Darrance v. Preston

18 Iowa 396
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 17, 1865
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 18 Iowa 396 (Darrance v. Preston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Darrance v. Preston, 18 Iowa 396 (iowa 1865).

Opinion

Cole, J.

1. Jurisdiction: service in another state. I. The first point made by appellant’s counsel is, that the District Court acquired no jurisdiction over the person of the defendant, so as to make the order for a new trial, by reason of the service . * of notice by publication or the personal service in the State of Illinois.

Our statute provides for the service of an original notice (process) outside of the State (Revision, § 2815, subd. 4, and § 2885), as well as upon non-residents by publication. (Revision, § 2831 to § 2834.) But it is clear upon principle, as has been recognized and determined by this court, that such service by publication or by personal service without the State, upon a person who is not a resident or citizen of this State, confers no jurisdiction either as to the person or the property of such non-resident. Story on Conflict of Laws, § 539; Weil et al. v. Lowenthal, 10 Iowa, 575.

When a court has, by its process of attachment or otherwise, seized or acquired jurisdiction in rem over the property of such non-resident, it may, by means of such service, by publication or personal service without the State, perfect its jurisdiction and right to adjudicate and conclude the rights and interests of such person in the property thus seized and held within its territorial jurisdiction, and may subject such property to sale for the satisfaction of an amount found due by such non-resident defendant to the plaintiff. A judgment in such case, however, is not generally recognized as having the sanctity or force of an adjudication (certainly not in foreign or sister State jurisdiction), beyond the amount realized from the sale of the property thus within the jurisdiction of the court. Story on Conflict of Laws, § 549, et seq., and [400]*400notes and authorities; see also §§ 591, 592, 593; Bissel v. Briggs, 9 Mass., 462; but see Rev., §3164 and note; extract of Rep. of Code Com.

2. - application for new trial. Our statute has provided (Rev., §3112) that a new trial may be granted for any one of eight causes, which are specified, and are, in substance: 1. Irregularity preventing a fair trial; 2. Misconduct of jury or prevailing party; 3. Accident or surprise; 4. Excessive damages; 5. Error in assessment; 6. Yerdict against law and evidence; 7. Newly discovered material evidence; 8. Error of law, excepted to at the time.

It is there provided (§§ 3114, 3115) that the application, except for newly discovered evidence, must be made within, three days after the verdict was rendered; that the motion must be in writing, and causes two, three and seven must be sustained by affidavits. Then follows §3116: “Where the grounds for a new trial could not with reasonable diligence have been discovered before, but are discovered after the term at which the verdict, report of referee or decision was rendered or made, the application may be made by petition, filed as in other cases, not later than the second term after the discovery, on which notice shall be served and returned as an original notice, and the defendant held to appear as in an original action. The facts stated in the petition shall be considered as denied, without answer. The case shall be tried as other cases, by ordinary proceedings; but no petition shall be filed more than one year after the final judgment was rendered.”

These provisions are found under the immediate title or subdivision of “New Trials,” which forms a part of chapter 123 of the Revision, entitled, “ Trial and its incidents.” Chapter 141 of the Revision is entitled, “ Proceedings to reverse, vacate or modify judgments.” It is claimed by the plaintiffs that this proceeding is had under this last chapter, as well as the former; but in our view it must be [401]*401exclusively under the former, and hence no question arises as to the correct construction of chapter 141.

The statute, as we have seen, prescribes that the kind of notice which is to be given, and the manner of its service, shall be the same as in an original action; but this does not of itself extend or limit the jurisdiction of the court. If there was a res within its possession or jurisdiction, in relation to which the new trial is sought, then the kind of notice and manner of service prescribed would clearly give jurisdiction to make the order of vacation and new trial. A chose in action is a sufficient res to give jurisdiction. (Story on Confl. of Laws, § 592 a, and. authorities cited in note 1.)

In this case real estate had been originally attached, and the judgment was itself a lien upon it, which, by our statute (§ 3503), would still continue and bind the property for the satisfaction of any modified judgment. There was a judgment, a chose in action, which was a lien upon the real estate attached, within the possession and control of the court, and about which the proceedings for new trial were especially instituted. This was, therefore, a sufficient res to sustain the jurisdiction of the court after the service prescribed by statute.

3. - after judgment. But there is still another view, in which we all unite as being sufficient to sustain the jurisdiction of the court below, and' it is this: The parties had been properly * x x %/ before the court in the original action, and the jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter had unquestionably attached. Such jurisdiction would continue upon due notice until the final disposition of the cause, and satisfaction or performance of any judgment or order of court made in it The rendering of the judgment could not end its jurisdiction. The further proceedings are in continuation of the same subject matter; and although the statute requires certain notice to be given before such subsequent [402]*402proceedings are had, yet it does not thereby defeat the jurisdiction already attached, but only prescribes the kind of notice and the circumstances under which it shall be exercised. The court, therefore, had jurisdiction to entertain and adjudicate upon the petition for new trial.

4. New trial: error of law. II. The plaintiff, in his petition, sets out, as one ground of new trial, that the court mistook the law as applied to and defense of the defendant in said action. The petition sets out all the proceedings at length, and all the instructions given are copied into the petition; but it does not appear that any of them were excepted to by either party, nor is there any averment that they were. Error of law, occurring at the trial, is no ground for a new trial, unless excepted to by the party making the application. (Rev., § 3112, subd. 8.)

III. One other ground relied upon was the admission in .evidence of the note made by Slaughter to Preston, and which was set up as a set-off. The only ground of objection was, that there was no evidence showing that the note sued on had been transferred after due. The evidence, as set out in plaintiff’s petition for new trial, shows that there was some evidence tending to show it. The objection, being founded in error of fact, was properly overruled, and such ruling cannot be made available as ground for new trial, because it was not error.

5. - misconduct of jurors. IY. The petition further shows that while the jury were deliberating as to their verdict, and when they were divided in their opinion, one or more of the jurors pro- „ , , , , , .

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Bluebook (online)
18 Iowa 396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darrance-v-preston-iowa-1865.