Dayton v. Patterson

250 N.W. 595, 216 Iowa 1382
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 24, 1933
DocketNo. 41156.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 250 N.W. 595 (Dayton v. Patterson) 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
Dayton v. Patterson, 250 N.W. 595, 216 Iowa 1382 (iowa 1933).

Opinion

Donegan, J.

On June 1, 1929, there was filed in the office of the clerk of the district court of Keokuk county, Iowa, an original notice entitled State of Iowa, plaintiff, v. Koith Dayton, defendant. This original notice notified the defendant that on or before the 20th day of September, 1929, the petition of the plaintiff would be filed asking that an injunction be granted restraining and prohibiting him from the transportation, illegal possession, or handling of intoxicating liquors, and that, unless he appeared before noon of the second day of the October term of said court, which would commence on the 1st day of October, 1929, default would he entered against him and judgment and decree rendered as provided by law. To this original notice was attached a certificate of the sheriff of Keokuk county, Iowa, showing service of said notice upon the defendant, Koith Dayton, on the 31st day of May, 1929, at Lafayette township in said county. Said notice also contained the following:

“I, Koith Dayton, hereby accept service of this Original Notice and waive time and receipt for copy and consent to the filing of the petition and the taking of the judgment.

“[Signed] J. K. Dayton, Defendant.”

On the 3d day of June, 1929, there was filed in’ the district court of Keokuk county, Iowa, the petition of plaintiff asking that the defendant be enjoined from keeping or carrying around on his *1384 person or in a motor vehicle intoxicating liquors, with intent to sell or dispose of the same by gift or otherwise, contrary to, and in violation of, law. On the 18th day of June, 1929, there was entered of record in the office of the clerk of the district court of Keokuk county, Iowa, a decree in the case of State of Iowa, plaintiff, v. Koith Dayton, defendant. Said decree contained the following statement:

“This cause coming on to be heard on the issues joined herein, the plaintiff appearing by Edwin Willcockson, County Attorney, and the defendant not appearing but makes default, and said default is ordered made of record, and the court having inspected the original notice and the return thereon, finds that the defendant has been duly served with notice of the pendency of this suit, and waived time and the court further finds that it has full and complete jurisdiction of this action.”

Following this statement the decree finds that the defendant had kept and carried around intoxicating liquors with intent to sell or dispose of same by gift or otherwise, in violation of law, and concludes by ordering “that the defendant, Koith Dayton, be and he is forever and perpetually enjoined from in any way, shape or manner, keeping or carrying around on his person or in a motor vehicle intoxicating liquors with intent to sell or dispose of the same by gift or otherwise, contrary to and in violation of law”.

Thereafter said Koith Dayton was cited for contempt of the above decree, and upon a hearing held on the 8th day of July, 1931, he was found guilty of a violation of said decree and ordered to pay a fine of $400 and the costs of action, including an attorney’s fee of $50. Thereafter, on the 25th day of July, 1931, said Koith Dayton filed in the office of this court his original petition for a writ of certiorari. Said petition recited the entry of the decree of injunction on the 18th day of June, 1929; the filing of an information charging defendant with contempt of such injunction;- and the judgment of the district court of Keokuk county, Iowa, on- the 8th day of July, 1931, finding defendant in contempt of said injunction. Said petition further alleged that, in entering such judgment of contempt, the judge of the district court exceeded his jurisdiction and acted illegally, because the decree of injunction was entered without jurisdiction and was therefore void, and because the evi *1385 dence was insufficient to support the judgment of the court finding the defendant guilty of contempt.

Unless the district court had jurisdiction of the person of the defendant at the time that the injunction decree was entered, such decree would be void, and defendant could not be held guilty of contempt in violating it. It is necessary, therefore, that we determine whether the district court had jurisdiction of the person of the defendant at the time it entered its decree of injunction on the 18th day of June, 1929.

There are only two ways in which the court could have acquired jurisdiction, of the person of the defendant: first, by the service of an original notice; and, second, by the defendant voluntarily entering bis appearance. An original notice was served upon the defendant by the sheriff, but such notice required the appearance of the defendant at the October term of court, which was to commence on the first day of October, 1929. The original notice thus served upon the defendant would not have given the court any jurisdiction of the person of the defendant prior to the second day of such October term of court. Walsmith v. Jackson, 195 Iowa 630, 192 N. W. 513.

It is true the defendant accepted service of the original notice in this case, but it seems quite apparent that the mere acceptance of service by itself alone would not give the court any jurisdiction of the person of the defendant prior to the term at which the original notice required his appearance. A mere acceptance of service of an original notice does no more than dispense with the actual service thereof. It seems quite apparent, therefore, that the court had not acquired jurisdiction of the person of the defendant on the 18th day of June, 1929, because of the original notice that was served upon him or because of the mere acceptance of service of such original notice.

In argument in this case the respondent admits that jurisdiction of the person of the defendant at the time of the entry of the decree of injunction had not been acquired by service of the original notice. Respondent contends, however, that the court did have jurisdiction of the person of the defendant at that time because the defendant had voluntarily entered an appearance, and claims that such appearance was made by the defendant in signing the statement attached to the original notice. .The statement thus referred to is as follows:

*1386 “I, Koith Dayton, hereby accept service of this Original Notice and waive time and receipt for copy and consent to the filing of the petition and the taking of the judgment.

The mode by which an appearance can be made, and by which the respondent claims it was made in this case, is prescribed by section 11087 of the Code, and is as follows:

“11087. Mode of Appearance. The mode of appearance may be:

“1. By delivering to the plaintiff or the clerk of the court a memorandum in writing to the effect that the defendant appears, signed either by the defendant in person or his attorney, dated the day of its delivery and filed in the case.”

It is the contention of the respondent that the written statement signed by the petitioner and filed with the clerk was a sufficient compliance with the provisions of section 11087, above set forth, and that, when said written statement was filed with the clerk, the defendant thereby entered his appearance.

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250 N.W. 595, 216 Iowa 1382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dayton-v-patterson-iowa-1933.