Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Smith

97 N.E. 164, 177 Ind. 524, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 41
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 26, 1912
DocketNo. 21,424
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 97 N.E. 164 (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Smith) 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
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Smith, 97 N.E. 164, 177 Ind. 524, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 41 (Ind. 1912).

Opinion

Morris, C. J.

Action for condemnation under the eminent domain act of 1905 (Acts 1905 p. 59, §929 Burns 1908). The only question involved is the amount of damages. Appellant’s right to exercise the power of eminent domain with reference to the real estate involved was determined by this court in Smith v. Cleveland, etc., R. Co. (1908), 170 Ind. 382, 81 N. E. 501.

The cause was submitted to a jury for determination, which returned a verdict for appellee for $9,500. Prom a judgment on that verdict appellant prosecutes this appeal. The errors assigned here are the action of the lower court [531]*531in changing the venue of the action to the Putnam Circuit Court and in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial.

1. The cause originated in the Hendricks Circuit Court. On the verified motion of appellant for a change of venue from the county, the venue of the action was changed to the Putnam Circuit Court. Appellant objected to having the ease sent to Putnam county, because, it alleged, a prejudice existed there against appellant and its cause of action. It is claimed that the ITendricks Circuit Court abused its discretion in the matter of selecting the county to which the venue was changed.

In appellant’s motion for a new trial, this was not assigned as error. By failing to assign this as a cause for a new trial, appellant has waived its right to a consideration, by this court, of the alleged error. Wilson v. Johnson (1896), 145 Ind. 40, 38 N. E. 38, 43 N. E. 930; Southern R. Co. v. Sittasen (1906), 166 Ind. 257, 76 N. E. 973; Mannix v. State, ex rel. (1888), 115 Ind. 245, 17 N. E. 611.

This was a term-time appeal. The bond was filed in the court below within the time designated, and the transcript was filed here within sixty days thereafter. The surety designated and approved by the trial court, was the American Surety Company. The surety executing the bond was the National Surety Company. Long after appellee had appeared and filed his brief on the merits of the case, he filed, his motion here to dismiss this appeal, because the appeal bond was not executed by the surety designated and approved by the court. In his motion, duly verified, he shows that he had no knowledge of the variance in sureties until after his brief on the merits had been filed. No leave was asked to withdraw his appearance here.

2. [532]*5323. 4. 5. [531]*531The object of an appeal bond is to stay proceedings on the judgment. In a term-time appeal, such proceedings are stayed without a writ of supersedeas, and no notice of the appeal is necessary. If, however, the appeal bond required by the statute (§679 Burns 1908, §638 [532]*532R. S. 1881) is not filed at all, or not filed within the designated time, or pursuant to the court’s order, the appeal cannot operate other than as a vacation appeal, which requires notice to be served on the appellee, to make him a party to the appeal, and, if it is desired to stay proceedings on the judgment, requires the issuance of a writ of supersedeas. §§679-682 Burns 1908, §§638-641 R. S. 1881; Michigan Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Frankel (1898), 151 Ind. 534, 50 N. E. 301. An appearance by appellee, to appellant’s appeal, dispenses with the necessity of notice. A joinder in error is a waiver of notice (Lowe v. Turpie [1897], 147 Ind. 652, 672, 44 N. E. 25, 47 N. E. 150, 37 L. R. A. 233); so is the filing of a brief on the merits (Hazleton v. De Priest [1896], 143 Ind. 368, 42 N. E. 751; Ewbank’s Manual §§163, 164; Jones v. Henderson [1898], 149 Ind. 458, 49 N. E. 443; West v. Cavins [1881], 74 Ind. 265). An appearance cannot be withdrawn, except on leave prayed and granted. Rule nine of this court.

6. Regardless of the excusable misapprehension of facts by an appellee, under which he appeared and filed a brief on the merits, unless such appearance shall have been withdrawn, under rule nine, he has no ground on which to predicate a motion for dismissal because of lack of the statutory notice required in a vacation appeal, or because of appellant’s failure to comply with the statutory requirements of a term-time appeal, which are designed to subserve the same purpose as the notice required in a vacation appeal. The motion to dismiss is overruled.

Appellant assigned 105 causes- for a new trial in its motion therefor. Those for which a consideration has not been waived, appellee seeks to obviate by asserting and maintaining 146 propositions.

[533]*5337. [532]*532Appellee insists that the complaint is not in the record. This proposition is based on the fact that the clerk in mak[533]*533ing the order-book entry in the ease used the word “petition”, instead of the word “complaint”, in reciting the filing thereof.

This court was constituted for the purpose of correcting substantial errors of lower courts; and does not consider barren technicalities.

Without setting out appellee’s points, it is sufficient to say that the pleadings and evidence are properly in the record.

8. An extension of time was granted to appellant to file its bill of exceptions containing the evidence, under the act of 1905 (Acts 1905 p. 45, §661 Burns 1908). Appellee claims this act is invalid, because in conflict with §1 of the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States. There is no such conflict.

Appellee insists that the appeal should be dismissed under rule six of this court, because Martha E. Smith, wife of appellee, was not made a party.

9. Appellee’s wife was made a party defendant to the complaint when filed. In the order appointing appraisers, it was expressly found that she had no interest in the damages to be awarded, and that all damages should oe awarded to appellee. She did not except to this order, or appeal therefrom. The warrant to the appraisers directed that the award should be made to appellee alone. Appellee excepted to the award, but Mrs. Smith did not. The verdict and judgment were in favor of appellee alone.

Mrs. Smith was not a party to the judgment below, and was not a necessary party to the appeal, and, consequently, there is no merit in appellee’s motion to dismiss the appeal. Alexander v. Gill (1892), 130 Ind. 485, 30 N. E. 525; Mueller v. Stinesville, etc., Stone Co. (1900), 154 Ind. 230, 56 N. E. 222; Ewbank’s Manual §146; Ward v. Yarnelle (1910), 173 Ind. 535, 91 N. E. 7; Smith v. Gustin (1907), 169 Ind. 42, 80 N. E. 959, 81 N. E. 722.

[534]*534In 1869, John W". Smith was the owner of a farm in Hendricks county, consisting of a quarter section containing 160 acres, a forty-acre tract lying east of the southeast quarter of the 160-acre tract, and a twelve-acre tract lying south of the eastern half of the entire tract. In 1869 appellant’s predecessor, the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railway Company, condemned a right of way for its railroad, almost east and west in direction, through the Smith farm. This right of way was 100 feet wide through the forty-acre tract and 110 feet wide through the 160-acre tract.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
97 N.E. 164, 177 Ind. 524, 1912 Ind. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cleveland-cincinnati-chicago-st-louis-railway-co-v-smith-ind-1912.