Mellinger v. Municipal Court

265 Cal. App. 2d 843, 71 Cal. Rptr. 535, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1689
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 19, 1968
DocketCiv. 31867
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 265 Cal. App. 2d 843 (Mellinger v. Municipal Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mellinger v. Municipal Court, 265 Cal. App. 2d 843, 71 Cal. Rptr. 535, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1689 (Cal. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

BISHOP, J. pro tem. *

Petitioner sought by this proceeding, to obtain a peremptory writ of prohibition, one that would put an end to further prosecution of the misdemeanor charge pending against him in the respondent court. An alter *845 native writ of prohibition was issued, and brought the proceedings to a hearing. The hearing ended in a judgment that the alternative writ be discharged and that the petition for a peremptory writ be denied. On petitioner’s appeal from this adverse judgment we find ourselves required to reverse the judgment, because of the absence of necessary findings.

Petitioner’s notice of appeal stated that he appealed “from the judgment or order entered ... on April 18, 1967. . . .” Prom this we had no difficulty in identifying that from which the appeal was taken. It was the concluding sentence in the memorandum which the trial judge signed and filed in support of his decision that the peremptory writ sought by the petitioner should not issue. The sentence is not a long one: " The clerk is directed to enter a minute order denying the requested peremptory writ of prohibition and discharging the alternative writ. ’ ’

We refer to this directive to the clerk as a “judgment” rather than “order” because of the terms of section 1064 Code of Civil Procedure: “A judgment in a special proceeding is the final determination of the rights of the parties therein.” The trial court’s words plainly state its final determination of the rights of the parties in this proceeding; no further judicial act was contemplated and that one was effective from the moment the memorandum, in which it appeared, was signed and filed. (Maxwell v. Perkins (1953) 116 Cal.App.2d 752 [255 P.2d 10].)

Obviously the term “final determination” as used in section 1064 does not foreclose the possibility of an appeal from the judgment which voices that final determination, with the consequent possibility that it will not remain final. An appeal was taken in this proceeding, as already noted, and it disclosed a grievous error that is fatal to the judgment. It cannot be held, however, that because, on an appeal, it appears that there is a good ground for taking it, that there was no judgment from which the appeal could be taken.

Prom the record on this appeal it appears that this proceeding began March 7, 1967, with the filing of a petition for “writs of prohibition, mandate and habeas corpus.” The trial court responded to it by immediately issuing an alternative writ of prohibition and order to show cause. After some continuances, and stipulation amending the petition, a hearing was had on March 31, 1967. We quote some of the passages in the reporter’s transcript of that day's events:

*846 “ [T]he parties do stipulate at this time that the Court may have before it all of the records of the Municipal Court in this matter. . . .
“. . . we would then indicate to the Court which of the items in the petition we disagree with, ...”
“ [T]he easiest way to handle this, your Honor, would be for the Court to bracket the items in the petition that the People deny. ...” [This by counsel for respondent.]
“Now, starting with Paragraph 3, however, there will be matters that are denied and I will indicate those only to the Court. ’ ’

Some seven passages in the petition appear “bracketed” to indicate allegations denied by the respondent in this proceeding.

Counsel for the petitioner was sworn and testified, as reported in four pages of the transcript, followed by many partial pages of cross-examination. Two further witnesses were called and testified at some length. Then we find this exchange of ideas at the conclusion of the hearing:

“The Court: Regardless of how it is decided. I don’t know whether you want findings of fact and conclusions of law on that sort of thing.
“ [Counsel for petitioner:] If I find any authority for or against it or if it seems to me that it might be well to have them. . . .
" The Court : All right, we can get back together and I can announce my ruling and you can decide whether you want findings. ’ ’

The matter was then taken under submission and on April 18 the trial judge filed an extensive memorandum in which he covered rather thoroughly the issues in the proceeding, indicating his view on the several issues of fact. The memorandum did not call for the preparation of findings, but, as already noted, it concluded with this sentence:

" The clerk is directed to enter a minute order denying the requested peremptory writ of prohibition and discharging the alternative writ.” Quite plainly, there was no waiver of written findings, within the permission of section 632 Code of Civil Procedure, and as plainly there were none prepared and filed, as directed by section 634 of that code.

In the briefs of the parties, filed on this appeal, no one made a point of the absence of findings,- and in none of them was there a citation, nor has our research discovered one, declaring that findings are or are not required in a prohibí *847 tion proceeding, such as ours. We find, however, that it is held that proceedings in mandamus require findings and we are convinced that, the code sections covering prohibition, can be interpreted no differently.

We find the matter succinctly covered in Lassen v. City of Alameda (1957) 150 Cal.App.2d 44, 48 [309 P.2d 520, 522] : “. . . when a question of fact is raised by a mandamus proceeding, findings of fact are required unless waived by the parties (Code of Civ. Proc. § 1109; ...).... In view of the fact that findings were required in this case and were not made, the order is not final and hence not appealable. Appeal dismissed. ’ ’

Section 1109, referred to, reads: " Except as otherwise provided in this title, the provisions of part two of this code are applicable to and constitute the rules of practice in the proceedings mentioned in this title.” The “proceedings mentioned in this title” are writ of review, mandamus and prohibition. “Part two of this code” includes sections 307-1062. Included, therefore, in the sections expressly made applicable to proceedings in prohibition we find section 632, with its requirement of written findings of fact and conclusions of law. (See the rationale of Delany v. Toomey (1952) 111 Cal.App.2d 570, 571-572 [245 P.2d 26, 27], cited in Lassen v. City of Alameda, supra.)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ochoa v. Anaheim City School District
11 Cal. App. 5th 209 (California Court of Appeal, 2017)
Lewis v. Shiomoto CA4/3
California Court of Appeal, 2015
Vollstedt v. City of Stockton
220 Cal. App. 3d 265 (California Court of Appeal, 1990)
Craig v. Municipal Court
100 Cal. App. 3d 69 (California Court of Appeal, 1979)
Covina-Azusa Fire Fighters Union, Local 2415 v. City of Azusa
81 Cal. App. 3d 48 (California Court of Appeal, 1978)
Kennedy v. South Coast Regional Commission
68 Cal. App. 3d 660 (California Court of Appeal, 1977)
Lompoc Federation of Teachers Local 3151 v. Lompoc Unified School District
58 Cal. App. 3d 701 (California Court of Appeal, 1976)
Bloom v. Municipal Court
545 P.2d 229 (California Supreme Court, 1976)
Ross v. Municipal Court
49 Cal. App. 3d 575 (California Court of Appeal, 1975)
Hankla v. Municipal Court
26 Cal. App. 3d 342 (California Court of Appeal, 1972)
People v. Wilson
271 Cal. App. 2d 60 (California Court of Appeal, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 Cal. App. 2d 843, 71 Cal. Rptr. 535, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mellinger-v-municipal-court-calctapp-1968.