Lake Agricultural Co. v. Brown

114 N.E. 755, 186 Ind. 30, 1917 Ind. LEXIS 23
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 11, 1917
DocketNo. 23,007
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 114 N.E. 755 (Lake Agricultural Co. v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lake Agricultural Co. v. Brown, 114 N.E. 755, 186 Ind. 30, 1917 Ind. LEXIS 23 (Ind. 1917).

Opinion

Myers, J.

Appellees, owners of separate- tracts of land, by petition filed in the Lake Circuit Court, sought to have a drain established as authorized by “An act concerning drainage,” approved March 11, 1907. Acts 1907 p. 508, §6141 Burns 1914. Proceedings were thereafter had in that court which resulted in a judgment establishing the drain known as “Tully Ditch No. 2”; assessments as modified were approved, and a construction commissioner appointed. From this judgment appellants appeal to this court.

The errors assigned and not waived are that the trial court erred in refusing to sustain their plea in abatement, in refusing to dismiss the petition of appellees because it was not filed in duplicate, and in overruling their motion for a new trial.

1. [33]*332. [32]*32The so-called plea in abatement is no more than a verified motion to stay proceedings until the costs made in a former action for the establishment of the same drain — brought in the superior court of Lake county and dismissed — were paid. Hipes v. Griner (1901), 28 Ind. App. 160, 62 N. E. 500,. The pleading rests upon the statements that the two actions were for the same cause, and the costs in the former had not been paid. In this State the recognized rule is that a second action between the same parties for the same cause will be presumed- to be vexatious, but this presumption may be overcome by slight evidence. Harless v. Petty (1884), 98 Ind. 53; Kitts v. Willson (1883), 89 Ind. 95; Carrothers v. Carrothers (1886), 107 Ind. 530, 8 N. E. 563; Wait v. Westfall (1903), 161 Ind. 648, 68 N. E. 271; Citizens St. R. Co. v. Shepherd (1902), 29 Ind. App. 412, 62 N. E. 300; Hipes v. Griner, [33]*33supra. The record in this case shows'that there were a number of petitioners and a number of other persons and corporations whose lands were affected by the proposed drainage, but the motion does not show that the second proceeding involved the same parties, or that it affected the same lands as did the first. True, such a showing, of itself, would not necessarily prevent the application of the rule staying proceedings until the payment of the costs in the former action, yet — when considered in the light of the cases holding that a stay of proceedings .in all cases like this will not be granted as a matter of right but will be left to the facts and circumstances of each case (Kitts v. Willson, supra; Harless v. Petty, supra), of the presumption in favor of a correct ruling of the trial court (Aydelott v. Collings [1896], 144 Ind. 602, 43 N. E. 867), of the settled rule that slight evidence only' is necessary to remove the presumption of vexation — it leads us to • conclude that this was a case for the sound discretion of the court as to whether or not the proceedings should have been stayed. No abuse of this discretion is claimed, and no reversible error is shown. Cashman v. Brownlee (1891), 128 Ind. 266, 27 N. E. 560.

Appellants insist that the court erred in overruling their motion to dismiss the petition for the reason that the same was not filed in duplicate. They insist that the filing of the petition in duplicate was necessary to give the court jurisdiction over the subject-matter.

3. [34]*344. [33]*33The statute under which the petitioners proceeded provides that they “may apply for such drainage by petition filed in duplicate to the circuit court or superior court,” etc. The order book entry shows that they filed “their petition praying for the construction of the proposed drainage system [34]*34therein set forth.” The circuit court is a court of general jurisdiction (Shewalter v. Bergman [1890], 123 Ind. 155, 23 N. E. 686), and by statute had original jurisdiction of this proceeding, which, as the record shows, was tried to final judgment. The statute (§6141, supra) requires that the petition be filed in duplicate and, in the absence of a showing to the contrary, we must' assume that the statute was followed. But the motion states that.the petition was not so filed. If appellants are correct in saying that, the petition must be filed in duplicate in order to give the court jurisdiction, then a challenge of its authority to proceed in the trial of the case was a matter of defense and should have been presented by an issue properly tendered. Board, etc. v. Leggett (1888), 115 Ind. 544, 18 N. E. 53; Chapell v. Shuee (1889), 117 Ind. 481, 20 N. E. 417. Treating the motion as tendering that issue, together with the ruling of the court thereon, which is all the record on the subject, would not be sufficient to warrant this court in holding that such issue was not properly heard, or that a correct conclusion was not reached. This court has held “that all jurisdictional facts need not appear in the petition, but may be shown by evidence.”' Shields v. Pyles (1913), 180 Ind. 71, 99 N. E. 742.

5. [35]*356. [34]*34Appellants insist in support of their motion for a new trial that the court erred in admitting in evidence the report of the drainage commissioners. The objections urged against the admission of this report are based upon the theory:. First, that the statute makes the report competent evidence in proceedings begun before the board of county commissioners, but not in the trial of such proceedings begun in the circuit or superior court. This court has held otherwise, and appellants’ contention in this respect can[35]*35not be sustained. Wilson v. Tevis (1915), 184 Ind. 712, 111 N. E. 181; Shields v. Pyles, supra. Secondly, that the report was not admissible for the reason that it was not officially signed or approved by the county surveyor. In support of this contention we are referred to §9515 Burns 1914, Acts 1899 p. 119, which requires the work done by a deputy county surveyor to be approved and officially signed by the county surveyor. On this precise question this court has held that: “While the report in question should have been signed by the surveyor, we are of the opinion that it was not void because it was signed by the deputy.” Brane v. Kendall (1914), 182 Ind. 436, 106 N. E. 690. In view of that decision, with which we are still satisfied, appellants’ position must fail.

7. Appellants also earnestly insist that the statute of 1907, supra, under which these proceedings were begun, was repealed by an act of the general assembly, approved March 8, 1915 (Acts 1915 p. 208—in effect April 26, 1915). The act last referred to is entitled, “An act concerning the organization of drainage, sanitary and reclamation districts and prescribing their powers and duties.” The title of the act of 1907, supra, is: “An act concerning drainage, and repealing laws in conflict.”

The 1915 enactment has no general repealing clause.

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

Related

ANDREWS v. State
229 N.E.2d 806 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1967)
Peek v. Beery
184 S.W.2d 272 (Texas Supreme Court, 1944)
Triplett v. Carlson
191 N.E. 82 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1934)
Rockey v. Hershman
138 N.E. 339 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1923)
Stein v. Board of Commissioners
136 N.E. 34 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1922)
Moore v. Ryan
123 N.E. 642 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1919)
Chase v. Woodruff
113 N.W. 973 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1907)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
114 N.E. 755, 186 Ind. 30, 1917 Ind. LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lake-agricultural-co-v-brown-ind-1917.