Rio Grande Western Railway Co. v. Telluride Power Transmission Co.

63 P. 995, 23 Utah 22, 1900 Utah LEXIS 80
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 11, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 63 P. 995 (Rio Grande Western Railway Co. v. Telluride Power Transmission Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rio Grande Western Railway Co. v. Telluride Power Transmission Co., 63 P. 995, 23 Utah 22, 1900 Utah LEXIS 80 (Utah 1900).

Opinion

After stating the facts,

MiNee, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

1. The Telluride Power Transmission Company and L. L. Nunn, the appellants, filed a petition to remove the case to the Federal Court, alleging diversity of citizenship. This petition was denied by the district court, and after transfer to the Federal Court on a transcript of the proceedings, the case was remanded to the district court. The appellants now object to the jurisdiction of the state courts to hear or try the case, -and ask this court to review the order of the United States Court in remanding the case to the district court of the State. This we can not do. From such an order no appeal lies to this court. The order remanding the case is final, and this court [33]*33bas no authority to review, on appeal, tbe order of tbe Eederal court remanding tbe case to tbe state court. Murray v. Lockhart, 123 U. S. 56; Richmond & Danville Railroad Co. v. Thoubron, 134 U. S. 45; In re Pennsylvania Co., 137 U. S. 451; Telluride Power Co. v. R. G. W. Ry. Co., 175 U. S. 639.

2. Many of tbe questions involved in this case were passed upon by this court in tbe case of tbe Rio Grande Wes. Ry. Co. v. Telluride Power Company et al., 16 Utah 125. In that case tbe court held, in substance, that respondent was such a railroad corporation as was contemplated by section 2358, C. L. U. 1888; that its articles were such as were contemplated by it, and that it was .entitled to ten years from tbe time it duly filed them within which to finish tbe road and put it in full operation; that it sufficiently appeared from tbe record that tbe plaintiff bad located its right of way upon the land in dispute under section 1 of an act granting railroads the right of way through tbe public lands of tbe United States, found in eighteenth Statute at Large, page 482, part 3; that the plaintiff has duly filed its articles of incorporation, and due proof of its organization thereunder, with the Secretary of the Interior, and that it surveyed and located its right of way over the land in dispute (being along tbe same line in question here) about the first day of July, 1896; that tbe plaintiff’s location of its right of way over tbe land, and its possession thereof was lawful; that under subdivision 4 of tbe same act (18 Stat. at Large, 483) the land in question being unsurveyed land of the United States, tbe plaintiff had twelve months after tbe land was surveyed by tbe government within which to file with the Register of the proper land office a profile of its road; that under tbe laws of this State, and section 2339, Revised Statutes United States, the defendants never had the title, possession, or right of possession to tbe [34]*34land in question, or acquired any vested right in accordance with tbe laws or customs of tbe country, or any right to flow or otherwise occupy said land or prevent the use and occupation thereof by the plaintiff railroad company, and that their adverse claim to the land in question as against the plaintiff was unfounded, and that plaintiff was entitled to judgment; that the defendants (if properly organized) might have obtained 'a valid right to any unappropriated water'of Provo river for the purpose of operating machinery, for irrigation, or other useful purpose, under the laws of this State and under section 2339, Revised Statutes United States. This section reads as follows, in part: “Wherever by priority of possession, rights to. the usé of water for mining, agricultural, manufacturing, or other purposes have accrued, and the same are recognized and acknowledged by the local customs, laws and decisions of courts, the possessors and owners of such vested right shall be maintained and protected in the same; and the right of way for the construction of ditches and canals for the purpose herein specified is acknowledged and confirmed;” that such right was not unrestricted however; that it must be exercised within a reasonable time; that while dams and reservoirs may be erected, they must be kept within reasonable limits; that defendants’ dam to a height of fifteen feet would not interfere with the use of the highway in the canyon, or with the use for other legitimate purposes; that the defendants had not appro- - priated the land in dispute, and that neither of the defendants was in actual possession of the land when the plaintiff located his right of way, took possession and engaged in grading it.

3. On the trial of this case the judgment "roll of the former case referred to, was placed in evidence, under objection. The complaint was a common complaint to quiet title to an easement under the act of Congress, and the possession of .a strip» of land adjoining Eerguson’s strip on the north[35]*35east, extending along tbe canyon to Hanging Eock and Middle Eock to appellant’s alleged diverting dam. Tbe defendants were tbe same, except Eerguson, and 'tbe answer was about tbe same. Holbrook disclaimed, as bere. Tbe identity of tbe land was admitted. Tbe issue in tbe case was left between tbe appellants and the plaintiff as bere on tbis appeal, and practically on tbe same questions. Appellants objected to tbe introduction of the judgement roll in evidence, because it was not pleaded. The evidence was admitted, but no assignment of error was made upon its reception. . Tbe question is what effect does tbe evidence have.

In tbe present case tbe plaintiff does not base bis cause of action upon tbe judgment. No counterclaim was put in by tbe defendants, and there was no opportunity to plead it to tbe answer. Besides tbe judgment was not rendered or decision reached in tbe Supreme Court until tbe issues were made in tbis case. Tbe judgment in “such eases should be pleaded if tbe plaintiff bases any right upon it, and there is an opportunity to plead it. As a plea tbe judgment is a bar, as 'evidence, it is conclusive on tbe point decided between tbe sanje parties.

In 1 Herman on Estoppel, section 107, it is said: “But when tbe same matter is directly in question in another suit and the judgment of tbe former suit is directly in point, it will be as a plea, a bar, as evidence, conclusive.”

In section 784 Black on Judgments, it is said: “A former recovery in which tbe same matter was tried and determined upon tbe merits, may be given in evidence without being specially pleaded, whenever tbe party, plaintiff or defendant, bad no opportunity to plead tbe judgment specially, and its effect, in such case, is equally conclusive as if it bad been pleaded.”

"While it is a general rule that estoppel by a former judg[36]*36ment must be plead, tbe rule does not apply to cases where no opportunity to plead tbe estoppel is given, and when tbe judgment is admitted as evidence, where there is no opportunity to plead it, both the preponderance of authority in this country and the weight of sound legal reason sustain the doctrine that a former judgment, if admissible under the general issue is just as conclusive when so presented as if it had been pleaded. 2 Black on Judgments, secs. 784, 787, and cases cited.

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Bluebook (online)
63 P. 995, 23 Utah 22, 1900 Utah LEXIS 80, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rio-grande-western-railway-co-v-telluride-power-transmission-co-utah-1900.