Lynch v. Collins

1925 OK 108, 233 P. 709, 106 Okla. 133, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 41
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 10, 1925
Docket15224
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1925 OK 108 (Lynch v. Collins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lynch v. Collins, 1925 OK 108, 233 P. 709, 106 Okla. 133, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 41 (Okla. 1925).

Opinion

Opinion by

STEPHENSON, C.

A. Collins and Cornelia Collins commenced their action against the plaintiffs in error, and oth-^r defendants, to quiet title in certain real estate in favor of the plaintiffs and against the defendants.

Two of the plaintiffs in .error were minors at the timel of the rendition of the judgment to quiet title, and one is now a minor. Service was obtained upon the plaintiffs in error by publication. The attorney for the plaintiffs filed his sworn affidavit in the cause to the effect that he had mailejd copies of the publication notice and of the petition to the plaintiffs in error, at Coffey-ville. Kan., recited to be the place of residence of the parties. Default was made by the plaintiffs in error, and in the trial of the cause judgment was rendqted for the defendants in error herein and against the plaintiffs in error on March 23, 1920, quieting title as against the latter.

Thej judgment of the court quieting title recited that legal service was had upon all the defendants, and that the minors in said cause appeared by guardian ad litem duly appointed by. the court. Thel plaintiffs in error filed an application in the cause on January 23, 1923, to set aside the judgment and to be permitted to defend in th^ cause. The application to set the judgment aside was based upon the following grounds:

(1) That the defendants we're entitled to have the judgment set aside under the provisions of section 256, Comp. Stat. 1921, for the reason that the defendants did not receive actual notice of the pendency of the cause prior to judgment, and that application to set aside thej judgment was made within three years from the date of the rendition of the judgment.

(2) That the judgment quieting title in favor of th^ plaintiffs and against the defendants was void for the reason that the plaintiffs claimed title to the real estate through a void guardian’s deed, purporting to sell and convey the inteirest of the defendants in the real estate.

No. equitable questions are presented by the attack on thq judgment and in the appeal. The questions involved in this appeal are to be determined by the rules of law and statutes involved.

Th^ second ground assigned by the plaintiffs in error to set aside the judgmem is a collateral attack. The judgment of a court of general jurisdiction is not subject to collateral attack, unless the judgment is void upon its fac^. If the judgment is void upon its face, it is subject to attack, collaterally, between the parties, or between the parties and any person who claims an interest in the subject-matter through any of the parties to the action. The judgment of a court of general jurisdiction will appear void upon its face if the court is not granted jurisdiction by the Constitution or statutes to try the particular cause, as where a county court should enter a judgment foreclosing a real estate mortgage. There are two propositions involved in the trial of the cause; the authority of the court to try the particular action, and the trial of the cause according to the rules of law as applicable to thej particular case. It is the consideration of errors of the latter class in a collateral attack which sometimes leads to confusion by reason of the use of the term “want of jurisdiction.” Strictly speaking the term “want of jurisdiction” relates to a lack of authority on the part of the court to adjudicate the subject-matter involved in the action, as where a county court should undertake to foreclose a real estate mortgage.

There are two prerequisites for a judgment to be valid: First, that the court has jurisdiction of th^ subject-matter; second, that the defendant has been served with no *135 tice as prescribed by law of tbe pendency of tbe action against him.

Tbe failure! of tbe plaintiff to cause service to be made upon tbe defendant, as is prescribed by law, may be termed, more properly, a ‘‘lack of due process of law”, ratber than a lack of jurisdiction to adjudicate tbe subject-matter involved in tbe action. Tbe failure .of tbe plaintiff to cause personal service to be bad upon tbe defendant in a .personal, action, as is' prescribed by law, renders the judgment merely voidable between tb^ parties and those having actual notice of tbe defect. Tbe judgment in such a case is merely voidable between tbe parties and those having notice for the reason that the defect is not reflected in tbe judgment, and tbe assignee or grantees of a party to the action would take tbe interest of the grantor without notice of the defect. McDougal v. Rice, 79 Okla. 303, 193 Pac. 415; Mellon v. St. Louis Union Trust Co., 240 Fed. 359.

Tbe judgment of a court of general jurisdiction is entitled to tbe presumption that all legal acts have been done to give validity to the judgment, unless tbe contrary affirmatively appears from the ¡record. Therefore, in an action where tbe record is silent as to service, it is presumed that due and valid service was bad upon tbe defendant; consequently, tbe judgment is valid upon its face. Tbe judgment will be merely voidable if in fact service was not bad upon tbe defendant, or if the! return of the officer showing service is in fact false. Tbe failure of tbe plaintiff to cause service to be bad upon the defendant, or the! lack of service upon tbe defendant, as is required by law, denies tbe defendant bis day in court. We think the latter errors more properly come under tbe classification “want of due process of law,” ratber than tbe term “jurisdiction.” Tbe judgment under such circumstances is merely voidable, but this is a easej where tbe defendant may attack tbe judgment, collaterally, for tbe reason that tbe attack is bas^d upon tbe charge of a failure to give tbe defendant his day in- court.

But the burden is on tbe defendant to show by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that service was not bad upon. him. Neff v. Edwards, 107 Okla. 101, 230 Pac. 234.

It Is probable that there are few errors falling within tbe class of “want of due process of law”, aside from tbe question of lack of service, which may be presented by a collateral attack upon a judgment. This is tbe general rule for tbe reason that in tbe trial of a cause, over which tbe court has jurisdiction, errors committed in relation to quasi jurisdictional matters are not reflected in tbe judgment; consequently, tbe judgment is not void! upon its face and cannot be attacked collaterally. Abraham v. Homer, 102 Okla. 12, 226 Pac. 50.

Tbe court bad jurisdiction to fry tbe action to quiet title between the plaintiffs and defendant for the reason that the Constitution of our state vests exclusive jurisdiction in the district court over such actions. Service was had upon tbe defendants in this action in tbe way and manner prescribed by law, which is not questioned by them. The judgment recites that a guardian ad litem was appointed for all minors, and defended tbe action for them. Tbe particular point made by tbe defendants is that the deq'd through which tbe plaintiffs claimed was void, and that tbe latter were not entitled to tbe possession of tbe real estate. The! answer to this charge is that tbe validity of the deed through which) tbe plaintiffs claimed was tbe particular question which the action presented to tbe court. The trial of tbe action, in tbe main, involved tbe validity of tbe deeds. Tbe court bad jurisdiction of the subject-matter and service bad been completed upon thej defendants in tbe way and manner prescribed by law.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1925 OK 108, 233 P. 709, 106 Okla. 133, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lynch-v-collins-okla-1925.