Ham v. Greve

41 Ind. 531
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1873
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 41 Ind. 531 (Ham v. Greve) 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
Ham v. Greve, 41 Ind. 531 (Ind. 1873).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

—This was an action by the appellees against the appellants upon an appeal bond. There was a demurrer to the complaint, which was overruled, and an exception taken. There was issue, trial by the court, finding for plaintiffs, motion for a new trial overruled, and judgment on the finding. The appellants have assigned the following errors:

First. That the court erred in overruling the demurrer to the complaint.

Second. The court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial.

Third. The court erred in rendering judgment that the money should be collectible without relief from the valuation and appraisement laws.

The complaint alleges the recovery of a judgment by the plaintiffs against the defendant Ham, in the Wayne Common Pleas, May 24th, 1869, for four hundred and sixty-two dollars and fifty-one cents and costs; that, an appeal was prayed to the Supreme Court, which was granted on condition of filing a bond with the defendant Railsback, as surety, who was approved by the court; that the defendants on the 9th of June, 1869, executed and filed in the clerk’s office the bond in suit, in the penal sum of one thousand dollars, conditioned for the due prosecution of such appeal, and the payment of the judgment and costs, which should be rendered or affirmed therein; that said bond was taken and approved by the clerk, and said cause was certified to [533]*533the Supreme Court; that said judgment had been affirmed in the Supreme Court, and that the same was still wholly unpaid. There was prayer for judgment for seven hundred dollars.

It is insisted by counsel for appellants that in a complaint upon an appeal bond, in an appeal to this court, four things must affirmatively appear; first, that the penalty of the bond was fixed by the court; second, that the surety was approved by the court; third, that the bond was filed with the clerk within the time limited by the court; fourth, that the transcript was filed in the office of the clerk of the Supreme Court within sixty days after the filing of the bond.

The 55 5th section of the code regulates the taking of an appeal in term and the execution of a bond, and is as follows : “Sec. 555. When an appeal is taken during the term at which the judgment is rendered, it shall operate as a stay of all further proceedings on the judgment, upon an appeal bond being filed by the appellant, payable to the appellee, with condition that he will dulyprosecute his appeal, and abide bjr and pay the judgment and costs which may be rendered, or affirmed against him, with such penalty and surety as the court shall approve; to be filed within such time as the court shall direct, and the transcript shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the Supreme Court within sixty days after filing the bond.” 2 G. & H. 271.

Section 556 regulates the mode of taking ail appeal in vacation. 2 G. & H. 272.

Sections 563 and 564 of the code, 2 G. & H. 274, provides how a stay of execution can be obtained when the appeal is taken in vacation, and are as follows: “ Sec. 563. An appeal taken after the close of the term, shall not stay execution, or other proceedings in the court below, unless an order to that effect be granted by the Supreme Court in term, or by any judge thereof in term or vacation, which shall be indorsed on the transcript. The court or judge shall, at the time of making the order, direct that the appellant give bond to the appellee, with condition • that he will duly prosecute his [534]*534appeal, and abide by and pay the judgment and all costs which may be rendered or affirmed against him.

' Sec. 564. The appeal bond and surety may be approved by the clerk of the Supreme Court, or by the clerk of the court below. And upon the filing of the bond, execution and all other proceedings on the judgment in the court below, shall be stayed,” etc.

When the appeal is taken in term, the appeal bond may be then filed and approved by the court, or it may be filed within such time as the court shall direct, but in either case the penalty of the bond must be fixed, and the surety must be approved by the court. If the bond is not filed in term, the court must fix the penalty, approve the surety, and direct in what time the bond must be filed, and the bond must be filed within the time directed, and when the transcript is filed in the clerk’s office of the Supreme Court within sixty days after filing the bond, execution and all other proceedings on the judgment below are stayed for three years or until the case is decided, without any order from the Supreme Court or any j udge thereof.

But the filing of the bond within the time limited by the court operates as a supersedeas for'sixty days, and if the transcript is not filed within sixty days, it ceases to stay proceedings, and in such case application has to be made to the Supreme Court or some judge thereof for a supersedeas.

When the appeal is taken after the term at which judgment is rendered, execution and other proceedings on the judgment below cannot be stayed without an order from the Supreme Court or some judge thereof. In such case, the appeal bond is taken and approved either by the clerk of the Supreme Court or by the clerk of the court below.

It-is alleged in the complaint that the court approved of Railsback as surety, but it is not alleged that the penalty of the bond was fixed by the court, or that the court directed In what time the bond should be filed, or that it was filed within the time directed, or when the transcript was filed, nor is it alleged that execution and other proceedings were [535]*535stayed upon the judgment below during the pendency of the appeal in this court; but it is averred that the bond was taken and approved by the clerk of the court below. As we have seen, neither the clerk of the Supreme Court nor of the court below has any power to take or approve an appeal bond when the appeal is taken in term.

In our opinion the complaint was fatally defective. The bond was not executed in the manner or with the formalities required by the statute. Nor does it appear from the complaint that there was any valid consideration for the bond.

It is well settled that an appeal bond is not essential to the taking of an appeal to this court, its only office being to stay execution and other proceedings upon the judgment appealed from. Delay of execution and other proceedings upon the judgment below constitute a valid consideration for an appeal bond. Jones v. Droneberger, 23 Ind. 74; Sturgis v. Rogers, 26 Ind. 1; Burt v. Hættinger, 28 Ind. 214.

It was held by this court, in Burk v. Howard, 15 Ind. 219, that where the court did not approve the penalty of the bond or surety, or direct when the bond should be filed, and when there was no order of the Supreme Court or judge thereof, there was no valid stay of execution.

The question is not whether execution and other proceedings were, in fact, stayed on the judgment during the pendency of the appeal in this court, but was the bond legally operative as a supersedeas? If it was, there was a valid consideration; if not, then the bond was without consideration and void. We are unable to determine from the allegations in the complaint, whether there was any consideration to support the bond.

The case of Jones v. Droneberger, 23 Ind.

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Bluebook (online)
41 Ind. 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ham-v-greve-ind-1873.