Lindley v. Kelley

42 Ind. 294
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1873
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 42 Ind. 294 (Lindley v. Kelley) 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
Lindley v. Kelley, 42 Ind. 294 (Ind. 1873).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

It becomes necessary for us to dispose of a preliminary question made by counsel for appellee, before we pass upon the merits of the controversy.

This was an action of replevin by the appellee against the appellant as sheriff, to try the rights of property in certain growing corn which had been levied upon as the property of James O’Brien by the sheriff) and which was claimed by the appellee. There was issue. The cause was submitted to a jury for trial. The appellee offered his evidence in support of the issues resting upon him. The appellant demurred to the evidence. The demurrer was overruled, to which ruling the appellant excepted. The'demurrer set out the evidence which had been given to the jury by the appellee and then demu'redtothe sufficiency of such evidence. Final judgment was rendered for the appellee, from which [296]*296the.appellant appeals and assigns for error the overruling of his demurrer to the evidence. The evidence is not put in the record by a bill of exceptions. It is insisted by counsel for the appellee, that the evidence cannot be put into the record by setting it out in a demurrer to the evidence and excepting to the ruling of the court upon such demurrer. It is conceded that such was the practice prior to our code, but it is insisted that it has abrogated such practice, and we are referred to sections 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, and 347, on pages 208 to 210, and sec. 559, on page 273, 2 G. & H.

The sections referred to, except sec. 5 5 9, relate to exceptions, and the mode .of taking and placing them on the record. Sections 345 and 346 are as follows:

“Sec. 345. Where the decision objected to is entered on the record, and the grounds of objection appear in the entry, the exception may be taken by the party causing to be noted at the end of the decision that he excepts.

“ Sec. 346. Where the decision is not entered on the record, or the grounds of objection do not sufficiently appear in the entry, the party excepting must reduce his exceptions to writing, and present it to the judge for his allowance and signature," etc.

The above quoted sections do not introduce.any new practice, but simply re-enact the law as it has existed since bill's of exceptions were introduced by statute in England. Bills of exceptions were not known to the common law, but were introduced by 13 Edw. 1. ch. 31. Until that time, if the judge decided wrongly upon any point of law, the suitor was without remedy. Bulkeley v. Butler, 2 B. & C. 434.

It is provided by the above quoted sections of the code, that when, in the progress of a cause, the decision objected to is entered on the record, that is, when it is a necessary part of the record, and the grounds of the objection appear in the entry, the party may cause it to he noted at the end of the decision that he excepts, and that such entiy shall be sufficient to reserve the question; but when the decision is [297]*297not entered on the record, or the grounds of the objection do hot sufficiently appear in the entry, then the party cannot avail himself of any erroneous ruling unless the question is reserved and placed upon the record by a bill of exceptions.

Section 559 provides what shall constitute the transcript on appeal to this court, and how the several parts shall be made a part of the record. By that section all proper entries and all the papers relating to the cause are to be deemed parts of the record. This includes all the pleadings and the rulings of the court thereon, when presented by demurrer. All other matters must be made a part of the record by a bill of exceptions.

The complaint, answers, replies, demurrers, etc., must be filed by the clerk, and they constitute a part of the record, and when a transcript is made out the clerk is required to copy all these pleadings at large. The journal entry, by the clerk, of the filing of all pleadings is necessarily a part of the record. And where a demurrer is filed to a pleading, the demurrer, as we have said, is a natural part of the record; the entry, by the clerk, of its filing, is so also; and so is the action of the court in sustaining or overruling it. And, as the demurrer must assign causes, the ground of the decision of the court necessarily and sufficiently appears of record; and, consequently, no bill of exceptions is required. Kesler v. Myers, 41 Ind. 543; Matlock v. Todd, 19 Ind. 130.

There seems to be no room to doubt that the practice above indicated is the correct one when applied to a demurrer to the pleadings. In what does a demurrer to the evidence differ from a demurrer to the pleadings ? A demurrer to a pleading admits the truth of the facts stated, while a demurrer to the evidence admits the truth of the facts proved. Both demurrers present questions of law for the decision of the court. As we have seen, the pleading demurred to, the demurrer, the ruling of the court thereon, and the exception of the party to such ruling, constitute a part of the record. [298]*298When a demurrer is filed to the evidence, the cause, if being tried by a jury, is withdrawn from the jury, and the question is referred to the court, whether, conceding the facts proved to be true, they are sufficient in law to support the action. The old practice was, where there was a demurrer to the evidence, for the court to order a note of the evidence to be taken, which was signed by counsel on both sides, and the demurrer was affixed to the postea. Buller Nisi Prius, 313; Tidd Pr. 866.

But the modern practice is for the party demurring to set out in full and at length the evidence in his demurrer. This practice has been recognized and sanctioned by this court, under our code of procedure. Griggs v. Seeley, 8 Ind. 264. In that case the demurrer sets out at length the evidence, and then demurs to it upon the ground that it was not sufficient to support the issue. There was a joinder in demurrer. In that case will be found a form of a demurrer to evidence and of the joinder, which has received the approval of this court.

The usual practice is for the opposite party to join in demurrer, but this is not necessary. By a joinder in demurrer the party admits that the evidence is properly set out. If the party offering the evidence is of the opinion that the evidence is not fully and correctly set out, he should refuse to join in demurrer, but should pray the judgment of the court that his adversary may not be admitted to his demurrer, until the evidence is fully and correctly set forth, and he should show to the court wherein the evidence is not fully and correctly set forth. The whole,.operation of entering the matter on the record and of conducting the demurrer to evidence is, and ought to be, under the direction and control of the judge sitting at the trial; and where it is objected that the evidence is not fully and correctly set forth, it is the duty of the judge to determine the question; and if the objection is found to be true, he should require the party demurring to strike out any matter improperly inserted or to insert any matter improperly omitted, until the demur[299]*299rer speaks the truth. Tidd. Pr. 865; Buller Nisi Prius, 3!3-

Where there is a demurrer to evidence and a joinder, the court may have the damages assessed by the jury conditionally; or the jury may be discharged, leaving the damages to be assessed by another jury, should the demurrer be overruled. Andrews v. Hammond, 8 Blackf. 540.

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Bluebook (online)
42 Ind. 294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lindley-v-kelley-ind-1873.