Jurgensen v. Ainscow

69 N.W.2d 856, 160 Neb. 208, 1955 Neb. LEXIS 25
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 15, 1955
Docket33683
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 69 N.W.2d 856 (Jurgensen v. Ainscow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jurgensen v. Ainscow, 69 N.W.2d 856, 160 Neb. 208, 1955 Neb. LEXIS 25 (Neb. 1955).

Opinion

Carter, J.

This is an appeal from a decree of the district court for Douglas County entered pursuant to a mandate of this court. It is the contention of the appellants that the decree on the mandate does not conform thereto and this court is asked to reverse the judgment or modify it in order to do equity.

The case was previously in this court and is cited as Jurgensen v. Ainscow, 155 Neb. 701, 53 N. W. 2d 196. The opinion of the court was filed on May 9, 1952. Pursuant thereto and on June 3, 1952, the mandate of this court was issued. On November 17, 1952, the trial court entered its judgment on the mandate in which it is provided: “Wherefore, it is ordered, adjudged and decreed *210 that plaintiffs have a driveway easement running north and south over the West 6 feet of the East 9 feet of lots 13 and 14, in Hanscom Place, an addition to the City of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, 100 feet in length to permit ingress and egress to and from the plaintiffs’ garage situated on Lot 15, Block 5 in Hanscom Place, an Addition to the City of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.”

In State ex rel. Johnson v. Hash, 145 Neb. 405, 16 N. W. 2d 734, we said: “It will be noted that the mandate makes the opinion of the court a part thereof by reference. Under such circumstances, the opinion of the court can properly be examined in determining the nature and terms of the judgment to be entered or action to be taken. This seems to be the rule where the opinion is made a part of the mandate or where the remand is with directions to enter a decree in conformity with the views ‘herein expressed’ or ‘in accordance with the opinion.’ ” See, also, Asbra v. Dean, ante p. 6, 68 N. W. 2d 696, and cases therein cited. The mandate in the present case incorporates the opinion of the court as a part of it by reference. We may therefore examine the opinion of the court to determine if the trial court properly entered a judgment in compliance with the mandate of this court.

The former opinion of the court provides: “We conclude that the plaintiffs are entitled to a driveway easement running north and south over the west 6 feet of the east 9 feet of Lots 13 and 14 of the defendants’ property, 100 feet in length, as shown by the evidence, to permit ingress and egress to and from the plaintiffs’ garage. The judgment of the trial court is reversed and the cause remanded with directions to the trial court to enter judgment in conformity with this opinion.” The judgment on the mandate is in strict conformity with the opinion and mandate of this court.

The trial court having entered a judgment in strict compliance with the mandate of this court, there is *211 nothing to be resolved by this court on appeal. It has long been the rule that there must be an end to the litigation of a particular cause, and that an alleged injured litigant, in order to establish what he may deem the justice of the cause, may not have de novo trial after trial, ad infinitum. The purpose of courts is to end litigation rather than to promote it.

The issue before us was ably discussed in Galbreath v. Wallrich, 48 Colo. 127, 109 P. 417, 139 Am. S. R. 263, wherein it is said: “When a particular judgment is directed by the appellate court, the lower court is not acting of its own motion, but in obedience to the order of its superior. What that superior says it shall do, it must do, and that alone. Public interests require that an end shall be put to litigation, and when a given cause has received the consideration of this court, its merits determined, and then remanded with specific directions, the court to which such mandate is directed has no power to do anything but to obey the mandate; otherwise, litigation would never be ended, and the supreme tribunal of the state would be shorn of that authority over inferior tribunals with which it is invested by our fundamental law. * * * Rights which may have accrued since the rendition of the original judgment, not in issue in the action in which it was rendered, are not adjudicated therein, but the trial court has no power to open or interfere with the judgment of this court in order to settle such rights. If, since the original judgment, something has occurred which would render it inequitable to carry the judgment this court has directed into execution, resort must be had to some form of original proceeding by which appropriate relief can be secured. It cannot be done by way of defense to the entry of the judgment we have directed.” See, also, Gadsden v. Thrush, 72 Neb. 1, 99 N. W. 835; Glissmann v. Bauermeister, 149 Neb. 131, 30 N. W. 2d 649; Stocker v. Wells, 155 Neb. 472, 52 N. W. 2d 284. Also, Tourville v. Wabash R. R. Co., 148 Mo. 614, 50 S. W. *212 300, 71 Am. S. R. 650; Mountain Home Lumber Co. v. Swartwout, 33 Idaho 737, 197 P. 1027; Gudmundson v. Commercial Bank and Trust Co., 160 Wash. 489, 295 P, 167; Barbour, Stedman and Herod v. Tompkins, 58 W. Va. 572, 52 S. E. 707, 3 L. R. A. N. S. 715.

In 3 Am. Jur., Appeal and Error, § 1236, p. 733, it is stated: “Where the appellate court remands a cause with directions to enter judgment for the plaintiff in a certain amount, the judgment of the appellate court is a final judgment in the cause and the entry thereof in the lower court is a purely ministerial act. No modification of the judgment so directed can be made, nor may any provision be engrafted on, or taken from it. That order is conclusive on the parties, and no judgment or order different from, or in addition to, that directed by it can have any effect, even though it may be such as the appellate court ought to have directed.” See, also, Cowdery v. London and San Francisco Bank, Ltd., 139 Cal. 298, 73 P. 196, 96 Am. S. R. 115; Mountain Home Lumber Co. v. Swartwout, supra.

We necessarily conclude that a judgment on a mandate entered in strict conformity with the latter is a final determination of all matters decided and disposed of by the reviewing court. It is plain therefore that the judgment on the mandate was a final determination of all matters decided by the appeal. There is nothing raised by the appeal from the judgment on the mandate in this case that this court may properly consider.

Appellants rely upon Elliott v. Gooch Feed Mill Co., 147 Neb. 612, 24 N. W. 2d 561, and Regouby v. Dawson County Irr. Co., 128 Neb. 531, 259 N. W. 365. In the Gooch Feed Mill Co. case the following language appears. “Therefore, the cited case holds that if there was a change in the circumstances, or if a new question presented itself, or a new reason appeared which would require a further hearing to do- justice and equity between the parties, then this court, on appeal from a judgment on a mandate, will determine such matter *213 and enter an order accordingly.” This rule appears to have had its origin in the Regouby case. We do not think the foregoing applies as between the parties to an appeal resulting in a judgment on which a mandate was issued requiring a specific judgment in which such authority was not given. In the Gooch Feed Mill Co. case the remand required that “compensation payments heretofore voluntarily made” be given credit. The judgment entered on the mandate was in compliance with the directions of the mandate.

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

Related

State v. Harris
307 Neb. 237 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2020)
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline v. Tanderup
305 Neb. 493 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2020)
Meredith v. SCHWARCK QUARRIES, INC.
701 N.W.2d 387 (Nebraska Court of Appeals, 2005)
K N Energy, Inc. v. Cities of Broken Bow
532 N.W.2d 32 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Jenson
464 N.W.2d 326 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1991)
State v. Rolling
366 N.W.2d 441 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1985)
Gates v. Howell
317 N.W.2d 772 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1982)
Berg v. Midwest Laundry Equipment Corp.
135 N.W.2d 457 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1965)
Ruehle v. Ruehle
97 N.W.2d 868 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
69 N.W.2d 856, 160 Neb. 208, 1955 Neb. LEXIS 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jurgensen-v-ainscow-neb-1955.