Davis v. Cleveland, C., C. & St. L. R.

146 F. 403, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4857
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern Iowa
DecidedMay 22, 1906
DocketNo. 417
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 146 F. 403 (Davis v. Cleveland, C., C. & St. L. R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Cleveland, C., C. & St. L. R., 146 F. 403, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4857 (circtnia 1906).

Opinion

REED, District Judge

(after stating the facts). The removal of the case by the’defendant from the state court, even if its appearance in that court'had not been limited to such purpose, does not preclude it from challenging in this court the jurisdiction of the state court or of this court of its person, or from claiming exemption from being sued in a state other than that of its residence. Wabash Western Railway Co. v. Brow, 164 U. S. 271, 17 Sup. Ct. 126, 41 L. Ed. 431; Murray v. Wilcox, 122 Iowa, 188, 97 N. W. 1087, 64 L. R. A. 534, 101 Am. St. Rep. 263.

The contention of the plaintiff is that the defendant by moving to quash the attachment, though appearing specially for that purpose, thereby invoked the judgment of the court upon a question other than that of its jurisdiction of the person of the defendant, and that by so doing it has appeared generally to the action. The question of the ' jurisdiction or right of a court to attach property at all-, and that of its right to determine what disposition shall be made of property that it has the right to and has in fact attached, are quite distinct. In ■the one case the court can only determine its jurisdiction or right to attach the property, and, if it has not such right, then to order its release in case it has been attached; but if it has the right to attach the same, and has in fact done so, then it.may and must determine the rights of claimants thereto if any are presented. The motion of the defendant to quash the attachment presents the former of the above questions, and challenges the jurisdiction of the court to [407]*407attacli its cars upon the ground that they were, when attached, an instrumentality used by it and its connecting carriers in interstate commerce, and it limits its appearance specially' for such purpose. Does the defendant by invoking the judgment of the court upon such question waive its special appearance to thus challenge the jurisdiction of the court, and thereby appear generally to the action? Section 3541 (3) Code Iowa 1897, is relied upon as supporting the contention of the plaintiff. That section provides “that an appearance by the defendant * * * for any purpose connected with the case renders any further notice unnecessary.” In Chittenden v. Hobbs, 9 Iowa, 417, it is held under this statute that an appearance by the defendant to quash an attachment was a general appearance to the action, and rendered notice of the suit unnecessary, but it is plainly indicated in the opinion of the court that if the appearance had been special' for the purpose of objecting to the jurisdiction of the court, it would not have had the effect that was given to it: If an appearance to object to the jurisdiction of the court over the person or ■property of the defendant has the effect of conferring such jurisdiction, then.a defendant is effectually precluded from ever presenting such question for determination, for his appearance to do so would defeat the very purpose for which he appears and. confers the jurisdiction. Such could not have been the purpose, of the statute. This section ■is the same as section 2840 (3) of the Revision of 1860, and from the.note to that section it appears that its purpose was to prevent appearances for the purpose of objections to the substance or manner of the' service. But this is quite different from, an appearance to object to the jurisdiction of the court. Spurrier v. Wirtner, 48 Iowa, 486; Cibula v. Pitts Co., 48 Iowa, 528. In Murray v. Wilcox, 122 Iowa, 188, 97 N. W. 1087, 64 L. R. A. 534, 101 Am. St. Rep. 263, it is held thát this provision of the statute has no reference to an appearance, though general, by a nonresident defendant to claim that he vras exempt from service at the time process was served upon him in this state. The court says:

“In enacting this statute, and in authorizing suit against a nonresident in ■arty county of the state where found, the Legislature had no thought of interfering with a rule concerning exemption from service of notice.” .

See, also, Wilson v. Donaldson, 117 Ind. 356, 20 N. E. 250, 3 L. R. A. 266, 10 Am. St. Rep. 48, and cases cited, and Atchison v. Morris (C. C.) 11 Fed. 582-585.

In Harkness v. Hyde, 98 U. S. 476-479, 25 L. Ed. 337, it is said:

“Illegality in a proceeding by which jurisdiction is to be obtained is in no case waived by the appearance of the defendant for the purpose of calling the attention of the court to such irregularity. Nor is the objection waived when being urged it is overruled, and the defendant is thereby compelled to answer. * * * It is only when he pleads to the merits in the first instance, without insisting upon the illegality, that the objection is deemed to be waived.”

In Goldey v. Morning News, 156 U. S. 518-523, 15 Sup. Ct. 559, 39 L. Ed. 517, it is said:

“The removal of a suit into the Circuit Court of the United States does not admit that it was rightly pending in the state court, or that the defendant [408]*408could have been compelled to answer therein, but enables the defendant to avail himself in the Circuit Court of the United States of any and every defense duly and seasonably reserved and pleaded to the action, in the same manner as if it had been originally commenced in said Circuit Court.”

. And in Railway Co. v. Brow, 164 U. S. 271-278, 17 Sup. Ct. 126, 41 L. Ed. 431, it is said:

“We regard it as not open to doubt that the party has a right to the opinion of the federal court on every question that may arise in the case, not only in "relation to the pleadings and merits, but to the service of process; and it would be contrary to the manifest intent of Congress to hold that a party who has the right to remove a cause is foreclosed as to any question upon which the federal court can be called upon under the law 'to decide.”

Construction Co. v. Fitzgerald, 137 U. S. 98, 11 Sup. Ct. 36, 34 L. Ed. 608, is clearly distinguishable from the above cases; for in that case the defendant appeared generally to the action and proceeded into the third day of the trial before raising the question of the jurisdiction of the court over the person, and its jurisdiction over the attached property was at no time challenged. Held, that by such appearance and participation in the trial the defendant waived all questions of service of process, and converted into a personal suit that which before was but a proceeding in rem.

The defendant appeared specially in the state court for the purpose of removing the cause fo this court, and in this court limits its appearance to the purpose of showing that the state court acquired no jurisdiction of its person by the service of process upon it in the state of Ohio, and that its property attached under the process of the state court was not subject to such attachment. Such.appearancé, under the authorities above cited, is not a general appearance to the action.

The remaining question is, was the property of the defendant subject to attachment by the state court?

Section 3876, Code Iowa 1897, provides:

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Bluebook (online)
146 F. 403, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-cleveland-c-c-st-l-r-circtnia-1906.