Libby v. Spokane Valley Land & Water Co.

98 P. 715, 15 Idaho 467, 1908 Ida. LEXIS 123
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 98 P. 715 (Libby v. Spokane Valley Land & Water Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Libby v. Spokane Valley Land & Water Co., 98 P. 715, 15 Idaho 467, 1908 Ida. LEXIS 123 (Idaho 1908).

Opinion

STEWART, J.

The respondent recovered a judgment against the appellant, before T. E. Hedal, justice of the peace of Coeur d’Alene precinct, Kootenai county, Idaho, for the sum of $190 and $16 costs. The appellant appealed to the. district court, from said judgment and filed in said justice’s; court an undertaking on appeal as follows:

“Know All Men by These Presents: That Whereas the-Spokane Valley Land & Water Company, defendant in the above-entitled action, is about to appeal to the District Court of the First Judicial District of the State of Idaho, in and for the County of Kootenai, from the judgment made and entered against the defendant in the above-entitled action [470]*470in said Justice Court, in favor of the Plaintiff in said action, on the 4th day of January, 1908, for the sum of One Hundred and Ninety ($190.00) Dollars damages and the sum of Sixteen ($16.00) Dollars costs, and is desirous of staying the proceedings upon said judgment.
“now, therefore, in consideration of the premises and of such appeal, the undersigned, The Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, a corporation, authorized to execute such bonds in the State of Idaho, does hereby undertake and promise on the part of the appellant, to and with the defendant in said action, in the sum of Four Hundred and Twelve ($412.00) Dollars, being a sum equal to twice the sum of said Judgment and Costs, that the said Spokane Valley Land & Water Company, appellant, will pay the amount of said Judgment appealed from, and all costs if the appeal be withdrawn or dismissed, or the amount of any judgment and all costs that may be recovered against it in the action in the District Court, not exceeding the said sum of Four Hundred Twelve ($412.00) Dollars.” This undertaking was signed as follows: “Fidelity & Deposit Co. of' Maryland, by Jas. A. Williams, its attorney in fact. Attest: A. V. Chamberlain, Agent, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. (Corpo•rate Seal.) ”

The. notice of appeal and undertaking were filed with the justice on January 11, 1908 and on January 15, 1908, the plaintiff, respondent here, filed and served his exceptions to the undertaking on appeal, and to the sufficiency of the surety, and requiring 'the surety to appear and justify, as provided by sec. 4842, Rev. Stat. On. January 21, 1908, the appellant filed with the justice of the peace a certified copy of the certificate of the state insurance commissioner, showing that the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland had complied with the laws of Idaho and was authorized to become surety upon bonds in the state. After the filing of this, certificate, the justice approved the undertaking on appeal, and the record was certified up to and filed in the district court. In the district court a motion was made by the respondent to dismiss the appeal. The principal grounds urged [471]*471were, that the undertaking filed in' the justice’s court • was not a sufficient undertaking under the statute; that the plaintiff, having served notice of the exception to the surety upon said undertaking, and the respondent not having justified said surety, as required by law, there was no undertaking on appeal filed in said .justice’s court. Also, that there was no showing or evidence presented to the justice’s court, that the agents of said surety comp any, purporting .to have signed the appeal bond, had authority to sign the same. The trial .court sustained the motion and dismissed the appeal. This appeal is from that judgment.

Three questions are presented: First, — Was the undertaking on appeal, from the justice’s court, a sufficient undertaking under the statute? Second, — Was the appellant required by law to have the surety upon his undertaking on appeal, appear and justify before the justice of the peace? Third, — Was sufficient proof made to the justice’s court showing that the agents, executing such undertaking on appeal, had authority to execute the same ?

In this court respondent moves to strike out certain portions of the transcript. The portions to which the motion is addressed consist of what is denominated “exceptions to the order of the court dismissing the appeal.” This is in the form of a bill of exceptions, and counsel for respondent contends that it should be stricken out for the reason that it does not show that any service was ever made upon the respondent or his counsel. While this document is denominated exceptions to an order, and is in the general form of a bill of exceptions, yet under the statute it is not strictly .a bill of exceptions. It is merely a certificate or statement cf the trial judge of the papers considered by him at the Fearing of the motion to dismiss the appeal in the district court. This paper enumerated by proper identification the different documents and papers used and considered by the trial court upon the hearing of the motion to dismiss the appeal. It was necessary to identify in some form the papers and documents so considered by the trial court. (Bonner v. Powell, 7 Ida. 104, 61 Pac. 138; Dougal v. Eby, 11 Ida. 789, [472]*47285 Pac. 102; Steve v. Bonner’s Ferry Lumber Co., 13 Ida. 384, 92 Pac. 363; Doust v. Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co., 14 Ida. 677, 95 Pac. 209.) This could be done, either by-certificate of the trial judge, a stipulation of counsel, or a certificate of the clerk of the district court. In this case appellant has seen fit to have such papers identified by the certificate of the trial judge, and although such paper is denominated a bill of exceptions, yet, in truth and fact, it is merely a certificate identifying such papers, and being such it was unnecessary to serve the same upon counsel for respondent. Neither was it necessary to incorporate in a bill of exceptions the different documents used upon the hearing of the motion to dismiss the appeal. The statute, sec. 4819, provides that “on appeal from a judgment rendered on an appeal, or from an order except an order granting or refusing a new trial, the appellant must furnish the court with a copy of the notice of appeal, of the judgment or order appealed from, and the papers used upon the hearing in the court below. ’ ’ This statute required the appellant to furnish this court with a copy of the notice of appeal, the judgment or order appealed from, and the papers used on the hearing-in the court below. The certificate, made by the trial judge- and appearing in the record, identifies the papers so used upon the hearing in the court below and is a compliance-with the statute. A bill of exceptions was not required. (Rev. Stat., sec. 4427.) The motion is also addressed to the-undertaking on appeal filed in the justice’s court.

An examination of the certificate above referred to shows; that this undertaking was used by the trial court upon the hearing of the motion to dismiss the appeal. Therefore, it-was proper to certify such undertaking to this court upon, this-appeal, under the provisions of Rev. Stat., see. 4819. The-motion to strike out portions of the transcript will be overruled. The first inquiry, then, upon this appeal is: Was the-undertaking filed in the justice’s court sufficient under the-statute. Rev. Stat., see. 4842 provides: “An appeal from a justice’s or probate court is not effectual for any purpose, unless an undertaking be filed, with two or more sureties,. [473]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
98 P. 715, 15 Idaho 467, 1908 Ida. LEXIS 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/libby-v-spokane-valley-land-water-co-idaho-1908.