Coast Lumber Co. v. Wood

108 P. 336, 18 Idaho 28, 1910 Ida. LEXIS 4
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedApril 21, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 108 P. 336 (Coast Lumber Co. v. Wood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coast Lumber Co. v. Wood, 108 P. 336, 18 Idaho 28, 1910 Ida. LEXIS 4 (Idaho 1910).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, C. J.

This is an original application to this court for a writ of mandate to compel Honorable Fremont Wood, judge of the district court of the third judicial district, to settle a statement on motion for a new trial and appeal, in the ease of Charles N. Maw, plaintiff, v. The Coast Lumber Co., a corporation. That action was brought to recover for injuries alleged to have been sustained by the plaintiff by reason of a defective, unsafe and insecure condition of a certain ripsaw used in the mill of the defendant. The said plaintiff was injured by being struck on the head by a piece of board or timber projected with great force from said ripsaw. That cause was tried by the court with a jury and a verdict was rendered and entered on April 14, 1909, in favor of the plaintiff, for $12,500. Thereafter the [31]*31lumber company made its motion for a new trial and prepared and served upon the attorneys for said Maw its proposed statement on motion for a new trial and appeal. Thereafter the attorneys for said Maw served upon the attorney for the Coast Lumber Co. his proposed amendments to said statement on motion for a new trial, consisting .of 120 distinct amendments. On the 22d day of February, 1910, the attorney for the lumber company was informed by telephone by the attorney for Maw that said judge of the district court would settle said statement on that day, and the attorneys for the respective parties appeared before the judge at the time so fixed. At that time the attorney for Maw served upon the attorney for the lumber company two certain papers, one denominated “Objections by plaintiff to settlement of defendant’s proposed bill of exceptions,” and the other, “Additional objections by plaintiff to settlement of defendant’s proposed bill of exceptions.”

Prior to the time of the service of said papers upon the attorney for the lumber company, he had not made any objections to the adoption of the proposed amendments and had not filed such proposed amendments with the clerk of the court to be presented to the judge for settlement. He alleges, however, in his petition for the writ that he was willing to and did accept all amendments served upon him prior to February 22, 1910, and any objection or refusal he had to the adoption of the same on said date was by reason of the filing and serving upon said attorney of the paper denominated “Additional objections by plaintiff to settlement of defendant’s proposed bill of exceptions,” which he claims was in effect an amendment to the statement. At the time of the hearing, the attorney for the lumber company made some objection to some of the amendments offered. The matter was then heard by the judge on said 22d day of February and on the 24th day of that month, the judge announced orally that he would sustain the objections of counsel for the plaintiff, Maw, to the settlement of said proposed statement. Thereafter, on the 8th day of March, 1910, the attorney for the lumber company duly presented to said judge [32]*32for settlement its proposed statement on motion for a new trial and appeal, duly engrossed. It contained the original statement theretofore served on said attorney for Maw as modified by the proposed amendments, and omitted from said statement all matters objected to by said counsel for Maw in his objections filed on February 22d. The district judge then and there refused to sign and settle said statement on the ground that he had no jurisdiction to sign and settle the same.

Upon that state of facts, this court issued the alternative writ of mandate and upon the return thereof, the defendant filed a general demurrer and answer to said application. 'Thereupon the Coast Lumber Co. filed its general demurrer to the answer of the defendant. Upon that condition of the record, the cause was argued by respective counsel and submitted for decision.

The question arises: Had the court lost jurisdiction to settle the proposed statement ?

The facts above set forth are substantially admitted by the answer of the Honorable District Judge, and the following statement is found in the answer, to wit:

“Neither of the attorneys for plaintiff at any time suggested to me the fixing of a time for the settlement of the .statement, neither did the defendant’s attorney at any time notify me or indicate to me that he had accepted or adopted, or proposed to accept or to adopt, plaintiff’s amendments "to defendant’s proposed statement on motion for a new trial ■or any portion thereof, prior to the hearing on February '22d, 1910, and then offered to accept a part only of the .•amendments proposed; that, at the time and place fixed by me, to wit,- on February 22d, 1910, the matter of settlement of said proposed statement on motion for a new trial came on to be heard before me as judge of said court, N. M. Kuick appearing as attorney for plaintiff and Charles M. Kahn appearing as attorney for defendant. Whereupon Mr. Kuick, ■ of counsel for plaintiff, filed objections to the settlement of ■defendant’s proposed statement on motion for a new trial upon -±he ground that the court had no jurisdiction to settle said [33]*33proposed statement but had lost jurisdiction to settle the same by reason of facts appearing of record in said cause as follows:
“1. Said proposed bill of exceptions was served on N. M. Ruick, of counsel for plaintiff, on December 10, 1909.
“2. On December 18th, 1909, on the application of counsel for plaintiff, the judge of said court made an order extending the time allowed plaintiff under the statute within which to propose and serve amendments to defendant’s proposed statement on motion for a new trial to and including thirty (30) days from said date.
“3. That, on January 15th, 1910, as shown by the written admission of service by defendant’s attorney indorsed on such proposed amendments, plaintiff served upon counsel for defendant a copy of plaintiff’s proposed amendments to said defendant’s proposed statement on motion for a new trial.
“4. That said amendments were not adopted within the time allowed by the statute for the delivery of said proposed statement and proposed amendments to the clerk of the court for the judge, nor have the same ever been adopted.
“5. That said proposed statement and amendments were not, within ten (10) days after the service of such amendments upon the attorney for defendant, as shown by such admission of service (defendant being the moving party), delivered to the clerk of said court for the judge, nor had the same been so delivered, when said objection was made.
“That, after such objections had been made and presented, counsel for defendant delivered to me, the Judge of said court, the copy theretofore on January 15th, 1910, served upon him of plaintiff’s proposed amendments to defendant’s proposed statement on motion for a new trial and then and there offered to accept a part only of the amendments proposed. This was the first time and occasion on which said amendments had been presented to me. That thereafter in open court on the 24th day of February, 1910, N. M. Ruick being present representing the plaintiff, and C. M. Kahn being present representing the defendant, and, after con[34]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 P. 336, 18 Idaho 28, 1910 Ida. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coast-lumber-co-v-wood-idaho-1910.