Rahilly v. Lane

15 Minn. 447
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 15, 1870
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 15 Minn. 447 (Rahilly v. Lane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rahilly v. Lane, 15 Minn. 447 (Mich. 1870).

Opinion

Ripley, Ch. J.

By the Court. This action was commenced before Sterry,.a justice of the peace in Lake City, Wabasha county, on the 27th July, 1867. After the issue joined, and sundry adjournments had, affidavit was made on behalf of the plaintiff, Nov. 15, 1867, conformably to Cen. Stat. chaj). 65, sec. 18, to obtain a transfer of the action to another justice; whereupon the following, which is the last entry in the case, was made in the justice’s docket: “Nov. 15, 1867, 9 o’clock a. m., case called and parties appeared. Upon an affidavit made by IT. D. Stocker for change of venue, a change of venue was granted.”

The docket of S. N. Gilbert, a justice of the adjoining election precinct oí Mount Pleasant, 'contains the following entries relative to the case: [Title of the Cause.] “ Justice court, Wabasha county, commenced before Clinton N. Sferry, Esq., justice of the peace of Lake City, Wabasha county. Brought before me by order for change of venue. The papers in the above entitled action were delivered to me on the 15th day of November, 1867. Transcript from Justice Sterry on file and in my office, together with affidavit of change of venue. After receiving papers in the [449]*449case, the case was continued by consent of attorneys of the respective parties until December 14, A. D. 1867. Dec. 14, 1867, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, at my office in Mt. Pleasant, case called. Plaintiff appeared in person and by his attorney. Defendants did not appear. Patrick II. Rahilly, the plaintiff, was sworn, and testified in his own behalf. After hearing the proofs offered by the plaintiff, the cause was held open until the 16th day of Dec. 1867, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff Patrick H. Rahilly, and against the defendants, James Lane, John Mecco and Jane Wills, for 100 dollars.

Damages, - ... . . $100.

And for costs, - - - - 27.62

Total damages and costs, ■ - - $127.62

S. N. GILBERT,

Justice of the Peace.”

Dec. 16, 1867.

Defendants appealed to district court. At June term, 1868, of said court, plaintiff moved to dismiss the appeal, and defendants moved to dismiss the action. The court granted the latter motion, and directed the following entry : “Nov. 24, 1868. Motion to dismiss action allowed, on the ground that the justice rendering judgment, had no jurisdiction in the case.” Prom this order the plaintiff appeals. We think the district court was right.

Upon the affidavit, the justice, Sterry, was required, (provided his costs were first paid) to transfer the action, and all papers appertaining to the same, to some other justice of the same, or an adjoining election district, who might thereupon proceed to hear and determine the same in the same manner as Sterry might have done. Gen. Stat. chap. 65, sec. 18.

[450]*450The transfer gives the jurisdiction. If Gilbert acquired any, it is because Sterry transferred the action to him. If he did, it must be shown by the record. Barnes vs. Holton, 14 Minn. 357; and the transfer being an act to be'done by Sterry, which the statute requires him to enter in his docket, (Gen. Stat. chap. 65, sec. 7, sub. 11) must be proved by it, if at all. But his docket contains no entry of any such transfer.

The affidavit ends with a prayer “'that the cause be transferred to another justice.” As the docket entry describes it as “an affidavit for change of venue,” we are certainly authorized to consider the record, as showing that the justice granted plaintiff’s application, that the' cause be transferred to another justice. But this did not end this duty, if his costs were paid. In that event, he must go farther, and transfer the action to some particular justice of those from among whom the law gives him the right, and makes it his duty to choose.

Not only is there nothing of record to show that he did this, but it not appearing that his costs were paid, there is nothing to show that it ever became his duty to do it.

It is true, that justice Gilbert’s docket recites that the case was brought before him by order for change of venue, but it is obvious that he could not give himself jurisdiction by a recital of what had been done in another court, and if he could, the recital goes no farther than Sterry’s entry, of which it copies the wording.

It is said that the entry of continuance by “ consent of attorneys of respective parties,” removes the objection. Suppose this to imply an appearance by the defendants before the justice — “ a full- appearance without objection,” as plaintiff contends that it does, but which we do not determine, it would not give jurisdiction. Appearing and [451]*451going to trial will not give jurisdiction where there'is none by law. 8 Johns. 409. Even the agreement of the parties cannot confer it. Oowen’s Treatise, p. 40.

This is not the case of waiver of objection by appearance to irregular or void process, as in the authorities cited by plaintiff. By consent, in such cases, the justice may obtain "that jurisdiction of the defendant’s person, which otherwise, by reason of the defective process, he would not have had ; for the statute expressly authorizes parties to confer jurisdiction upon the justice by a voluntary appearance without process. Ibid. Gen. Stat. ch. 65, see. 8. But this is not an action to be thus instituted. It is an action already commenced and pending, of which the justice cannot otherwise become possessed, than through the proceedings specified in the statute.

The proceedings of justice Sterry, or rather his failure to proceed further in the action, worked a discontinuance; and the judgment rendered by Gilbert, was of course, void. The defendants appealed - upon questions of law and fact; plaintiff insists that such an appeal waives objections to jurisdiction. The statute then in force, however, is expressly to the contrary. Gen. Stat. ch. 65, sec. 157.

Upon the filing of the justice’s return on an appeal, the district court becomes possessed of the action, in which it is to proceed as far as may be, as in actions originally commenced therein, except as specified in the section above cited. If an action of which the district court had no jurisdiction were commenced in it, it could only dismiss it; therefore, when an action of which the justice had no power to take cognizance, is brought up to the district court by an appeal which does not waive the objection to jurisdiction, it can render no other judgment.

The plaintiff, however, contends that the defendants’ pro[452]*452ceedings in respect to the appeal were so defective that no appeal was in fact taken. A consideration of the particulars in which the proceedings are said to be thus defective, does not lead to that conclusion. His first objection is, that the supposed appeal papers, though on file in the district court, are not attached to the transcript, or otherwise identified as the appeal papers in the case. Whether they are so attached, or not, does not appear by the return. Those which the plaintiff has brought here, are certified by the clerk of the district court to be true copies of the originals in this action, and appear by their contents to belong to it. If the alleged defect exists, however, it is in the return, which the district court can Compel him to amend.

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Bluebook (online)
15 Minn. 447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rahilly-v-lane-minn-1870.