Deardoff v. Thorstensen

113 N.W. 616, 16 N.D. 355, 1907 N.D. LEXIS 64
North Dakota Supreme Court·Decided October 16, 1907·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

Morgan, C. J.

This action was commenced in justice’s court and resulted in a judgment by default in favor of the plaintiff on May 8, 1903, for the sum of $120.42, damages and costs. On June 4, 1903, the defendant served a notice of appeal, undertaking, and answer upon the plaintiff’s attorney, and personal service was admitted by said attorney. The undertaking had been approved as to form and sufficiency by the clerk of the district court prior to its service on the attorney. Neither the notice of appeal,, undertaking or answer was filed in the office of the clerk of the district court until November 24, 1903. When the action was called for trial in the district court on March 17, 1904, the plaintiff moved for a dismissal of the appeal on the sole ground that the notice of appeal and undertaking were not filed in the office of the clerk of the district court within thirty days from the rendition of the judgment. This motion was denied, and the trial which followed resulted in a verdict for the defendant. The plaintiff appeals from the judgment of dismissal rendered on the verdict. The sole error specified is the refusal of the court to dismiss the appeal.

Two questions are presented for decision in the appeal: (1) Was the failure to file the notice and undertaking in the clerk’s office within thirty days from the rendition of the judgment jurisdiction-ally fatal to the appeal? (2) If such filing is jurisdictional, was there a waiver of the failure by a submission to the jurisdiction of the district court after the papers were therein filed?

Appeals are matters of statutory regulation, and, unless the statute has been complied with, there is no appeal, unless there is a noncompliance with some requirement that can be and has-been waived. The provisions of the statute in reference to appeals, so far as applicable to this case, are the following: Section 8500, Rev. Codes 1905, provides that: “Any party dissatisfied with a judgment rendered in a civil action in a justice’s court, whether [357] the same was rendered on default or after a trial, may appeal therefrom to the district court * * * at any time within thirty •days after the rendition .of the judgment. The appeal is taken by serving the notice of appeal on the adverse party or his attorney and by filing the notice of appeal together with the undertaking required by law with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the appeal was taken.” Section 8502, Rev. Codes 1905, is as follows: “To render an appeal effectual for any purpose, an undertaking must be executed on the part of the appellant by sufficient surety to the effect that the appellant will pay all costs which may be awarded against him on the appeal, not ■exceeding one hundred dollars, which undertaking shall be approved by and filed in the office of the clerk of the district court of the county in which the appeal is taken.” No changes have been made in the law relating to appeals from justice’s court since the cases of Richardson v. Campbell, 9 N. D. 100, 81 N. W. 31, and Eldridge v. Knight, 11 N. D. 552, 93 N. W. 860, were decided. In the first-named case it was decided that the service of the undertaking on appeal was an essential prerequisite to-the transfer of jurisdiction from the justice’s court to the district court. In the last case, it was decided that service of the undertaking is to be made before approval and filing. In the last case it was also in effect held that service, approval and filing in the clerk’s office must be made within thirty days after judgment.

In the case at bar, the undertaking was approved before service ■or filing, but the same was not filed in the clerk’s office within the statutory time. Did the failure to file the notice and undertaking within thirty days deprive the district court of jurisdiction? We think it did. The language of section 8500 is plain and unambiguous. It specifies that the appeal is taken by serving the notice and by filing the same together with the undertaking in the clerk’s office. This must be read in connection with what precedes it — • the saíne section — that the appeal may be taken within thirty days after judgment. ■ A subsequent act provides for the service of the notice and undertaking and the filing thereof within thirty days are necessary to the transfer of jurisdiction from one court to another. The doing of these acts within said time is incumbent on the appellant, and failing to do them defeats his appeal. The district court does not acquire jurisdiction of the appeal unless these acts are performed within the said time. The performance of these [358] necessary acts pertains to the subject-matter of the appeal. The filing of the undertaking is as much a jurisdictional essential under the terms of section 8500, supra, as the giving and filing of notice. By serving and filing the notice, jurisdiction of the person is acquired. By serving and filing the undertaking, jurisdiction of the subject-matter is acquired. In addition to the cases cited in this court, see Rudolph v. Herman, 2 S. D. 399, 50 N. W. 833; McDonald v. Paris, 9 S. D. 310, 68 N. W. 737; Smith v. Coffin, 9 S. D. 502, 70 N. W. 636; Bonnell v. Vancise, 8 S. D. 592, 67 N. W. 685.

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Deardoff v. Thorstensen, 113 N.W. 616, 16 N.D. 355, 1907 N.D. LEXIS 64 (N.D. 1907).

113 N.W. 616 (Deardoff v. Thorstensen) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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