Gilman v. Carpenter

115 N.W. 659, 22 S.D. 123, 1908 S.D. LEXIS 41
South Dakota Supreme Court·Decided March 7, 1908·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

CORSON, J.

This action ’was instituted by the plaintiff to quiet his title to a quarter section of-land in Faulk county, and to determine adverse claims thereto, -and was brought under -the provisions of chapter 194, p. 255, of the Laws of 1903. The case was-tried by the court without a jury, and, findings and judgment being in favor of the defendants, the plaintiff has appealed.

It appears from respondents’ amended abstract, which is not controverted by the appellant, that the notice of intention to move for a new trial was upon the grounds: “ (1) Errors of law occurring at the trial and duly excepted to by plaintiff; (2) that the decision is against law,” to which is added the following:'“You will further take notice that the said motion will be made on a bill of exceptions' hereafter to be settled in this action.” By section 301 of the Re[126] vised Code of Civil Procedure, it is provided that a new trial may be granted on the application of the party aggrieved for “(6) insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict or other decision or that it is against law, (7) error in law, occurring at the trial and excepted to by the party making the application.” By section 303, it is provided: “The party intending to move for a new trial must * * * serve upon the adverse party a notice of his intention designating the statutory grounds upon which the motion will be made and whether the same will be made upon affidavits, or the minutes of the court, or a bill of exceptions, or a statement of the case.”

It will be observed that the notice of intention in the case at bar only states as grounds for the motion errors of law occurring at the trial, and that the decision of the court was against law, and the respondent was notified that said motion would be made upon a bill of exceptions thereafter to be settled. It was only necessary therefore, in the notice of intention, to state generally the grounds upon which the motion would be made, and, notice being given therein that the motion would be made upon a bill of exceptions, specification of errors relied on were not required in the .notice of intention, and the errors relied on are specifically stated in the bill of exceptions. Specification of the particular errors relied on in the choice of intention is only required when the motion lor a new trial is made upon the minutes of the court. Subdivision 4, § 303, Rev. Code Civ. Proc. The only questions therefore -before the court are questions of law arising upon the admission of evidence objected to by the appellant and to which exceptions were duly taken. The consideration of the question of the insufficiency of the evidence is therefore eliminated from the case, and such evidence will only be referred to so far as i-s necessary to properly present the questions of law.

The plaintiff claims title to the property through various mesne conveyances from the government to himself; the last conveyance being made to him by one M. E. Weldon and husband on July 10, 1901,. and recorded October 22, 1903. The defendant claims, title under anl by virtue of certain tax certificates and tax deeds issued by the county treasurer of Faulk county and a judgment obtained [127] by one Carpenter in an action against said M. E. Weldon, and also under and by virtue of a judgment rendered in an action wherein one George was plaintiff, against said Carpenter, and under and by virtue of a judgment rendered in favor of said Carpenter against Albert Gooder, treasurer of Faulk county. After the plaintiff rested, the defendant offered in evidence the judgment roll in the circuit court of Faulk county, wherein H. M. Carpenter was sole plaintiff, and M. E. Weldon was sole defendant, in which it appears that a summons for relief was issued by the attorney for .the plaintiff bearing date of May 12, 1901, on which is the sheriff's return under date of July 12, 1901, to the effect that the defendant could not be found in this state; that the complaint alleges that plaintiff was the owner in fee simple of the quarter section of land in controversy in this action; that the defendant claims some interest in said land adversely to said plaintiff; and that the claim of the defendant is unfounded and of no effect, and praying for judgment quieting title to said land in the plaintiff, which complaint was filed in the office of the clerk of court in and for said Faulk county on July 12, 1901. Subsequently an affidavit was filed stating that the defendant M. E. Weldon was a nonresident of the state, and an order made that the service be made by the publication of the summons, and a copy of the complaint and summons be mailed to the defendant at New York City. No appearance being made by the defendant, judgment was rendered on February 21, 1902, by default, quieting title to the land in controversy in the plaintiff. It did not appear by the judgment, roll that any lis pendens had been filed in the action. The appellant objected to the admission of this judgment roll in evidence as being incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial, and in no way binding upon the plaintiff, for that it appears that he procured his title to the land in controversy by virtue of the deed executed and delivered prior to the commencement of the action.

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Gilman v. Carpenter, 115 N.W. 659, 22 S.D. 123, 1908 S.D. LEXIS 41 (S.D. 1908).

115 N.W. 659 (Gilman v. Carpenter) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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