Malloy v. Marshall-Wells Hardware Co.

173 P. 267, 90 Or. 303, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 209
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 22, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by51 cases

This text of 173 P. 267 (Malloy v. Marshall-Wells Hardware Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Malloy v. Marshall-Wells Hardware Co., 173 P. 267, 90 Or. 303, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 209 (Or. 1918).

Opinions

McCAMANT, J.

1. A preliminary question is suggested by tbe contention of Marshall-Wells Hardware Company that the state court lost jurisdiction on the filing of its petition and bond on removal to the federal court. It is alleged in the first affirmative answer of this defendant that such petition and bond were filed in the Circuit Court February 16, 1917, and that the Circuit Court refused to make an order removing the cause.

The petition and bond alleged to have been filed are attached to the answer as exhibits. The reply admits:

‘ ‘ That after the time allowed by law for the removal of this caúselo the District Court of the United.States for the District of Oregon, said defendant attempted to remove the same but was unsuccessful.”

The other allegations of the answer are denied. The bill of exceptions fails to show any evidence on this subject. Nothing further is shown in this connection by any part of the record. It does not appear, therefore, that the petition and bond were filed in the Circuit Court. This condition of the record prevents us from sustaining this contention of Marshall-Wells Hardware Company even if it were otherwise well taken.

2. The petition attached to the answer as an exhibit is sworn to under date of February 14,1917, and could not have been filed earlier than that date. It alleges that the petitioning defendant was duly served within Multnomah County, December 14, 1916. When, as in this case, the right of removal is based on diversity of citizenship, the petitioner is required to file his petition “at the time, or any time before the defendant is required by the laws of the state - or the rule of the [310]*310state court in which such suit is brought to answer or plead to the declaration or complaint of the plaintiff”: 25 Stat. 435. Under our law the petitioning defendant was required to answer or plead to the complaint by December 24, 1916, and although his time so to plead may have been enlarged by stipulation or court order, his time to petition for removal expired on that day. There is a line of authority to the effect that a plaintiff who stipulates for an extension of time within which to answer will not be heard to contend that the time allowed for the removal of the cause has expired. If this principle can be considered settled, it by no means follows that the Circuit Court lost jurisdiction of this cause by the filing of a petition and bond on removal February 14, 1917. The Circuit Court did not err in retaining jurisdiction of the cause.

3. Frank A. Doney, a witness for plaintiff, testified that the floor at the side of the hatch was slippdry and that its dangerous condition could have been obviated if a cleat had been put around the edge thereof. He was then asked, “Have you ever seen bams where they have this cleat that way?” Over the objection and exception of defendants he testified that he was familiar with a barn at Folsom, Montana, where such a cleat was in use about a floor opening. This evidence was offered to show that it was practicable to use the devices whose absence was contended by plaintiff to constitute negligence. In our opinion it was pertinent to the issue.

4. The witnesses Philip Erickson and William Malloy were permitted to testify over defendants’ objection and exception that after plaintiff’s injury a railing was put around the hatchway. The court stated that this testimony had no tendency to establish negligence, but that it was admitted solely for the purpose of show[311]*311ing that such a railing was practicable. That the testimony when so limited was properly admitted is taught by Love v. Chambers Lumber Co., 64 Or. 129, 134, 135 (129 Pac. 492).

5. Plaintiff contends that the bill of exceptions does not permit us to notice the other assignments of error which are pressed upon our attention. The bill of exceptions recites, the trial of the cause before a jury, the taking of plaintiff’s testimony which is attached as Exhibit “A,” the separate motions for nonsuit which were denied and the taking of defendants’ testimony which is attached as Exhibit “B.” The only portion of the testimony which is segregated is that which illustrates the foregoing rulings on the admissibility of evidence. The bill of exceptions sets out seriatim the instructions of the court, the exceptions reserved thereto and the requested instructions which were not given, defendants being allowed exceptions to the refusal thereof. The exhibits which are sent up with the transcript are not physically attached to the bill of exceptions. Plaintiff contends in reliance on Keady v. United Railways Co., 57 Or. 325, 333, 334 (100 Pac. 658, 108 Pac. 197), that we cannot consider the bill of exceptions even for the purpose of reviewing the rulings on defendants’ motions for a nonsuit and for a directed verdict.

In the case cited the exhibits consisted of considerable documentary evidence and the nature of the controversy was such that these documents might well prove decisive. The documents were neither attached to the bill of exceptions nor identified in any way except by a .certificate of the county clerk. The certificate of the trial judge was to the effect that the bound volume of testimony together with the exhibits attached constituted all the evidence. There being no [312]*312exhibits attached, it appeared affirmatively that a part of the testimony was missing. The court therefore applied the presumption that there was no error and refused to consider the questions based on the bill of exceptions. One of these questions was the alleged error in denying the motion for a nonsuit.

In the case at bar the certificate of the trial judge recites that Exhibits “A” and “B” “contain a full, true, complete and correct transcript of all the evidence.” There is no mention of exhibits in the certificate. The exhibits referred to in the transcript of the evidence are few in number and unimportant in their bearing on the question of liability. Two of them are radiographs of plaintiff’s spine; their evidentiary value relates wholly to the quantum of damages, a matter with which we are not concerned on this appeal. Another exhibit is a certified copy of an order of the federal court and no question is made but that its legal effect was correctly stated to the jury. Other exhibits are plats of the first and second floors of the bam where the accident occurred; they are illustrative of the testimony, but not otherwise material. The only remaining exhibit is a notice which was hanging in the bam and which advised teamsters what to do if they ran over anyone. The purport of all these exhibits is shown by the transcript of testimony which is duly identified. We are not disposed to extend the doctrine of Keady v. United Railways Company as we would have to do if we were to sustain this contention of plaintiff. It is our duty on this record to review the rulings of the Circuit Court in denying the separate motions for nonsuit and directed verdict interposed by defendants. We will first consider the motion interposed by the defendant corporation.

[313]*3136. It appears by the testimony that when this defendant took possession of the barn in the antnmn of 1910 it rigged np a hay carrier for the purpose of putting-hay and other things in the second story of the barn.

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Bluebook (online)
173 P. 267, 90 Or. 303, 1918 Ore. LEXIS 209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/malloy-v-marshall-wells-hardware-co-or-1918.