Kentucky Coal, Timber, Oil & Land Co. v. Howes

153 F. 163, 82 C.C.A. 337, 1907 U.S. App. LEXIS 4394
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided March 21, 1907·No. No. 1,631·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

LURTON, Circuit Judge.

This cause is now heard upon a motion to dismiss this writ of error, because not “brought” within the limitation of six months, prescribed by section 11 of the Court of Appeals act (Act March 3, 1891, c. 517, 26 Stat. 829 [U. S. Comp. St. 1901, p. 553]), after the date of the final judgment.

The judgment sought to be reviewed was rendered May 27, 1905. A motion for a new trial was not denied until September o, 1905. This motion, having been seasonably entered, prevented the judgment from becoming final until disposed of. In re McCall, 145 Fed. 898, 76 C. C. A. 430; Aspen Mining Co. v. Billings, 150 U. S. 31, 14 Sup. Ct. [164]*1644, 37 L. Ed. 986. But no writ of error was filed with the clerk of the court until May 7, 1906, which was more than six months after the judgment became final. That the Circuit Court, from time to time, after the judgment became final, enlarged the time for filing a bill of exceptions, did not prevent the running of the time limit within which the writ might be “brought.”

A pending application for a rehearing in an equity cause, or a new trial in an fiction at law, does suspend the time within which an appeal may be “taken” or a writ of error “brought” because neither the decree nor the judgment can be final until the motion is disposed of, and the time limit does not begin to run until the decree or judgment is -final. But the allowance of a bill of exceptions has no effect upon the finality of a judgment and an enlargement of the time for filing cannot therefore affect the time limit for bringing a writ of error. But it is said that a petition for a writ of error was filed together with .an assignment of error on October 24, 1905, and a journal entry made allowing the writ “upon the plaintiffs giving bond in the sum of $500.00.” .There is nothing in the transcript to indicate that this was ever prosecuted by giving the bond upon which the allowance of the writ was conditioned, or if so, that it was ever given within the time within which the writ must be brought. But, however this may be, no writ of error was ever filed with the qlerk of the court until May 7, 1906, and this seems to have been issued because upon that day there was a second allowance of a writ of error by one of the judges of the court. A writ of error is not “brought,” to use the verbiage of section 1008, Rev. St. [U. S. Comp. St. 1901, p. 715], within the legal meaning of the term until the writ is actually filed or lodged with .the clerk of the court which rendered the judgment sought to be reviewed. ■ “It is the filing of the writ,” said Chief Justice Taney, in Brooks v. Morris, 11 How. 203, 207, 13 L. Ed. 665, “that removes the record from the inferior to the appellate court, and the period of limitation prescribed by the act of Congress must be calculated accordingly. . The day upon which the writ may have been issued by the clerk, or the day on which it is tested, are not material in deciding the question.” This case has been many times followed. Mussina v. Cavazos, 6 Wall. 355, 18 L. Ed. 810; Scarborough v. Pargoud, 108 U. S. 567, 2 Sup. Ct. 877, 27 L. Ed. 824; Polleys v. Black River Co., 113 U. S. 81, 5 Sup. Ct. 369, 28 L. Ed. 938; Mutual Life Co. v. Phinney, 178 U. S. 327, 335, 20 Sup. Ct. 906, 44 L. Ed. 1088. The principle applicable to writs of error applies also to appeals. Credit Co. v. Arkansas, etc., Ry. Co., 128 U. S. 258, 9 Sup. Ct. 107, 32 L. Ed. 448. But it is said that Whether plaintiff filed a bond or not it was' the duty of the clerk under the order allowing a writ of error, made October 24, 1905, to issue and file the writ before the limit for the bringing of the writ should expire] and that, when a plaintiff has done all that he is required to do, he should not be deprived of his remedy by reason of the fault of the clerk in not actually issuing and filing the writ in accordance with the order of the court. For this, counsel cite Mutual Insurance Co. v. Phinney, cited above,- where it was held that the failure of a clerk to indorse a writ' lodged with him as filed will not defeat the writ; the plaintiff having [165] properly and seasonably sued one out and left it with the clerk for filing.

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Kentucky Coal, Timber, Oil & Land Co. v. Howes, 153 F. 163, 82 C.C.A. 337, 1907 U.S. App. LEXIS 4394 (6th Cir. 1907).

153 F. 163 (Kentucky Coal, Timber, Oil & Land Co. v. Howes) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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