Hill v. Davis

257 S.W. 340
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 29, 1923
DocketNo. 22.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 257 S.W. 340 (Hill v. Davis) 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
Hill v. Davis, 257 S.W. 340 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

BARCUS, J.

This cause is presented as an agreed case under article 2112 of the Revised Statutes. In August, 1919, appellant filed suit against Mr. Hines, Director General of Railroads, for $40,000 damages. Mr. Payne was later substituted as Agent, and on November 18, 1920, the cause was tried in the district court, resulting in a judgment in favor of appellant for $12,500, which was appealed, and which was on June 7, 1922, reversed and remanded.

On March 28, 1921, while the cause was pending in the Court of Civil Appeals, Mr. Payne resigned, and James C. Davis was appointed Agent for the United States government. The cause remained in the appellate court for more than a year after Mr. Davis was appointed. On November 7, 1922, in the district court of McLennan county, on motion of appellant before the case was called for trial, Mr. Davis as Agent was substituted as defendant in place of Mr. Payne.

Mr. Davis as Agent filed a plea in abatement to the effect that he had been appointed agent on March 28, 1921, and had not been substituted as a - defendant in this cause within one year from that time, and that by reason thereof the cause should be abated and dismissed. The court granted the plea in abatement and dismissed the cause, and the question for review is: Did the court commit error in dismissing the cause?

Appellee’s contention, is that by reason of the act of Congress of February 8, 1899, being section 1594, U. S. Comp. St. Ann., this suit being against an officer of the United States government, it was necessary for Mr. Davis as Agent to have been made the party defendant within one year after his appointment as such. Said act of Congress is as follows:

“No suit, action, or other proceeding lawfully commenced by or against the head of any department or bureau or other officer of the United States in his official capacity, or in relation to the discharge of his official duties, shall abate by reason of his death, or the expiration of his term of office, or his retirement, or resignation, or removal from office, but, in such event, the court, on motion or supplemental petition filed, at any time within twelve months thereafter, showing a necessity for the survival thereof to obtain a settlement of the questions involved, may allow the same to be maintained by or against his successor in office, and the court may make such order as shall be equitable for the payment of costs.”

At the time the above statute was passed by Congress, all suits against federal officers had to be brought in the federal court, and under the rules of the federal courts new parties can be made, and are required to be made, where either party plaintiff or defendant dies, or has been succeeded in his official capacity, while the cause is pending on appeal in either the Circuit or Supreme Court of the United States, by- giving the *341 notices and complying with the requirements of the federal statutes and rules.

The above act of Congress was passed at the suggestion of the United States Supreme Court in 1899, in order to prevent suits from abating because there was no provision made prior to said time for the substitution of officers of the United States government in their official capacity in suits that were pending at the time a change was made in said official positions. The Supreme Court of the United States, since said act was passed, has uniformly held that where the official has been changed that the new official must be made a party to the suit or it will abate and be dismissed. LeCrone v. McAdoo, 253 U. S. 217, 40 Sup. Ct. 510, 64 L. Ed. 869; Industrial Accident Commission of the State of Cal. v. Payne, 42 Sup. Ct. 269, and 271; Dahn v. Davis, 258 U. S. 421, 42 Sup. Ct. 320, 66 L. Ed. 696; Payne v. Stevens, 43 Sup. Ct. 165, 67 L. Ed.-; Payne v. Industrial Board of Illinois, 258 U. S. 613, 42 Sup. Ct. 462, 66 L. Ed. 790; U. S. Ry. Administration v. Slatinka, 43 Sup. Ct. 247, 67 L. Ed. -.

In all of the above cases, however, except that of LeCrone v. McAdoo, the federal Agent was attempting to appeal from adverse judgments of the state courts to the Supreme Court of the United States, and unless the new Agent made himself a party, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals for said reason, without writing any opinions. The LeCrone v. McAdoo Case was brought against Mr. MeAdoo as Secretary of the Treasury, and the Federal Control Act of Bailroads was not in any way involved, and the writ of error was dismissed because the new Secretary of the Treasury had not been made a party.

On December 26, 1917 (U. S. Comp. St. § 1974A) the President took control of all the railroad systems under the act of Congress, and appointed Mr. MeAdoo Director General of Bailroads. The President’s proclamation provides:

.“Until and except so far as said Director shall from time to time otherwise by general or special orders determine, such systems of transportation shall remain subject to all existing statutes and orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and to all statutes and orders of regulating commissions of the various states in which said systems or any part thereof may be situated. But any orders, general or special, hereafter made by said Director, shall have paramount authority and be obeyed as gueh.”

By general order issued by the Director General it was provided that all suits for claims originating during federal control should be brought against the Director General of Bailroads appointed by the President. On March 21, 1918, Congress passed the Federal Control Act, and section 10 thereof provides:

“Carriers while under federal control shall be subject to all laws and liabilities as common carriers, whether arising under state or federal laws or at common law, except in so far as may be inconsistent with the provisions of this act or any other act applicable to such federal control or with any order of the President. Actions at law or suits in equity may be brought by and against such carriers and judgments rendered as now provided by law"; and in any action at law or suit in equity against the carrier, no defense shall be made thereto upon the ground that the carrier is an instrumentality or agency of the federal government.” U. S. Comp. St. 1918, U. S. Comp. St. Ann. Supp. 1919, § 3115%j.

On February 28, 1920, the federal control of railroads terminated by an act of Congress, and it was provided in said act by section 206 (a) that the President shall appoint an agent against whom suits may be brought for claims growing out of federal control. Subdivision (d) provides:

“Actions, suits, proceedings, and reparation claims, of the character above described pending at the termination of the federal control shall not abate by reason of such termination, but may be prosecuted to final judgment, substituting the Agent designated by the President under subdivision (a).” U. S. Comp. St. Ann. Supp. 1923, § 10071%cc.

There is no provision in said act terminating the federal control which limits the time within which the Agent of'the government must be substituted in suits that were pending at the time the federal control ceased.

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Related

Davis v. Preston
16 S.W.2d 117 (Texas Supreme Court, 1929)
Davis v. Hill
291 S.W. 681 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1927)
Natoli v. Davis
242 P. 895 (California Court of Appeal, 1925)
Kilgore v. Hines
265 S.W. 744 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1924)
Davis v. Stamford Mill & Elevator Co.
260 S.W. 1081 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
257 S.W. 340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hill-v-davis-texapp-1923.