Hambleton v. Dignowity

213 S.W. 957, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 876
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 21, 1919
DocketNo. 5780.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 213 S.W. 957 (Hambleton v. Dignowity) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hambleton v. Dignowity, 213 S.W. 957, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 876 (Tex. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

MOURSUND, J.

The judgment rendered in the above-entitled case by the district court was reversed, and the case retnanded for a new trial, on April 27,1917. 196 S. W. 864. The motions for rehearing were overruled on June 30, 1917. Writ of error was denied on February 6, 1918. No mandate was applied for within 12 months from the overruling of the motion for new trial, although appellees had nearly 6 months within which to do so after the papers were returned from the Supreme Court. Thereupon, on August 20, 1918, the clerk of this court issued a certificate:

“That more than 12 months have elapsed since the overruling of the motion for rehearing 'in said cause by the Court of Civil Appeals and that no mandate has been taken out in said cause.”

This certificate was filed in the trial court on November 25, 1918, with a motion to dismiss the cause for failure to take Out the mandate within the time required by law. Thereupon appellees, on November 25, 1918, filed their motion, asking this court to recall said certificate. That motion was overruled; this court being of the opinion that the 12 months in which the mandate should have been taken out dated from the overruling of the motion for a new trial, and that additional time could not be awarded, unless the Supreme Court failed to pass on an application for writ of error in time to enable the parties to take out the mandate, in which event a reasonable time would, by necessity, be granted in order to prevent deprivation of a legal right, because of no fault of the parties. A writ of mandamus was applied for, and the Supreme Court being of the opinion that the 12 months should be estimated from the date of the refusal of the writ of error, granted the petition, and on February 6, 1919, entered an order directing the issuance of the writ, and that such writ should direct the recall of said certificate of non-issuance of mandate, and that a mandate issue at any time within 12 months from February 6, 1918, upon the paying of costs of court or making affidavit in lieu thereof. On March 31, 1919, this court, without awaiting the service of the writ, entered an order recalling the certificate, and it was returned to this court. As the certificate did not state the legal conclusion that no mandate had been applied for as required by law, and the facts stated did not, under the holding of the Supreme Court, affect the rights of any one, it seems that the withdrawal of the certificate was really unnecessary.

On April 1, 1919, appellees filed a motion for the issuance of the mandate, the ground urged being that appellees had duly filed their affidavit of inability to pay costs or give security therefor. Attached to this motion are affidavits filed in this court on December 16, ■1918, one by appellee Dorothy Currier and the other by appellee, Hallie B. Dignowity." Mrs. Currier stated in her affidavit that she and her husband, Donald E. Currier, are too poor to pay the costs of court, and both are unable to give security therefor; that her husband is a lieutenant in the active service of the United States Army, and for that reason has not joined in the making of the affidavit, that they have no property except wearing apparel and that her husband’s pay is barely sufficient for the support of themselves and minor child.- Before stating the case further, we wish to note that an affidavit had been filed in this court on November 21, 1918, and was indorsed by the clerk as a motion. At the time the motion to withdraw the certificate was argued, the court, from the bench, called attention to the fact that the affidavit could not take the place of- the motion provided for in article 1635, R. S. 1911, whereupon counsel for appellees withdrew the instrument, and notation to that effect was made upon the docket. This is unimportant, and mentioned only because in argument it has been suggested that the clerk’s treating the first affidavit as a motion indicated a practice to dispense with the filing of a motion. As a matter of fact, upon the former appeal of this case the counsel for appellees accompanied their affidavit with a motion, and it has not been the practice of this court to dispense with the filing of the motion.

On April 7, 1919, Mrs. Hambleton, appellant, filed an answer to the motion to issue mandate, contending that the time had expired in which the mandate Could issue, namely, 12 months from the refusal of the writ of. error. On May 9, 1919, Jos. Murray, *959 clerk of this court, filed an instrument contesting the motion to issue the mandate. On May 12, 1919, Mrs. Hambleton filed a similar instrument. In reply additional affidavits were filed by appellees.

The questions presented for .decision are: (1) Are appellees precluded from obtaining the issuance of the mandate because of their failure to file the motion for the issuance thereof within 12 months from the refusal of the writ of error? (2) If the motion was unnecessary, then did the filing of the affidavits of Mrs. Currier and Hallie Dignowity constitute a compliance with article 1635, It. S. 1911, or was it necessary that the affidavit should be made by all the necessary parties? (3) If the affidavits are sufficient, are appellees entitled to a mandate in view of the facts disclosed?

[1] The order entered by the Supreme Court directs the issuance of the mandate “upon the paying of costs of court or making affidavit in lieu thereof.” This being the ease, we do not feel warranted in refusing to issue the mandate merely because no motion for its issuance was filed within the twelve months. The Supreme Court ordered:

“That respondents issue a mandate at any time within twelve months from the 6th day of February, 1918, upon the paying of costs or making affidavit in -lieu thereof.”

The language may imply that no mandate could issue after 12 months, but we do not believe that was the intention of the court. As we understand it, if the appellees paid the costs within the 12 months, or in lieu thereof made an affidavit sufficient under the statute, and it was not defeated by contest, the mandate should issue. If appellees took the proper steps within the 12 months, they will not be deprived of the mandate merely because it did not issue before the 12 months expired. The affidavit may be made by the attorney or by an agent. Article 11, R. S. 1911; Harwell v. Furniture Co., 75 S. W. 888. That course was not pursued. Instead thereof, one of the appellees made affidavit that neither she nor her husband was able to pay the costs. She did not purport to act as agent for her husband, but excuses his failure to join by stating he is in the military service of the government, without showing that it was impossible to get his affidavit in a year’s time, or authorization to act as his agent.

[2, 3] In the case of Crockett v. Maxey, 4 Willson, Civ. Cas. Ct. App. § 292, 18 S. W. 138, it was held, construing a statute relating to costs in the trial court, that such statute contemplated that the affidavit must be made by the necessary parties to the suit. If that holding is correct, it follows that the language in article 1635, “the party against whom the costs are adjudged,” must mean all the parties' against whom the costs are adjudged, and not a part of them. The liability for costs is statutory, and although the suit involves the separate estate of the wife, the husband’s' liability for costs is just as great as if it involved community property. Speer’s Law of Marital Rights, § 506.

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Bluebook (online)
213 S.W. 957, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 876, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hambleton-v-dignowity-texapp-1919.