Lee v. Small Claims Court of Judicial Township No. 4

92 P.2d 937, 34 Cal. App. 2d 1, 1939 Cal. App. LEXIS 67
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 22, 1939
DocketCiv. 2315
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 92 P.2d 937 (Lee v. Small Claims Court of Judicial Township No. 4) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lee v. Small Claims Court of Judicial Township No. 4, 92 P.2d 937, 34 Cal. App. 2d 1, 1939 Cal. App. LEXIS 67 (Cal. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

GRIFFIN, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment rendered in the Superior Court of Imperial County in certiorari proceedings, which judgment declares null and void a certain judgment rendered in the Small Claims Court of Judicial Township No. 4, Imperial County, and voids and quashes an execution issued thereon.

On July 26, 1937, Myrtle G. Haddan commenced an action in the Small Claims Court by the execution of an affidavit in the form prescribed by statute and by filing the same with the justice of the peace of said court. Upon its filing, the justice completed and signed the prescribed order requiring the appearance of certain defendants, including E. A. Lee, respondent on this appeal. Copies of the affidavit and order were personally served upon the defendants on July 28, 1937. By direction of the order, the defendants were required to appear for trial on August 9, 1937, and on that date the defendant Lee made his personal appearance before said court, and after certain proceedings had, the court continued the trial of the case. Thereafter the plaintiff Myrtle G. Haddan died. On April 22, 1938, the court made the following entry in its docket: “Myrtle Haddan is dead and Phil Haddan is her son and legal heir to her estate, at his request Phil Haddan is joined in this action as a plaintiff and P. I. Haddan, father of Phil Haddan and husband of Myrtle Haddan, and duly appointed administrator of the said estate of Mrs. Myrtle Haddan (deceased) is substituted for Myrtle Haddan as plaintiff in this action.” Also, on this date the court set *3 the case for hearing for April 27, 1938, on which day Phil Haddan appeared as a witness and as a party plaintiff and the defendant Lee appeared. Evidence both oral-and documentary was introduced. The court then apparently took the matter under advisement and on May 14,-1938, entered judgment for the plaintiff P. I. Haddan, as administrator of the estate of Myrtle G. Haddan, deceased, against the defendant E. A. Lee, for the sum of $38.40, and for costs in the sum of $1.50. The docket entry shows that on May 25, 1938, notice of judgment was given the defendant Lee. No appeal was ever taken from this judgment.

Respondent Lee alleged in his petition for a writ of review that he had no notice of the rendering of said judgment in the Small Claims Court or of the subsequent proceedings until May 24, 1938, ten days after the entry of the judgment. No appeal was taken by defendant Lee in that case, because under section 117j of the Code of Civil Procedure an appeal is required to be taken within five days after entry of judgment, and such period of five days had expired before the respondent Lee discovered the judgment. After the expiration of the time for appeal, the respondent Lee applied to the Superior Court for a writ of review of the proceedings had in the Small Claims Court, and upon the allegations contained in his petition and the evidence offered, the Superior Court granted the writ. The writ was directed to the Small Claims Court. The judge issuing it directed that a copy of the writ and the petition be served upon not only the justice of the peace, but also P. I. Haddan, as administrator of the estate of Myrtle G. Haddan, deceased.

It is alleged that no service of the writ or petition was made on P. I. Haddan, nor did he receive notice of any kind of the pendency of the action in the Superior Court, and that it was long after the rendition of the judgment in the Superior Court that knowledge of the proceeding was received by him. The writ, however, was served upon the justice of the peace, and return was duly made.

On the issues presented the court gave judgment for the respondent Lee, declaring the judgment of the Small Claims Court void and quashed the execution issued thereon. The court also awarded judgment in favor of the respondent and against P. I. Haddan, as administrator, for costs which were taxed in the sum of $26.50. P. I. Haddan, administrator of *4 the estate of Myrtle G. Haddan, deceased, prosecutes this appeal from the judgment of the Superior Court as the real party in interest, and on behalf of the Small Claims Court of Judicial Township No. 4.

Appellant contends that the judgment of the Superior Court should be reversed in that it appears from the judgment itself that the considerations upon which the court based its decision are entirely foreign to questions which may properly be considered on certiorari; that the court entertained the proceedings when it appeared that there was in fact a plain, speedy and adequate remedy open to the respondent Lee by appeal; that the Superior Court never acquired jurisdiction of the person of P. I. Haddan, as administrator, in that no process of court or notice of any kind of the pendency of the Superior Court action was ever given said Haddan, and for the further reason that the proceedings of the Small Claims Court showed clearly that it had complete jurisdiction of the parties to the proceedings therein, as well as the subject matter of the action and that in such a case the Superior Court is without authority to render judgment. The judgment of the Superior Court purports to annul the judgment of the Small Claims Court on several specified grounds.

In the instant case petitioner alleged that the rendering of the judgment, the issuance of the writ of execution, the levy of the constable on two Superior Court judgments which were subsequently sold, and the satisfaction of these two judgments by the execution purchasers were wholly without notice' to petitioner and that he did not discover or learn of the rendering of the judgment in the Small Claims Court or the subsequent proceedings until May 24, 1938, more than five days from the entry of the judgment.

It has been well established in this state that there is an exception to the general rule that certiorari cannot be resorted to after expiration of the time for appeal, where a judgment is entered against a defendant in the Small Claims Court without giving defendant notice thereof until after the time for appeal has expired. Under such circumstances as here related, certiorari is a proper remedy to review the judgment. (O’Kuna v. Small Claims Court of the Township of Palo Alto, etc., 81 Cal. App. 588 [254 Pac. 291] ; Elder v. Justice’s Court, 136 Cal. 364 [68 Pac. 1022].) Petitioner *5 has sufficiently complied with the statutory requirements in this respect.

Appellant argues that the trial court in the instant case never acquired jurisdiction of the person of P. I. Haddan, as administrator, for the reason that no process of conrt or notice of any description of the pendency of the Superior Court action was ever given Haddan, as administrator. The petition was entitled as above related. Haddan, as administrator, was not named as party defendant therein. The judge who issued the writ, in addition to commanding that the respondent Small Claims Court certify the transcript of all papers, files, evidence taken and proceedings had in the action in that court in order that the same might be reviewed by the Superior Court, ordered that a copy of the writ and petition be personally served upon the justice and upon P. I. Haddan, as administrator of the estate of Myrtle G. Haddan, deceased,

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Bluebook (online)
92 P.2d 937, 34 Cal. App. 2d 1, 1939 Cal. App. LEXIS 67, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lee-v-small-claims-court-of-judicial-township-no-4-calctapp-1939.