Maryland Casualty Co. v. Apple

1928 OK 290, 267 P. 239, 130 Okla. 270, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 532
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 1, 1928
Docket18325
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1928 OK 290 (Maryland Casualty Co. v. Apple) 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
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Apple, 1928 OK 290, 267 P. 239, 130 Okla. 270, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 532 (Okla. 1928).

Opinion

DIFFENDAFFER, C.

The sole question involved in this case is whether or not the petition of plaintiff in error to set aside the judgment obtained by defendant in error against plaintiff in error in the district courr of Carter county stated facts sufficient to obtain the relief sought.

On December 13, 1926, defendant in error obtained the judgment against plaintiff in error sought to be set aside. On January 26, 1927, plaintiff in error filed its verified petition to vacate and set aside the judgment theretofore obtained. The grounds relied upon were:

“That said judgment was granted through m'stake, and is void for the following reasons : That the attorneys for the defend-nnts J. M. Shinliolser and Maryland Casualty Company were handed a copy of summons’ in this case, and wrote the court clerk of Carter county, Okla., and obtained a copy of the petition in said cause, which said petition did not name the defendant, and did not state any cause of action against the said Maryland Casualty Company, nor ask for any judgment against the Maryland Casualty Company, and for this reason the clause in the body of the petition wherein the plaintiff attempted to state a cause of action against the defendant Maryland Casualty Company was overlooked, and thinking the suit was filed only against the defendant J M. Shinholser, demurrer in his behalf was filed in due time. That this was clearly an inadvertence caused by the condition and the terms of the petition filed herein.
“That said petition does not state a cause of action against this defendant Maryland Casualty Company, and said judgment is therefore void.
“Defendant further states that it has a valid defense to the petition herein, as more fully appears in its answer, copy of which is hereto attached ma.rked Exhibit ‘A’ and made a part hereof.
*271 "That said judgment is void for the further reason that plaintiff attempted to take judgment against the surety on the bond without having first established the liability of the principal.”

The petition also alleged that plaintiff in error had a valid defense to the petition upon which the judgment was obtained, and attached a copy of its proposed answer.

The petition also contained, as a part thereof, a copy of the judgment sought to be vacated and set asme, which in view of the record in this cause, we set out in full herein as follows:

“Now on this, the 13th day of December, 1926, there came on to be heard the above-entitled cause, and the plaintiff appeared by his attorneys, and the defendant Maryland Casualty Company failing to appear, made default, and it having been shown to the court that said defendant had been duly served with summons and has failed to appear in this action, and that the time for the said defendant to appear has expired, and that said defendant is in default. And the plaintiff appearing and demanding trial and the plaintiff having waived the jury and submitted all questions of fact to the court, the court having heard said matters and being fully advised in the premises and having heard and considered the testimony introduced by the defendant, finds that the allegations of the plaintiff’s petition are true, and that the plaintiff is entitled to recover the sum of $730 from said defendant, the court rendering judgment for said sum.
“Wherefore, it is ordered, adjudged and decreed by the court that the plaintiff, S. A. Apple, administrator of the estate of Martha G. Bridgman, deceased, do have and recover of and from the Maryland Casualty Company, the sum of $730, together with all costs in this action, for all of which let execution issue.
“Asa E. Walden, Judge.”

To this petition to vacate, defendant entered an appearance and waived service of summons, and on January 27, 1927, filed his demurrer thereto upon the grounds that said petition to vacate did not state a cause of action.

On February 11, 1927, the court, at the suggestion of plaintiff in the original action, dismissed same as' to Shinholser, and on the same date sustained the demurrer to the petition to vacate. From which order plaintiff in error appeals.

The assignments of error are: (1) The court erred in sustaining the demurrer. (2) Error in refusing to set aside the former judgment. (3) Error in refusing to hear evidence in support of the petition of plaintiff in error. (4) Abuse of discretion in not permitting the cause to be heard on its merits.

The first proposition presented is that the judgment sought to be vacated was void for the reason that the petition upon which it was based wholly failed to state a cause of a«tion.

The petition upon which the judgment was obtained is as follows:

“S. A. Apple, Administrator of the Estate of Martha C. Bridgman, Deceased, Plaintiff v. J. M. Shinholser, Administrator of the Estate of T. C. Bridgman, Deceased, Defendant. No. 14702.
“Petition.
“The plaintiff, S. A. Apple, complaining of the defendant, J. M. Shinholser, administrator of the estate of T. C. Bridgman, deceased, and the Maryland Casualty Company, says:
“First. That the plaintiff is the duly appointed, acting and qualified administrator of the estate of Martha C. Bridgman.
“Second. The plaintiff says that Martha C. Bridgman died in Carter county, Okla., on or about the 21st day of December, 1922, and on the 26th day .of May, 1925, T. C. Bridgman was duly appointed the administrator of the estate of Martha C. Bridgman, by the county court of Carter county, Okla., and duly executed his bond under the state of Oklahoma as by law required in the sum of $5,000; That said Maryland Casualty Company as the sureties on said bond. A copy of said bond is hereto attached and made a part hereof, and marked Exhibit ‘A’, and all the terms and conditions of said bond are made a part of this petition as though fully set out herein. The plaintiff says that thereafter T. C. Bridgman departed this life, and that the plaintiff was duly appointed as the administrator of the estate of Martha C. Bridgman, and that after the death of T. C. Bridgman, J. M. Shinholser was duly appointed as the administrator of the estate of T. C. Bridgman, deceased.
“Third. The plaintiff says that while T. C. Bridgman was thus duly appointed, acting and qualified administrator of the estate of Martha C. Bridgman, that there came into the hands of said administrator the following property:
One diamond bar'pin (1 %) c.
perfect_$500.00
Two upholstered rockers - 90.00
One china closet .- 50.00
One kitchen cabinet- 40.00
Cash rents collected --— 50.00
“That said property was received by the said Bridgman in the capacity as administrator, and that no report was made by said Bridgman and no inventory was ever filed, and this plaintiff says that he is unable *272

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1928 OK 290, 267 P. 239, 130 Okla. 270, 1928 Okla. LEXIS 532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maryland-casualty-co-v-apple-okla-1928.