Hewitt v. Landis

225 P. 842, 75 Colo. 277, 1924 Colo. LEXIS 384
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 7, 1924
DocketNo. 10,644
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 225 P. 842 (Hewitt v. Landis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hewitt v. Landis, 225 P. 842, 75 Colo. 277, 1924 Colo. LEXIS 384 (Colo. 1924).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Campbell

delivered the opinion of the court.

Plaintiff Hewitt was lessor, and defendant Landis was lessee, of a storeroom in the City of Denver. The tenant was proceeded against in the district court by the landlord under the forcible entry and unlawful detainer act for having violated the lease. Upon final hearing, judgment went against the tenant commanding him to [278]*278surrender possession of the premises. Thereupon he sued out a writ of error in the Supreme Court to review that., judgment and made application for a writ of supersedeas pending review. At, or before, the time of such application defendant Landis, as principal, and the surety company, as surety, executed their joint undertaking commonly called a cost bond in the sum of $500.00 to pay all costs which had accrued, or might thereafter accrue, and for damages that might be sustained during the pendency of the writ of error, and at the same time they executed an additional undertaking, known as a use or occupation bond, in the sum of $3,000.00, conditioned to pay to the plaintiff obligee all sums that may be awarded to him for use and occupation of the premises. Both of these bonds were required by the forcible entry act in such a case as this. When executed, they were filed in, and approved by the clerk of, the district court. Under the act (C. L. 1921, § 6390) no writ of restitution shall issue upon any judgment until after the expiration of forty-eight hours from its entry. Had not these two bonds been filed, the district court,1 as the record shows, .would, or might, have issued a writ of restitution at once after such expiration. We denied the application for a supersedeas and affirmed the judgment of the district court. Upon receipt of its remittitur by the clerk of the district court, this officer issued a writ of restitution, which was executed, commanding the sheriff to dispossess defendant Landis and restore possession to the plaintiff Hewitt.

The present action is upon these bonds, the complaint having two causes of action, one upon each instrument. The trial before a jury resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff upon each cause of action, whereupon plaintiff moved for judgment in his favor, and the defendant moved for judgment in his favor, notwithstanding the verdict. The court overruled the plaintiff’s motion, sustained that of the defendant and entered judgment dismissing the action, which the plaintiff is seeking to review on this writ of error.

From judgments of the district and county courts ren[279]*279dered in proceedings under the forcible entry and detainer act appeals and writs of error to the Supreme Court are allowed as in other cases (section 6388, C. L. 1921), provided that, in addition to the conditions now prescribed by law, the undertaking, in cases of appeals, shall be conditional as in cases of appeal from justices of the peace under the same statute, which, inter alia, require two separate bonds of the character above indicated. These provisions evidently were intended to secure to the landlord in such a case ample protection in case of a review by the Supreme Court, whether by appeal or writ of error. Either remedy for review might be chosen, and it would seem that in either case the two' bonds must be filed. It is true that the provision with reference to these bonds indicates they were to be given in cases of appeals only and not where review is by writ of error; but if it was the intention of our General Assembly to make no distinction, as to the security required pending a review, between appeals and writs of error, this statute might be construed as employing “appeals” and “writs of error” in the generic or broad sense of a review and, if sq, the bonds provided should apply to either method of review. It is not likely that the General Assembly intended to provide for a landlord a security when the tenant took an appeal and withheld it when the tenant sued out a writ of error. This distinction, however, would not be important here were it not for the contention of the obligors that appeals provided by this act were abolished by the Session Laws of 1911, page 9, and therefore a landlord, if he wants a review, must sue out a writ of error and is not now entitled to the securities provided by the act in cases of appeal. If we are right as to the foregoing construction, the alleged repeal is not important, but not definitely adopting that construction we reach the conclusion for other reasons that this judgment is wrong. The alleged repealing act is entitled: “An act in relation to appeals and writs of error.” Section 6 reads: “All statutes granting and regulating appeals from District, County and [280]*280Juvenile Courts to the Supreme Court, in all actions, suits and proceedings, both civil and criminal, are hereby repealed.” This section further declares that reviews by the Supreme Court are to> be had by writ of error. The act in question has been construed by this Court in, Denniss v. People, 55 Colo. 120, 133 Pac. 741, and in Harrington v. Harrington, 58 Colo. 154, 144 Pac. 20. It will be observed that section 6, supra, does not say “special proceedings,” but “proceedings”. There has always existed since, as well as before, the adoption of our Code of Civil Procedure a recognized distinction between ordinary civil actions and special proceedings. By using “proceedings” instead of “special proceedings,” we think the General Assembly did not intend to abolish appeals in special proceedings provided by separate statutes, but meant only in such proceedings as are provided for and included in our Code. This repealing act purported to abolish appeals in criminal actions, which certainly is as comprehensive when applied to criminal actions as “proceedings” is to civil actions. Nevertheless, this Court in the Denniss Case, supra, held that the 1911 act did not alter or repeal or refer to criminal actions, or statutes relating thereto, although they were mentioned, directly and included in the act. The Court said this was so because the evident purpose of the act of 1911 was to gather in one body as much as possible of the provisions of the Civil Code relating to the review of civil causes, and that the whole act purports to be merely an amendment to the Civil Code without specifically saying so, and since repeals by implication are not favored, the effect of the act would be, and it was, restricted to the ordinary civil actions provided for in the Civil Code. In the Harrington Case this Court referred with approval to the decision in the Denniss Case, and to the reference in the latter as to the purpose of the General Assembly in collecting in one body the pre-existing provisions of the Code, said: “If, for the reasons stated, the act does not alter or repeal statutes governing criminal cases, they being governed by special provisions, it is [281]*281equally true, upon like considerations, that it does not alter or repeal the special provisions relating to divorce proceedings. The primary purpose and effect of the act was to amend the civil code, and it cannot be held to amend or repeal statutes controlling proceedings to which the civil code does not apply, unless it does so directly, * * *

In other words, since it has been held that the primary purpose and effect of the act of 1911 was to repeal and amend the civil code, it could repeal no provision outside of the code except by express reference.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

General American Industries, Inc. v. County Court of Clear Creek
316 P.2d 565 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1957)
Sitler v. Brians
251 P.2d 319 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1952)
Merchandise of Hover Motors, Inc. v. Hover Motors, Inc.
212 P.2d 99 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1949)
People Ex Rel. Roberg v. Board of County Commissioners
281 P. 117 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1929)
Fort Morgan Reservoir & Irrigation Co. v. Putnam Ditch Co.
247 P. 452 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1926)
Kilker v. Herrington
238 P. 41 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1925)
Van Dyke v. Fishman
236 P. 992 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1925)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
225 P. 842, 75 Colo. 277, 1924 Colo. LEXIS 384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hewitt-v-landis-colo-1924.