Jolley v. Martin Bros. Box Co.

158 Ohio St. (N.S.) 416
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 31, 1952
DocketNo. 32912
StatusPublished

This text of 158 Ohio St. (N.S.) 416 (Jolley v. Martin Bros. Box Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jolley v. Martin Bros. Box Co., 158 Ohio St. (N.S.) 416 (Ohio 1952).

Opinions

Hart, J.

The question presented to this court is whether the Court of Appeals, after purportedly affirming an order of the Common Pleas Court overruling defendant’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and entering judgment thereon for plaintiff, erred in dismissing on a second appeal all but one of defendant’s claims of error in its assignment of errors, brought upon the record through the overruling of defendant’s motion for new trial seasonably filed and directed to the judgment on the verdict, where such dismissal was made on the ground that the validity of such claims of error had necessarily been determined adversely to the defendant on the first appeal, and that such determination had thereafter become, as to such claims, res judicata.

The determination of this question requires a careful examination and a critical appraisal of the effect of the procedure followed by the parties in both the trial court and Court of Appeals.

On November 4, 1949, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff. On November 7, 1949, the defendant filed its motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. On November 14, 4949, the trial court made an order as follows:

“On oral application of the defendant it is by the court further ordered that the matter of rendition of judgment on the verdict and interrogatories returned by the jury is hereby reserved and the matter of entering judgment thereon is continued until the court [420]*420has made disposition of the motion of the defendant for judgment non obstante veredicto.”

On the same day following the filing of the above entry, the defendant prematurely filed a motion for new trial, no judgment having yet been entered on the verdict.

On May 1, 1950, the trial court approved an entry as follows:

“This day this cause came on to be heard on the motion of the defendant for a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict heretofore rendered herein * * *.
“The court, after [being] duly advised in the premises finds that said motion is not well taken and should be overruled.
“It is therefore ordered and adjudged by the court that said motion of the defendant for a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict of the jury be, and the same is hereby overruled.
“It being further made to appear to the court that the jury had at a day in a former term of this court rendered a verdict in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant, the court now finds that said plaintiff is entitled to judgment upon said verdict.
“It is therefore ordered and adjudged by the court that the plaintiff have and recover from the defendant, the Martin Brothers Box Company, the sum of $94,000, together with the costs of this action * * *.
“Thereupon the defendant, by oral motion of its counsel, requested leave to withdraw its motion for a new trial heretofore filed herein, and for leave to file a motion for new trial within the time permitted by law after the rendition of judgment. * * *”

This motion was allowed.

On May 1, 1950, a motion for the vacation of the final order and judgment entered on the verdict of the [421]*421jury and for a new trial was filed in form as follows:

“Now comes the defendant, Martin Brothers Box Company, and moves the court to vacate, set aside and hold for naught the final order and judgment entered herein and also the verdict of the jury, in conformity to which said judgment was rendered, and grant to this defendant a new trial, for the following reasons, each of which affect materially this defendant’s substantial rights * *

Then follow 18 specified grounds for the vacation of the final order and judgment entered on the verdict and for a new trial, growing out of alleged errors of the trial court in the course of the trial, the fifteenth of which is as follows:

“15. Error of the court in overruling defendant’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and in entering judgment for plaintiff and against defendant on the verdict of the jury.”

This motion for new trial was not ruled upon until March 23, 1951, as hereinafter noted.

On the same day, May 1, 1950, a notice of appeal was filed in the clerk’s office by the defendant simultaneously with its motion for a new trial. The notice of appeal was in form as follows:

“The Martin Brothers Box Company, defendant in the above entitled cause, gives notice of its appeal on question of law to the Court of Appeals of Darke county, Ohio, from the order and judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Darke County, Ohio, entered on the 1st day of May, 1950, overruling the motion of said defendant for judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict of the jury in the said cause in favor of the plaintiff, and in entering judgment on the verdict of the jury in favor of the plaintiff and against this defendant.” (Italics supplied.)

On May 1, 1950, the court granted a temporary stay [422]*422of execution and on August 15, 1950, made an order as follows:

< C * * *
“Upon consideration * * * the court finds that by virtue of Section 11601-1, G. C., said execution and/or certificate of judgment is automatically stayed until the motion for a new trial heretofore filed in this cause shall have been disposed of.
“It is, therefore, ordered that * * * the automatic stay of execution provided for by statute is hereby decreed to be in effect, and issuance of an execution and/or certificate of judgment is hereby stayed * * V ’

In the meantime on May 31, 1950, the defendant filed its bill of exceptions which was allowed on June 10, 1950.

The Court of Appeals on November 16, 1950, entered a judgment of affirmance in form as follows:

“The parties appeared by their respective attorneys, and this cause came on to be heard upon the appeal of the defendant, The Martin Brothers Box Company, from the order and judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Darke County, Ohio, overruling the motion of said defendant for judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict of the jury in said cause in favor of Dale E. Jolley, plaintiff, and in entering judgment on the verdict of the jury in favor of said plaintiff and against said defendant. * * *
“Upon consideration whereof the court finds no error in the action of the trial court in overruling said motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict entered in said cause and in entering judgment on said verdict in favor of plaintiff and against the defendant.
“It is therefore considered, ordered and adjudged by the court that the judgment of said Court of Common Pleas of Darke County, Ohio, in overruling the motion of the defendant, The Martin Brothers Box Company for judgment in its favor notwithstanding [423]*423the verdict of the jury rendered in said cause in favor of plaintiff, and that the action of the trial court in entering judgment on said verdict in favor of plaintiff and against said defendant be and the same are hereby affirmed,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 Ohio St. (N.S.) 416, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jolley-v-martin-bros-box-co-ohio-1952.