Greer v. Davis

83 N.E.2d 825, 53 Ohio Law. Abs. 121, 1947 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 220
CourtTrumbull County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedApril 16, 1947
DocketNo. 54084
StatusPublished

This text of 83 N.E.2d 825 (Greer v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greer v. Davis, 83 N.E.2d 825, 53 Ohio Law. Abs. 121, 1947 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 220 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1947).

Opinion

[122]*122OPINION

By BIRRELL, J.

In the justice of the peace court defendant filed a motion ■without entering his appearance objecting to the jurisdiction of the court for the reason that no bill of particulars or action ■of any kind had been commenced against him. The transcript and papers filed therewith indicate that an order of attach-, ment had been issued under date of February 28th, 1947 upon ■an affidavit being filed which stated as ground for attachment — “that defendant is a non-resident of Trumbull county.” In the bill of exceptions allowed by the justice of the peace the following statement is made: “Defendant’s motion objected to the jurisdiction of the justice of the peace because there had not been any bill of particulars filed in connection with the affidavit for the order of attachment up to the time fixed for hearing on the order of attachment, March 14th 1947. The motion was overruled on the ground that in attachment before judgment where the defendant is a nonresident of the county, jurisdiction over him may be procured by filing an affidavit for an order of attachment and without filing a bill of particulars and issuing a summons on' same, if property of the defendant is found in the township where the order of attachment is procured, and the property attached is served with the order of attachment.” Since the foregoing statement of the justice of the peace indicates that in his opinion it was unnecessary to have either a bill of particulars or a summons before the order of attachment was issued, it must be apparent that the action of the court or its constable in levying attachment to which objection was made, was completed before any bill of particulars was filed, or any summons served, and that therefore the motion of the defendant objecting to the jurisdiction of thé court was in reality a motion to discharge and set aside the attachment.

[123]*123[122]*122The statutes providing for attachment in justice of the peace court are contained in the chapter on commencement of actions. After attachment has been served provision is made [123]*123for a motion to discharge the attachment (§10259 GC) as follows: “Any party to the action affected by the order * * * refusing to discharge the order of attachment, may appeal to the court of common pleas * * * by giving notice to that effect to the justice, but no appeal bond shall be required.” The transcript shows that notice of appeal was given and the bill of exceptions signed by the justice states: “I have signed the bill of exceptions to allow a higher court to rule on this dispute.” The appeal was filed in the common pleas court March 28th, 1947. Neither §10259 nor 10260 GC provided any period of time wherein the appeal must be filed. Sec. 10260 GC provides “Upon such notice of appeal being given the justice shall forthwith transmit to the clerk of the court of common pleas all of the original papers.”

Plaintiffs insist that the order of the justice of the peace overruling defendant’s motion is not a final order, and therefore no appeal may be had thereon. Plaintiff cites §10382 GC, which is a portion of chapter (§10382-10398 GC) on appeals. This chapter provides for appeals from judgments of the justice of the peace and does not include the particular type of appeal which is provided for by §§10259-10260 GC above-referred to. The parties are not required to wait until final judgment may be rendered before appealing from the order “refusing to discharge the order of attachment.” This type of appeal is ancillary to the main proceedings:

Rothman v. Seldin, 37 Oh Ap 408; Nemit v. Vargo, 8 O. C. C. N. S. 97; Doddridge v. Starks, 33 Abs 282.

Neither is this particular type of appeal governed by the new appellate procedure act (§12223-1 to §12223-49 GC) wherein a final order is necessary before appeals may be had. Sec. 12223-3 GC provides “Every final order * * * may be reviewed as hereinafter provided unless otherwise provided by law * * *” which indicates that appeals under this chapter are permissible and not mandatory. Where no form of appeal' is “otherwise provided by law,” of course there is no other method for appellate procedure. The adoption of this appellate procedure act did not repeal §§10259-10260 GC. Millikan v. Hostetler, 12 O. O. 428; Saslaw v. Weiss, 133 Oh St 496.

Plaintiff’s motion to dismiss the appeal is therefore OVERRULED.

Proceeding to determine the motion upon the record made-in the transcript and the bill of exceptions from the justice of the peace court (under authority of the provisions of §10260 GO the court calls attention to the statute;

“The plaintiff shall have an order of attachment against property of the defendant in a civil action before a justice [124]*124of the peace for the recovery or money before or after its commencement when there is filed in his office an affidavit * * * etc.” Sec. 10253 GC.

Very clearly the statute states that attachment may be had “before or .after” the commencement of the action in the justice of the peace court.

“Actions before justices of the peace are commenced by summons, or by appearance and agreement of the parties without summons.” Sec. 10233 GC. “In all cases before a justice the plaintiff * * * shall file with such justice, a bill of the particulars of his demand.” Sec. 10303 GC. Since §10253 GC authorizes an attachment “before” the commencement of the action, — unless there is some reason to interpret the wording of the statute otherwise — the mere fact that an order of attachment was issued before the commencement of the action is not ground for dismissal.

No citations have been furnished by counsel in this matter. A very careful search has not revealed.a single case exactly in point. Recognition of the right to commence an attachment proceedings before the commencement of the action is expressed in the following cases:

Mawicke v Wolf, 2 W. S. B. 87; 7 O. Dec. Rep. 299, 476; Wehlen v. Macke, 9 O. Dec. Rep. 565, Aff’d by Sup. Ct. 10-29-1889; Caper v. Richards, 13 Oh St 219, 223.

Sec. 10255 GC provides “the order of attachment may be made to accompany the summons or at any time before attachment.” It will be. noted that this requirement uses the term “may” and does not use the term “must.” Sec. 10256 GC provides: “The return day of the order when issued at the commencement of the action shall be the same as that of the summons. When issued afterward it must be executed and returned forthwith.” This requirement is not exclusive. Sec. 10262 GC provides: “If the order of attachment is made to accompany the summons, a copy of it and the summons shall be served upon the defendant in the manner for the service of a summons if this can be done within the country.” And §10261 GC further states: “When property of the defendant has been taken upon the order of attachment and it appears that the summons issued in an action has not been and could not be served on the defendant in the county * * * the justice shall continue the cause * * * etc. The plaintiff thereupon shall cause the order of attachment to be addressed and delivered to the defendant * * * etc. Neither of these sections are exclusive. There is no specific requirement in the statutes relating to attachment which necessitates the [125]*125issuing of summons at the time of the issuing of the order of attachment so long as the proceedings are prosecuted in justice of the peace court.

In common pleas court however a different rule prevails. Sec.

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Related

Shaffer v. Shaffer
42 N.E.2d 176 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1941)
Ah Lep v. Gong Choy
9 P. 483 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1886)
Doddridge v. Starks
34 N.E.2d 816 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1940)
Keller v. Bley
15 P. 705 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1887)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
83 N.E.2d 825, 53 Ohio Law. Abs. 121, 1947 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greer-v-davis-ohctcompltrumbu-1947.