Greensburg Water Co. v. Lewis

128 N.E. 103, 189 Ind. 439, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 41
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 7, 1920
DocketNo. 23,788
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 128 N.E. 103 (Greensburg Water Co. v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greensburg Water Co. v. Lewis, 128 N.E. 103, 189 Ind. 439, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 41 (Ind. 1920).

Opinion

Larry, J.

This action was brought by appellant in the Decatur Circuit Court under the provisions of §78 of an act concerning public utilities, creating the Public Service Commission, abolishing the Railroad Commission of Indiana, and conferring the powers of the Railroad Commission on the Public Service Commission, approved March 4, 1913. Acts 1913 p. 167, §10052a et seq. Burns 1914. The relief which appellant sought to obtain was a judgment setting aside an order of the Public Service Commission of Indiana entered on April 23, 1920, on the ground that such order of the commission was unlawful, in that it was made without authority of law and was violative of the constitutional rights of appellant.

Appellees addressed a demurrer to the complaint on the ground that the court was without jurisdiction, and on the further ground that the complaint did not state facts sufficient to constitute r a cause of action. The trial court sustained appellees’ demurrer to the complaint. After showing the ruling of the court on the demurrer, the exception of appellant, and its election to abide by the ruling on demurrer, the' order-[442]*442book entry proceeds as follows: “And now the court finds for tbe defendant, that the plaintiff take nothing in this action and that the defendant recover of and from the plaintiff the costs of this action, taxed at -dollars and-cents.”

1. Appellees assert that*the entry does not show a final judgment from which an appeal lies, and ask that the appeal be dismissed on that ground. It is apparent that the court, by the order quoted, intended to make a final 'disposition of the case as to all of the parties thereto. The language of the order-book entry is not as apt and accurate as might have been employed to express the purpose and meaning intended, but, nevertheless, thé purpose is clear. The word “finds,” as denoting the action of the court, is used instead of “orders” or “adjudges,” as usually employed in the rendition of judgments; but, this is clearly the inadvertent use of a word. There were no facts to be found upon which a judgment could be based, and it is therefore clear that the court was not intending to make a finding to be followed by a judgment. The entry is sufficient to show a final disposition of the case in favor of appellees and a judgment for costs against appellant. State, ex rel. v. Lung (1907), 168 Ind. 553, 80 N. E. 541; Matter v. Campbell, Treas. (1880), 71 Ind. 512; Kern v. Saul (1895), 14 Ind. App. 72, 42 N. E. 496.

2. In support of the court’s ruling on the first ground of demurrer, appellee asserts that the complaint is insufficient to invoke the jurisdiction of the court for the reason that it does not show that appellant had exhausted the remedies available before the commission before resorting to the court for relief. Appellee takes the position that proper [443]*443practice under the act cited required appellant, after the order was made, to file a motion for a rehearing or a motion to modify the order; and, in case such relief was denied by the commission, he might then resort to the courts for relief, but not before taking the steps indicated. In support of their position appellees cited the following cases from this court: Chicago, etc., R. Co. v. Railroad Comm. etc. (1911), 175 Ind. 402, 95 N. E. 364; Vandalia, etc., R. Co. v. Railroad Comm., etc. (1914), 182 Ind. 382, 101 N. E. 85; Northern, etc., Cable Co. v. People’s, etc., Tel. Co. (1918), 187 Ind. 486, 119 N. E. 212; Southern Ind. R. Co. v. Railroad Comm., etc. (1909), 172 Ind. 113, 87 N. E. 966.

All of the cases cited except one involve questions relating to appeals under the provisions of the Railroad Commission Act. The section of the Railroad Commission Act relating to appeals, as amended in 1913, provides that any party who is dissatisfied with any final order of the commission may, within twenty days after the entry thereof, file a petition for rehearing specifically stating therein the grounds or reasons for such rehearing, and that, within twenty days after the ruling on such petition for rehearing such party may begin an action against the commission in any court of competent jurisdiction in any . county into, or through which, such carrier operates, to suspend of set aside such order.' §5536 Burns 1914, Acts 1913 p. 820.

The Public Utilities Commission Act, supra, does not contain this provision or any provision similar in meaning or effect. There is no provision which expressly grants to a party aggrieved by a final order of the commission the right to file a motion for a re[444]*444hearing, or that expressly confers on the commission any power to grant rehearings on motion of a party aggrieved by a final order.

The attention of the court is called to §76 of the act, which is §10052x2 Burns 1914. This section provides that the commission may at any time, upon notice to the public utility and after opportunity to be heard as provided in §§57 and 71, rescind, alter or amend any order fixing any rate or rates, tolls, charges or schedules, or any other order made by the commission, and certified copies of the same shall be served and take effect as herein provided for original orders. This section cannot be fairly construed as conferring on a party aggrieved by a final order the right to file a petition for a rehearing as preliminary to an action in court to rescind or set aside a final order of the commission. It will be observed that there is nothing in the section to indicate that such action of the board may be invoked by motion or petition of either party, and that no time is fixed within which a motion or petition may be filed, if it be assumed that such action may be so invoked. The board is free to take action, as contemplated by this section, at any time after a final order is entered.

Section 78 of the act provides in substance that any public utility and any person or corporation in interest, who may be dissatisfied with any order of the commission designated in the section, may commence an action in the circuit or superior court of any county in which such order is operative against the commission as defendant, to set aside such order or to enjoin the enforcement thereof on certain grounds stated in the section.

Section 79 limits the time within which such an' [445]*445action may be brought to sixty days after the entry or rendition of such order or determination, and expressly provides that the right to commence any such action, proceeding, or suit, or to exercise any right of recourse to the courts shall terminate absolutely at the end of such sixty days. §10052a3 Burns 1914. It thus appears that the right to bring an action by the party thinking himself aggrieved by an order of the board accrues on the rendition of such order and terminates absolutely sixty days thereafter. The proviso to this section applies to cases where a final order made by the commission has been set aside by the commission in granting a petition for a rehearing, and another order entered, after such rehearing. The proviso limits the right of recourse to the courts under such circumstances to thirty days after the final determination by the commission after such rehearing.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 N.E. 103, 189 Ind. 439, 1920 Ind. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greensburg-water-co-v-lewis-ind-1920.