from Marion county. The cause was sent to Hamilton county, where appellant made a special appearance, and filed a plea in two paragraphs to the jurisdiction of the court. A demurrer for want of facts was sustained to each paragraph. Appellant then filed a motion to remand the cause to the Marion Superior Court. The motion [415]*415to remand states fully the facts relied upon. Omitting the caption, the motion to remand was in the following words: “The defendant, the Citizens Street Railroad Company, moves the Hamilton Circuit Court to remand and transfer this cause to the Marion Superior Court, of Marion county, Indiana, for and on account of the facts and circumstances hereinafter set forth and herein shown to the court, to wit: That heretofore, on the 23d day of November, 1897, the plaintiff in this cause, Lillie M. Shepherd, filed her certain complaint against this defendant, the Citizens Street Railroad Company, in the.Marion Circuit Court, State of Indiana, alleging the same identical cause of action set forth in her complaint in this cause, averring the same identical facts of negligence on the part of the defendant as are averred in this cause, and praying relief of the same character and amount as prayed for in her complaint in this cause; that thereafter such proceedings were had in the said Marion Circuit Court as that the said cause was put at issue by the defendant herein, being the same corporation as the defendant herein, and that thereafter, on the 2d day of July, 1898, the same being the twenty-fourth judicial day of the June term of the Marion Circuit Court, the said plaintiff Lillie M. Shepherd came into said Marion Circuit Court and filed her affidavit and motion for a change of venue from said Marion county, Indiana; that the said motion was considered by the court, and sustained, upon said 2d day of July, 1898, and it was ordered by said Marion Circuit Court thajt the venue of' the said cause be changed to Morgan county, Indiana, and that the said plaintiff Lillie M. Shepherd perfect said change and pay the costs thereof within ten days thereafter; that the said plaintiff Lillie M. Shepherd did not perfect said change or pay the costs thereof either within the said ten days from the 2d day of July, 1898, or any other or different time, but allowed the said cause to remain, and the same did remain, pending [416]*416in the said Marion Circuit Court until the 13th day of February, 1899, at which time and upon which day the said plaintiff Lillie M. Shepherd appeared in the said Marion Circuit Court and dismissed her said cause of action, with leave to withdraw the complaint therein; that the next day, to wit, February 14, 1889, the said plaintiff Lillie M. Shepherd filed her said complaint in the Marion Superior Court, of Marion county, Indiana, being a court of concurrent and equal jurisdiction, in so far as the matters and things set forth in said complaint are concerned, against this defendant, the Citizens Street Railroad Company; and defendant says that it believes, and has reason to believe, from the fact that in said complaint so filed in the Marion Superior Court the caption of said cause is described as being in the Marion Circuit Court, and for other reasons of similarity, that the said complaint so filed in the Marion Superior Court js the same identical complaint heretofore filed in the Marion Circuit Court, except that the cover thereof has been changed.

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Bluebook (online)
62 N.E. 300, 29 Ind. App. 412, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 215, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/citizens-street-railroad-v-shepherd-indctapp-1901.