Owens v. Clark

1936 OK 558, 61 P.2d 201, 177 Okla. 519, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 406
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 29, 1936
DocketNo. 24700.
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1936 OK 558 (Owens v. Clark) 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
Owens v. Clark, 1936 OK 558, 61 P.2d 201, 177 Okla. 519, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 406 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

CORN, J.

This is an appeal by O. O. Owens and the World Publishing Company from an order of the district court of Atoka county overruling part of a motion to tax costs. This appeal is an aftermath of the so-called Clark libel case—Owens v. Clark, 154 Okla. 108, 6 P. (2d) 755. Judgment was rendered therein by the district judge upon the verdict of the jury for a sum certain as damages in favor of the plaintiff, Clark. No judgment was rendered for costs. On appeal to this court the judgment of the trial court was reversed, with directions to dismiss the case, and showing the sum of $25 had been paid as a filing fee to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, and no costs of case-made.

According to the record, over a month after the said mandate had been filed in the trial court, the following motion was filed:

“Come now the defendants, O. O. Owens and the World Publishing Company, and show to the court: <
“1. That from the judgment heretofore rendered herein in favor of the plaintiff, J. W. Clark, and against these defendants, O. O. Owens and the World Publishing Company, which judgment is recorded in Book —, Page —, of the journals of this court, these defendants duly prosecuted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, and subsequently, to wit, on the 1st day of December, 1931, by the consideration, decision and judgment of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the aforesaid judgment was duly reversed and held for naught and said cause remanded to this court with instructions to dismiss the petition of plaintiff.
“2. That after the aforesaid decision and reversal with directions by the Supreme Court of' Oklahoma, a mandate was duly issued embodying the aforesaid decision, reversal and directions, as in such eases provided, and such mandate was transmitted to the clerk of this court and is now of record and on file herein.
“3. That the costs of this action have never been formally taxed other than as various items of costs appear on the appearance docket; that among the items which properly are taxable and should be taxed as a part of the costs of this action are the following:
“(a) The fees or costs of the officers for the taking and transcribing of the several depositions taken herein and used in the trial of this cause, the cost of which depositions has heretofore been paid by the defendants; that the same amounts in the aggregate, for the depositions taken by the Commissioners G. A. Huff, and Elmer Huff, to $229.95; and for the depositions taken by Nannie Saxon Bell, to $135.00 — making a total of $364.95, which fees were duly paid by the defendants, and which should be taxed as a part of the costs of this action;
“(b) The cost of the case-made for the appeal of said cause to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, being the sum of $1,046.90, the cost thereof duly paid by the defendants to A. R. Telle, the official court reporter, for the preparation of same;
“(c) The sum of $25, as shown by the mandate hereinbefore referred to, — costs *520 accrued in the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, which said $25 so accrued in the Supreme Court was paid by these defendants.
“4. That the aforesaid mandate should be ordered spread of record and judgment rendered herein in accordance therewith.
“Wherefore, these defendants pray that the mandate heretofore filed herein be ordered spread of record; that the aforesaid judgment in favor of the plaintiff, J. W. Clark, and against these defendants, be vacated, set aside and he!4 for naught; that the petition herein be dismissed and judgment entered for the defendants and against the plaintiff for the costs of this action, including the hereinbefore-mentioned costs amounting in the aggregate to $1,461.85, and for such other and further order as to the court may seem proper and as the law may require.”

J. W. Clark filed his answer to said motion which was a general denial.

The only evidence introduced by the plaintiffs in error was the journal entry, opinion of the Supreme Court, the motion, and affidavit ’of O. O. Owens.

The trial court overruled the motion as to all the items except the $25 filing fee.

A part of the judgment is as follows:

“Whereupon, the defendants offer their testimony in support of their aforesaid motion to rctax costs, etc., and rest; said matter is duly argued by counsel and upon consideration thereof, the court finds that as to the sum of $25, cost deposit made by the defendants in the Supreme Court of Oklahoma in the appeal herein, said motion should be sustained, and that otherwise said motion should be overruled. * * *”

A part of the affidavit of O. O. Owens which was introduced in evidence, without objections of the plaintiff, is as follows:

“* * * x-Ie duly paid unto G-. A. Huff and Elmer Huff, as fees for the taking and transcribing of depositions filed and used in this cause, the statutory charge therefor, same being the sum of $229.95, and unto Nannie Saxton Bell, as fees for the taking and transcribing of depositions filed and used in this cause, the statutory charge therefor, same being the sum of $135. *

The assignments of error are argued under two propositions:

First. “Upon receipt of a mandate from the Supreme Court, it is the duty of the trial court to spread the same of record and to proceed in accordance with the directions therein contained and in substantial compliance therewith.”

Second. “Judgment having been rendered in the trial court in favor of plaintiff and on appeal to this court, such judgment reversed and remanded, with directions to dismiss the action, the trial court has jurisdiction to, and on motion of any interested parties, must retax costs. On such motion, therefore, the court should tax as costs, among other items:

“(a) The cost of the case-made for the appeal of said cause to the Supreme Court;
“(b) The statutory fees of the officers (in the present case commissioners appointed by the court), for the taking, transcribing, and filing of the several depositions taken and used in the trial of the cause, the fees of such officers for the taking, etc., of such depositions having theretofore been paid by the defendants.”

A part of the motion goes to costs incurred for taking depositions before the trial of the cause.

Section 519, O. S. 1931, is as follows:

“Where it is not otherwise provided by this and other statutes, costs shall be allowed of course to the plaintiff, upon a judgment in his favor, in actions for the recovery of money only, or for the recovery of specific real or personal property.”

Section 520, O. S. 1931, is as follows:

“Costs shall be allowed of course to any defendant, upon a judgment in his favor in the actions mentioned in the last section.”

Section 524, O. S. 1931, is as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
1936 OK 558, 61 P.2d 201, 177 Okla. 519, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 406, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/owens-v-clark-okla-1936.