Lewis v. Albertson

53 N.E. 1071, 23 Ind. App. 147, 1899 Ind. App. LEXIS 27
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided May 24, 1899·No. No. 2,702·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

Comstock, J. —

Appellees instituted this action to foreclose a lien for improvement of H street in the city of Bedford. At the request of appellant the court made a special finding of facts and stated conclusions of law thereon. Upon such conclusions judgment was rendered in favor of appellees.

The cause was appealed to the Supreme Court. The able and elaborate brief of appellant filed in that court did not question the constitutionality of the law under which the improvements and assessments in question were made. The action being for the enforcement of a lien of purely statutory origin, and the amount not exceeding $3,500, the Supreme Court, under the statute, transferred the cause to this court. In their reply brief, filed since such transfer, appellant discusses the constitutional question. Having failed to present the question in the- only tribunal having jurisdiction, [150] in the tribunal of her own selection, for the purpose of this appeal, it must be deemed to have been waived. As said by Rheinhard, J., speaking for the court in Town of Andrews v. Sellers, 11 Ind. App. 301, 303 : “At all events, the order of transfer settles the question of jurisdiction in favor of this court.”

We will pass upon the questions discussed of which this court has jurisdiction in the order in which they are presented. In her original brief appellant first discusses the second error assigned, viz., the overruling of appellant’s motion to require appellees to make their complaint more specific. This motion set out seventeen specifications. We will consider those only that are discussed.

The second request asked that the complaint be made to state whether the various actions taken by the common council of the city of Bedford were had and taken at a regular or a special meeting of the council, .and if at a special, what was the purpose of the meeting. Appellant cites no authority-requiring such proceedings to have been had at a regular ■meeting.

The third (numbered fourth in appellant’s brief) asked that the complaint state when the plans and specifications referred to therein were adopted, and to make a copy of them exhibits.

In Dugger v. Hicks, 11 Ind. App. 374, the court held that plans and specifications are no part of the cause of action.

The fifth request (numbered sixth in appellant’s brief) asked that the complaint be made to show what title to the street, if any, the city of Bedford had at the time of the adoption of the resolution for the improvement (August 7, 1894), and, if it had title,-to state the width of the .street so owned. If there was a public street in the city of Bed-ford of the name designated in the resolution, its width and the title were not material in this action. Dugger v. Hicks, supra. Elliott on Roads and Streets, at page 380, says: “If * * * the local authorities were attempting to construct [151] a road or street over property where they had neither acquired nor could lawfully acquire the right to lay out a road or street,” the property owner “might, if he moved in time and in an appropriate way, prevent the enforcement of the assessment against his property. But if he should delay until after the work had been done, he could not succeed.”

The eighth and ninth requests ask that the complaint state the date at which the common council ordered the bids to be received, the date at which the contract mentioned in the complaint was entered into between the city and appellant, and the nature and terms of the contract, and what were the specifications of the same in full. The contract need not be made a part of the complaint; the assessment' is the foundation of the action. Dugger v. Hicks, supra. The complaint shows that the contract was awarded to plaintiff on November 20, 1894, and that plaintiff has improved said street in all things complying with the resolution and order of improvement, and that on the 3rd of September, 1895, the improvement was accepted by the city engineer and the common council from the plaintiff, and the city engineer was ordered by said council to make and report a final estimate of the cost of said improvement, as by statute provided; that on the 10th of September, 1895, the engineer reported to the council a final estimate,, which was filed, and referred to an appropriate committee, etc. When approved, this estimate became an assessment.. New Albany Gas, etc., Co. v. Crumbo, 10 Ind. App. 360.

The sixteenth request (numbered seventeen in appellant’s brief) asks that the contract and specifications be made a part of the -complaint as an exhibit. In actions of this kind it is not necessary in the complaint to set out all the details of the work. Dugger v. Hicks, supra. The complaint alleges that the plans and specifications were on file in the office of the city engineer. Appellant had access to them. Appellant was not prejudiced by the rulings of the court on- the motion to make more specific. Courts will require a com[152] plaint to be made more definite and certain when the precise naturp of the charge is not apparent. The complaint is sufficiently certain and definite to make the charge apparent. Alleman v. Wheeler, 101 Ind. 141.

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

Lewis v. Albertson, 53 N.E. 1071, 23 Ind. App. 147, 1899 Ind. App. LEXIS 27 (Ind. Ct. App. 1899).

53 N.E. 1071 (Lewis v. Albertson) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Gordy v. State
315 N.E.2d 362 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1974)
Pattison v. Hogston, Admr.
157 N.E. 450 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1927)
Jarvis v. Mayor of Berlin
138 A. 7 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1927)
Rio Vista Mining Co. v. Superior Court
200 P. 616 (California Supreme Court, 1921)
Evans v. Rutherford
131 N.E. 55 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1921)
Carter v. Richart
114 N.E. 110 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1919)
Frazier v. City of Rockport
202 S.W. 266 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1918)
Prevo v. City of Hammond
116 N.E. 584 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1917)
Werninger v. City of Huntington
88 S.E. 655 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1916)
State ex rel. Stockton v. Lane
111 N.E. 616 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1916)
Pottlitzer v. Citizens Trust Co.
108 N.E. 36 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1915)
Kinmore v. Cresse
102 N.E. 403 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1913)
Jordan v. Indianapolis Coal Co.
100 N.E. 880 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1913)
Gerlach v. City of Spokane
124 P. 121 (Washington Supreme Court, 1912)
Brownell Improvement Co. v. Nixon
92 N.E. 693 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1910)
Theobald v. Clapp
87 N.E. 100 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1909)
Zorn v. Warren-Scharf Asphalt Paving Co.
84 N.E. 509 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1907)
Grass v. Ft. Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Co.
81 N.E. 514 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1907)
Donahue v. State
74 N.E. 996 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1905)
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad v. Ray
73 N.E. 942 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1905)