City of Princeton v. Williams

128 N.E. 601, 190 Ind. 281, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 96
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 26, 1920
DocketNo. 23,218
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 128 N.E. 601 (City of Princeton v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Princeton v. Williams, 128 N.E. 601, 190 Ind. 281, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 96 (Ind. 1920).

Opinions

Ewbank, J.

— The city of Princeton and twelve individuals filed in the circuit court a petition for the construction of a public drain, alleging that one of the individual petitioners owned ten acres of land, described as being 771 feet long from north to south, and 565 'feet wide from east to west, in the northeast corner of a certain quarter section, and that each of the other individual petitioners owned a city lot in Princeton; that twenty-one other tracts described as being parts of certain quarter sections were owned by individual owners or groups of owners; that about 200 other individuals and corporations, as set out, each owned one or more-designated city lots in Princeton; that Patoka township had certain highways and the city of Princeton certain streets and parks, all of which would be affected by the proposed drainage asked for; and that such drainage [283]*283could be best accomplished- by constructing an open ditch from a point named in a certain section, thence in a southerly and southwesterly direction through four certain sections of land to the beginning of a certain existing public drain, previously established; and also by the construction of “a covered lateral drain or sewer” upon a désignated route commencing in a street in the city of Princeton, and thence in and along four named streets and alleys, “to the main ditch above described”; and also by the construction of “a covered branch drain or sewer” upon a designated route from the intersection of the curb lines of two named streets in the city of Princeton, 790 feet “to the lateral above described”; also of “a covered branch drain or sewer” from a point two feet from the intersection of the curb lines of two other named streets in said city, 380 feet to said lateral, and of another “covered branch drain or sewer” of like description, length and outlet, but upon a different city street; “also by the construction of such other laterals or branch drains as may be deemed necessary * * * to properly drain said lands and said streets, park and public grounds in said southeast part of said city of Princeton. The main ditch shall be an open ditch * * * (covered across the railroad right of way) * * *. The laterals above described with branch drains shall be covered drains or sewers, provided with proper inlets and catch basins at street intersections.” (Our italics.) The statutory averments of the public utility of the proposed drain, its benefit to public health, and its value in excess of costs, damages and expense of construction, were also made.

The twenty-three appellees each separately made an oral motion “to dismiss the petition herein, and this proceeding for want of jurisdiction of this court of the subject-matter thereof,” which motions were by the court sustained, and the court adjudged “that the peti[284]*284tion and this proceeding be and the same is now dismissed, and that the remonstrators herein recover of and from the petitioners their costs.” The appellant duly saved an exception to said ruling of the court.

The city of Princeton prayed an appeal, which was granted “without said city-giving bond,” on December 19, 1916. The transcript and assignment of errors were filed in this court on February 16, 1917, less than sixty days thereafter. A notice was issued on that date, which seems to have been duly served later. And on April 2, 1917, the clerk of this court noted the submission of the cause as of that date. Appellant’s brief was filed on May 31, 1917, less than sixty days after the noting of such submission, but much more than sixty days after the date when Acts 1885 p. 219 §693 Burns 1914, provides ’ that an appeal in term “shall be regarded as submitted for decision * * * unless otherwise ordered by the court.”

The appellees have filed a motion to dismiss this appeal, pointing out that, since it was perfected as a term appeal by only one. of several judgment defendants, who did not name in the assignment of errors, nor serve with notice, any of the numerous coparties to the judgment, it should have been “regarded as submitted” at the expiration of thirty days after February 15, 1917, when the appeal reached this court; and that Rule 21 of this court commends that appellant’s brief be filed within sixty days “after submission,” under penalty of a dismissal of the appeal. But where the cause was noted by the clerk as submitted on April 2, instead of March 18, and the clerk mailed notices to the parties of such submission on the later date, as required by Rule 18, appellant cannot be deemed to be in default if its brief was filed within sixty days from that time. This must be deemed a case where the cause was not submitted at the expiration of thirty days from the date of perfect[285]*285ing the appeal, because the court, acting through its clerk, “otherwise ordered.”

No question is suggested or discussed by counsel as to whether all parties to the judgment below have been properly brought before this court, and we decide nothing upon that question, but shall assume that they have been. The motion of appellees to dismiss the appeal is overruled.

The sole question which arises upon the merits of the appeal is whether the petition of the city of Princeton and others, as above set out, undertook to present a cause of action in relation to a subject-matter of which the circuit court had jurisdiction to take any action at the suit of these petitioners, for the purpose of granting any relief whatever. It has been many times decided that, even when a petition or complaint is tested by a demurrer, it must be held sufficient if it states a cause of action for any part of the relief asked, or, indeed, for any relief whatever. Muncie etc., Traction Co. v. Citizens Gas, etc., Co. (1913), 178 Ind. 322, 329, 100 N. E. 65; Pittsburgh, etc., R. Co. v. Lamm (1916), 61 Ind. App. 389, 396, 112 N. E. 45.

A complaint challenged by a mere motion, as not stating facts concerning which the court has jurisdiction to take any action at all on being invoked by the petitioners or plaintiffs, cannot be judged by a test more severe than would be applied if it were merely challenged by a demurrer. Even though a demurrer should be sustained, the petitioners might amend and allege all necessary additional facts to make out a cause of action, provided only that such further facts be true and can be proved. And upon the amended complaint or petition they might proceed to trial and judgment. But sustaining a motion to dismiss the action cuts off all right of amendment and ends the case. The rule by which the sufficiency of a complaint to in[286]*286voke the jurisdiction of the court is determined should therefore be less severe (if any difference) than the rule applied in determining the sufficiency of the alleged facts to constitute a cause of action. If the petition in this case had been challenged by a demurrer, the question thereby presented would have been whether, upon the facts stated, the appellant, with the other petitioners, was entitled to a hearing upon the question of constructing any portion of the drain asked for, whether the open ditch from the edge of the city down across several miles of farm land, or any other part of it. And if the court should have concluded that the open drain in the country was properly petitioned for, by persons who had the legal qualifications, it must necessarily have overruled the demurrer.

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

Related

Sullivan v. State
163 N.E. 836 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 N.E. 601, 190 Ind. 281, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 96, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-princeton-v-williams-ind-1920.