Desha County v. Crocker First Nat. Bank

72 F.2d 359, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4550
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJune 18, 1934
DocketNo. 9876
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 72 F.2d 359 (Desha County v. Crocker First Nat. Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Desha County v. Crocker First Nat. Bank, 72 F.2d 359, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4550 (8th Cir. 1934).

Opinion

WOODROUGH, Circuit Judge.

Crocker First National Bank, a citizen and resident of the state of California, being the owner of ninety-one warrants for $1,00» each issued by Desha County, Ark., brought this action at law in the Federal District Court against the county to recover judgment on the warrants. Upon issues joined trial was had to the court without a jury; the court found all issues of fact and law in favor of the plaintiff and rendered judgment against the county in the sum of $91,000 and costs. (Interest was added hut has been remitted because under the present laws of the state of Arkansas judgments against a county do not bear interest. Harriman National Bank v. Pope County, 173 Ark. 243, 292 S. W. 379; Missouri & Arkansas Lumber & Mining Co. v. Greenwood District of Sebastian County, Ark., 249 U. S. 170, 39 S. Ct. 202, 63 L. Ed. 538.)

Desha County appeals from the judgment against it, and, among some twenty-one assignments of error, presents:

“The District Court erred in its finding of fact No. 7 to the effect that all issues of fact are resolved in favor of the plaintiff.”
[360]*360"The District Oburt erred in resolving all questions of law, in favor of the plaintiff,"

Our examination of the record discloses that the record contains no agreement of the parties `waiving a jury by a stipulation in writing filed with the clerk, nor by an oral stipulation made in open court and entered in the record, in accordance with Rev. St. § 649, as amended by Act May 29, 1930 (28 USCA § 773); and that the trial court has uot certified in a bill of exceptions all of the evidence upon which its judgment was rendered.

As to the failure to waive a jury, this court said in Manzo et al. v. United States, 66 F.(2d) 579, 581: "In a civil action at law tried to the court without a jury, no waiver of jury having been made in accordance with the statute (Rev. St. § 649, as amended by Act May 29, 1930, 28 USCA § 773), there can be no review in the appellate court of the findings made, the judgment entered, or the rulings on the admission of evidence. The review is limited to questions arising on the process, pleadings, and judgment. Dundee Mtg., etc., Co. v. Hughes, 124 U. S. 157, 8 S. Ct. 377, 31 L. Ed. 357; Spalding v. Manasse, 131 U. S. 65, 9 S. Ct. 649, 33 L. Ed. 86; Commissioners of Road Improvement Dist. No. 2 v. St. Louis Southwestern R. Co., 257 U. S. 547, 562, 42 S. Ct. 250, 66 L. Ed. 364; Duignan v. United States, 274 U. S. 195, 198, 199, 47 S. Ct. 566, 71 L. Ed. 996; National City Bank v. Kimball Commercial & Sav. Bank, 2 F.(2d) 461 (C. C. A. 8); Municipal Excavator Co. v. Siedhoff, 15 F.(2d) 10, 14 (C. C. A. 8); Noone v. Sinner, 24 F.(2d) 960 (C. C. A. 8); North River Ins. Co. v. Guaranty State Bank (C. C. A.) 30 F.(24) 881; United States v. Yamoto (C. C. A.) 50 F.(2d) 599; Perry v. Wiggins, 57 F.(2d) 622 (C. C. A. 8)."

A so-called bill of exceptions is included in the record in this case which contains the following o'~'er the signature of the trial judge: "And now comes the defendant Desha County, Arkansas, by its attorney, E. W. Brockman, Prosecuting Attorney, and, presents to the Court this its bill of exceptions and asks that the same be approved and made a part of the record in this case, which is accordingly done this 5th day of October, 1933."

It will be noted, that it is not stated that the bill of exceptions contains all of the evideuce heard, on the trial of the ease. The judgment entry of the court recites that the cause was heard upon the pleadings, upon the oral testimony of certain named witnesses, and upon "the written stipulation anent facts executed and filed b~ the parties." The so-called bill of exceptions does not contain any stipulation of facts; It is evident to us, therefore, that the trial court did not and did not intend, to certify that the so-called bill of exceptions contained all of the evidence upon which the case was decided.

In law actions this court has no jurisdiction to review the evidence upon which findings have been made and judgment entered by the trial court without a duly authenticated bill of exceptions containing all of the evidence upon which the judgment was rendered. Southern Surety Co. v. United States, 23 F.(2d) 55, 58 (C. C. A. 8); Morrison v. Regus (C. C. A.) 22 F.(2d) 804; Pistillo v. United States, 26 F.(2d) 202 (C. C. A. 8); Flanagan v. Benson, 37 F.(2d) 69 (C. C. A. 8); Kendrick Coal & Dock Co. v. Commissioner, 29 F.(2d) 559, 563 (C. C. A. 8); McHale v. Hull (C. C. A.) 16 F.(2d) 781; Snead. v. Little Cahaba Coal Co. (C. C. A.) 53 F.(2d) 560; Lesser Cotton Co. v. St. L., I. M. & S. R. Co. (C. C. A.) 114 F. 133; Bolen-Darnall Co. v. Hicks, 190 F. 717 (C. C. A. 8); England v. Gebhardt, 112 U. S. 502, 5 S. Ct. 287, 28 L. Ed. 811; United States v. Copper Queen Mining Co., 185 U. S. 495, 22 S. Ct. 761, 46 L. Ed. 1008; Krauss Bros. Lumber Co. v. Mellon, 276 U. S. 386, 48 5. Ct. 358, 72 L. Ed. 620.

In Southern Surety Co. v. United States, supra, the court stated: "The findings of the court below raise the legal presumption that there was competent and relevant evidence in support of them, in the absence of a certificate by the trial judge that the bill of exceptions contains all the evidence, or all the e~'i-deuce on the particular issues, the findines concerning which are questioned. * * *"

In Kendriek Coal & Dock Co. v. Commissioner, supra, it was said: "Whether a particular finding of fact is supported by any substantial evidence is a question of law, and this question of law cannot be reviewed unless all of the evidence bearing upon it is returned. "

The evidence not being reviewahie, the only question for this court is whether the priniary record presented a case within the jurisdiction of the District Court and sup~ ports the judgment.

The complaint was attacked by motion in the trial court, and, is here assailed under proper assignments of error. Omitting jurisdictional averments, the complaint was as follows:

"Plaintiff is the owner of warrants of the defendant herein, which warrants were iss[361]*361ued by its duly authorized officers, and drawn upon its treasurer, and which warrants the plaintiff, for a valuable consideration, purchased in due course: Said warrants are 91 in number, each warrant evidencing an indebtedness of $1,000. Said warrants are all-dated July 24, 1923, and are numbered from 1 to 25 inclusive, and from 41 to 104 inclusive, and from 108 to 109 inclusive, all being a part of Series ‘A.’ Each of said warrants is upon the form attached hereto as Exhibit ‘A’; said Exhibit ‘A’ constituting (except as to serial number) a copy of each of the warrants here sued upon.

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Bluebook (online)
72 F.2d 359, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/desha-county-v-crocker-first-nat-bank-ca8-1934.