Lumley v. Miller

119 N.W. 1014, 23 S.D. 16, 1909 S.D. LEXIS 73
South Dakota Supreme Court·Decided February 10, 1909·Published

Opinion

CORSON, J.

This is an action in claim and delivery, and, the judgment being in favor of the plaintiffs, the defendants have appealed.

In an additional abstract presented to this court by the plaintiffs and respondents, it is suggested that there is no bill of exceptions in this case for the reason that there is no indorsement on the purported bill of exceptions, that the same was filed in the office of the circuit court as a bill of exceptions; but no motion appears to have been made in the court below or this court to strike out the bill of exceptions or to strike the same from the abstract, and, as what purports to' be the bill of exceptions appears to have been duly settled by the judge of the circuit court, we are inclined to take the view that the document purporting to. be the bill of exceptions must be regarded and treated as such by this court.

The complaint is in the usual form, alleging that the plaintiffs are the owners and entitled to the possession of a certain lot of cattle described in the complaint, and which it is alleged were unlawfully detained by the defendants. The defendants in their answer deny plaintiffs’ ownership and right of possession, plead the pendency of another action in the circuit court involving the ownership and right of possession of the plaintiffs to the same property, and also plead a judgment in favor of the defendants in an action by the same plaintiffs against the vendor of the defendants in favor of the said vendor and against the plaintiffs. The defendants also allege their ownership and right of possession of the property in controversy. The trial was commenced in the circuit court before the .-court and jury, and so proceeded therein until the close of all the evidence. A,t the close of all the evidence the defendants moved the court for the direction of a verdict in favor of the defendants, and thereupon the plaintiffs" moved for a direction of the verdict in favor of .the plaintiffs and against the defendants. At this stage of the proceedings the following stipu[21] lation was entered into by counsel for the respective parties: “At this time it is agreed by and between the parties to this action and stipulated in open court that no question will be raised at any stage of the proceedings that a general verdict was not submitted to this jury upon all the issues in this case, and the court is allowed to submit only the question of the value of these cattle and determine the other questions as questions of law.” The court thereupon instructed the jury to find the value of the property, which they found to be $1,185. Thereupon the following proceedings were had: “Pursuant to the stipulation made as above mentioned, the questions of law in this case were presented to the court; both parties appearing. * * * The honorable circuit court notified the defendants in said case that its decision would be for the plaintiffs.” Thereupon the court proceeded to make findings of fact and conclusions of law and entered judgment thereon in favor of the ulaintiffs and against the defendants. The purported findings of fact and conclusions of law coming on for hearing before the said court, the defendants objected to the court making any findings of fact and conclusions of law in said case, under the stipulation entered into, and filed their objections and exceptions; the exceptions of the defendants being as follows: "Come now the defendants, Ira Miller and Joseph Éinder, and before the making and filing of any findings of fact and conclusions of law in this case, * * * but after the making of the opinion of the court, * * * and object and except to the making and filing of any findings of fact and conclusions of law, * * * on the ground that the court has no jurisdiction under and by virtue of the proceedings * * * and of the stipulations made at the close of the taking of testimony * * * by the attorneys for the respective parties to make and file any findings of fact and conclusions of law, * * * or to do anything else except to order a judgment * * * for either of the parties plaintiff or the parties defendant therein, * *■ ■*” Counsel for the defendants further objected and excepted to1 various portions of the opinion of the court delivered in the case, and also excepted, without • waiving their objections, to the findings of the court and to its conclusions of law made thereon,' and. without waiving their- objectio'ns they submitted finding's -and''conclusions [22] to the court, and these being refused, counsel moved for a new trial upon various' grounds, which motion was by the court also denied, to which the defendants duly excepted-

It is contended by the defendants that, by reason of the proceedings of the court in making findings of fact and conclusions of law thereon, there iwas a mistrial of the action, for the reason that the judgment is not supported by a verdict of a jury either general or special or by findings of fact and conclusions of law by the court authorized or consented to by the defendants. We are inclined to take the view that counsel for the defendants are right in their contention. It will be observed that the action was to recover the possession of personal property, in which action parties are entitled to a jury trial, that the case proceeded to trial before a jury, and that at the close of all the evidence the parties entered into the stipulation referred to. It will be observed that there is nothing in the stipulation authorizing the court to' try the action or authorizing the court to- make findings of 'fact and conclusions of law therein. Section 244 of the Revised Code of Civil Procedure provides: “An issue of law must be tried by the court or by the judge. An issue of fact for the recovery of money only, or of specific real or personal property, must be tried by a jury, unless a jury trial be waived as provided in section 275. * * *” Section 275 provides: “Trial by jury may be waived by the several parties to an issue of fact in actions arising on contract, or for the recovery of specific real or personal property, with or without damages, and with the assent of the court in other actions, in manner following: * * '* (2) By written consent, in person or by attorney, filed with the- clerk (3) by oral consent in open court entered in the minutes.”

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Lumley v. Miller, 119 N.W. 1014, 23 S.D. 16, 1909 S.D. LEXIS 73 (S.D. 1909).

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