Harbine v. Davis

57 N.E.2d 421, 41 Ohio Law. Abs. 65, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 482
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 13, 1944
DocketNo. 1769
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 57 N.E.2d 421 (Harbine v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harbine v. Davis, 57 N.E.2d 421, 41 Ohio Law. Abs. 65, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 482 (Ohio Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

OPINION

BY THE COURT:

This action is in this court on appeal on questions of law from a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, affirming a judgment of the Municipal Court of Dayton. We have before us the transcript of Docket and [67]*67Journal Entries of the Common Pleas Court and of the Municipal Court.

In the Municipal Court, an action was begun by the plaintiff on September 18, 1942, in which the plaintiff seeks to recover from the defendant certain real estate which he alleges the defendant unlawfully and forcibly detains from him.

It is alleged that on the 31st day of July, A. D., 1942, the plaintiff served upon the defendant notice in writing to leave the premises, and that the action is brought because of the failure of the defendant to pay rent and the plaintiff seeks restitution of said premises. Notice of the action was served upon the defendant personally.

On September 25, 1942, the Municipal Court entered judgment, finding that the cause came on to be heard, and it appearing that the defendant was duly and legally served with process, and was in default for answer and appearance, the court found the facts set forth in plaintiff’s statement of claim to be true, and that the plaintiff should have restitution of the premises, and it was ordered that the plaintiff have such restitution and recover his costs.

The defendant on October 5, 1942, filed in the Municipal Court a motion to vacate the judgment and to stay the writ of restitution for the reason:

“1. The defendant was not aware of the pendency of this cause until after default judgment had been granted.

2. The defendant has a good and meritorious defense to the allegations set forth in the Statement of Claim of the plaintiff and is entitled to assert said defense and is entitled to his day in Court.

3. For any and all irregularities in the Statement of Claim of the plaintiff and in the rendition of said default judgment.”

On October 6,1942, the motion of the defendant was overruled and the defendant gave notice of his appeal to the Common Pleas Court on questions of law. The cause was filed in the Court of Common Pleas and on February 8, 1943, that court affirmed the judgment of the Municipal Court and rendered judgment against the plaintiff for costs. Thereupon the defendant gave notice of appeal to the Court of Appeals of Montgomery County, Ohio, on questions of law and the case is now before us.

[68]*68The defendant-appellant filed in this court the assignment of errors asserting to have been committed by both the Municipal Court and the Court of Common Pleas, specifically stating:

1. The Municipal Court erred in granting a default judgment against the defendant-appellant, for the reason that said Court had no right to grant default judgment in the case, referring to §10454 GC.

2. "That the Municipal Court erred in overruling the defendant’s motion for new trial.

3. That the Court of Common Pleas erred in sustaining the action of the Municipal Court.

The theory of the defendant is that the Municipal Court erred in granting judgment against him upon his default; asserting that such procedure is forbidden by the provisions of §10454 GC, which provides:

“If the defendant does not appear, and the summons was properly served, the Justice shall try the cause as though he was present.”

The section referred to is found in the chapter on “Procedure in Justice’s Court” in forcible entry and detainer cases.

The question immediately arises as to whether the action in the Municipal Court is controlled by the statutory provisions specifically providing for actions in forcible entry and detain-er before Justices of the Peace. It is claimed by the defendant that the only authority the Municipal Court had to render judgment in such an action was based upon the statute controlling the action before the Justice of the Peace.

Referring to §1579-54, we find that the provisions of that section control civil actions and procedure in the Municipal Court of Dayton, Ohio, by providing that the Municipal Court shall have further jurisdiction in all civil actions and proceedings of which the Common Pleas Court has jurisdiction, irrespective of the amount involved or the nature of the action or procedure; provided, however, that when the laws conferring jurisdiction upon a court of common pleas are inconsistent with the act or plainly inapplicable, then the laws which now or may hereafter confer jurisdiction upon a Justice of the Peace with respect to the powers herein enumerated, shall apply.

The Dayton Morris Plan Bank v Graham et, 47 Oh Ap 310, relates specifically to the jurisdiction of the Dayton Municipal [69]*69Court. The opinion is by Barnes, J., and is worthy of special reading. The substance of three of the syllabi is that the Dayton Municipal Court is controlled by laws conferring jurisdiction on the Common Pleas Courts, except where such laws are inconsistent or plainly inapplicable, in which case the laws conferring jurisdiction on the Justice of "the Peace shall apply.

The judge points out that under the amendment of 1927, the provsion of the statute relative to a “police court or jus-* tice of the peace” was eliminated and in place thereof was added the provision “that when the laws conferring jurisdiction upon a court of common pleas are inconsistent with the act or plainly inapplicable, then all laws which do or may hereafter confer jurisdiction upon a justice of the peace with respect to the powers herein enumerated shall apply.” Barnes, J., states:

“As we construe this amendment, the Municipal Court of Dayton shall be controlled in its actions and proceedings according to the laws conferring jurisdiction upon the Courts of Common Pleas, except where such laws are inconsistent or plainly inapplicable.”

It was held that there is nothing in entering a judgment on cognovit inconsistent with the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas, except on the question of amount and that question is governed by the provisions of the statute.

SETTING ASIDE VERDICT DURING TERM.

The appellee claims the judgment may not be set aside unless a good defense is first shown. In the case of The City of Cincinnati v Archiable, 4 Oh Ap 218, the Court of Appeals of Hamilton County held that in the face of the provisions of §11637 GC, a trial court is without discretion to set aside a default judgment even during the term in which it was rendered, without first requiring the defendant to show a valid defense and forthwith set it up before an order is made setting the judgment aside. (See numerous cases cited and commented upon in this opinion.)

The last cited case and the cases commented on are claimed by appellant to furnish authority for the conclusion that even where the motion to vacate the judgment is made during the term, that it must follow the procedure set forth in §11631 et seq, GC.

The case of First National Bank v Smith, 102 Oh St 120 was certified by the Court of Appeals of Allen County as in [70]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 N.E.2d 421, 41 Ohio Law. Abs. 65, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harbine-v-davis-ohioctapp-1944.