Layman v. Hughes

51 N.E. 1058, 152 Ind. 484, 1898 Ind. LEXIS 269
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 29, 1898
DocketNo. 18,380
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 51 N.E. 1058 (Layman v. Hughes) 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
Layman v. Hughes, 51 N.E. 1058, 152 Ind. 484, 1898 Ind. LEXIS 269 (Ind. 1898).

Opinion

McCabe, J.

The appellant, Layman, sued the appellee, Hughes, as treasurer of Putnam county, to enjoin the collection of certain assessments upon appellant’s land to defray the expense of the construction of the Mt. Meridian and Putnamville free macadamized road. The.other appellees, who were defendants below, filed cross-complaints setting up the same facts substantially set forth in the complaint; the only difference being that each cross-complaint refers to the land owned by such cross-complainant, and assessed for such road, instead of the land owned by the plaintiff. Each defendant filed a separate cross-complaint. Demurrers to the complaint and to each cross-complaint were sustained for want of sufficient facts, and, the plaintiff and cross-complainants failing to amend or plead further, judgment was rendered that the plaintiff and cross-complainants take nothing by the complaint or cross-complaints. These rulings are called in question by the assignments of error. There are eighteen separate assignments of error under different titles. The first one makes the. plaintiff below the sole appellant, and the defendants below, or cross-complainants, appellees. In the other seventeen assignments, one or more of the cross-complainants are made appellants, and the balance of them are made appellees, along with the plaintiff below.

This being a vacation appeal, the proper parties are required to be made. All of the parties to the appeal are made both appellants and appellees. And, unless we regard this as eighteen separate appeals, which is not authorized in one transcript, we would probably be justified in dismissing the [486]*486appeal. We held, in Gregory v. Smith, 139 Ind. 48, that the same party cannot be both appellant and appellee. But, as it is not discussed or noticed in the argument, we will not pass upon it.

The case of Bowen v. Hester, 143 Ind. 511, was an action to enjoin the collection of assessments made by the same order of the board of commissioners, and for the same irregularities relied on in this action, but by different landowners from those involved here. The record shows that the trial court was controlled in sustaining the demurrers by the law as declared in that case. We held in that case that the defects in the proceedings of the board were mere irregularities that did not affect the jurisdiction of the board and that the record showed that it had complete jurisdiction and that its orders and judgment, in establishing the road and making the assessments, could not be collaterally impeached by an injunction.

In one of the briefs of appellant’s counsel it is substantially conceded that that case is decisive of this, but it is contended that that case was wrongly decided, and ought to be overruled. It is contended that that case is in conflict with Fulton v. Cummings, 132 Ind. 453. In the latter case, on appeal from the board to the circuit court, it was attempted to show that there were other lands not reported benefited, that were actually benefited. This offer was rejected in the circuit court, and its action affirmed in this court, because no such question was raised in the commissioners’ court by attacking the report of the viewers before the board. This court there said: “Unless some such action was taken, we think the parties interested are bound by the report of the viewers as to the limit of the territory to be assessed.” It is therefore urged that the language, “the territory sought to be assessed,” as used in the statute, means the lands embraced in the report of the viewers. The whole case shows that no such thought existed in making the decision. If that were so, as soon as a report of viewers is made, showing certain land [487]*487benefited within the two-mile limit, that would end the controversy even though other lands were within the two-mile limit actually benefited, but not so reported. If the report of the viewers, leaving such actually benefited lands out of such report, excludes the jurisdiction of the board as to such omitted lands, as is contended by appellant, then such jurisdiction does not depend on facts but on mistakes. But this court there explicitly denied such a construction of the statute by saying: “We do not hold that the parties interested may not, upon the return of the report of the viewers, attack it before the board by proper pleading, upon the ground that it does not include all the land benefited, and procure new viewers and a new report; but no such question is presented here, for nothing of the kind was attempted.” Now if such irregularities and defects cannot be inquired into on appeal from the board to the circuit court, simply because they were not attacked before the board, there is much greater reason why they cannot be inquired into on a collateral attack by injunction. That case is not in point here, because this is a collateral attack, and that was a direct attack by appeal, the purpose of which is in the nature of an attempt to correct errors by a trial de novo.

An injunction against a judgment establishing a gravel road, and making assessments therefor, proceeds upon the idea that the proceedings and judgment of the board are void. If the board had jurisdiction, its proceedings are not void, though ever so erroneous. In the other brief, on behalf of appellant, it is contended that Judges McGregor and McBride had a misconception of the purport of the opinion in Bowen v. Hester, 143 Ind. 511. It is said in said brief that: “It appears from the statement of the record in the case of Bowen v. Hester, supra, that the viewers amended their report so as to include the lands of appellee in that case. If this was true, of course he could not enjoin the collection of the assessment, for the viewers have the right, at any time before they are discharged, to amend their report. There[488]*488fore, when this court held, under this state of facts, that Hester could not enjoin, it decided all there was in the case.” That case shows that the report of the viewers was made and filed before the amendment thereto was made by adding the lands in controversy; that the amendment was made by the board by adding the omitted lands. But it is contended that that case is not controlling here, because nothing of the kind appears in the complaint here. "While it is alleged in a vague and indefinite manner only that appellant’s lands were assessed, it is substantially averred that 'they had never “been reported by said engineer and viewers, or any other engineer and viewers, as benefited, .and ought to be assessed to pay for the cost of said improvement.” But it is not alleged what the commissioners’ record states or discloses upon the subject. The coinplaint does allege in one place that the report of the viewers and engineer that certain lands therein described would be benefited was filed, and it did not include appellant’s lands, and that such report appeared of record. So the complaint does not set forth what steps were taken by the commissioners before the order assessing appellant’s lands for the improvement. It alleges that appellant’s “lands were not reported, by said engineer and viewers, or by any other engineer and viewers, as benefited,” but it fails to aver what the commissioners’ record states as to the matter. All these averments may be true, and yet it may also have been true, as shown by the complaint in the case of Bowen v. Hester, 143 Ind. 511, that .the board had entered of record the following order: “Comes now McChartley, auditor, and presents the report of John W. McNarry, William Broadstreet and James H.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
51 N.E. 1058, 152 Ind. 484, 1898 Ind. LEXIS 269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/layman-v-hughes-ind-1898.