Sauer Hide Co. v. Stein

182 N.W. 847, 174 Wis. 185, 1921 Wisc. LEXIS 137
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedMay 3, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 182 N.W. 847 (Sauer Hide Co. v. Stein) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sauer Hide Co. v. Stein, 182 N.W. 847, 174 Wis. 185, 1921 Wisc. LEXIS 137 (Wis. 1921).

Opinion

Eschweiler, J.

Plaintiff moved to dismiss the defendant’s appeal herein. The motion was argued, and without any opinion being then filed was denied. The grounds for such, denial are now set forth.

The judgment in the circuit court was entered March 27, 1920. On March 29th a notice, affidavit, and undertaking on appeal was prepared on behalf of defendant from such judgment. The notice was directed to the clerk of the circuit court and to plaintiff’s attorneys. Service thereof was admitted by that clerk April 14, 1920, and it was then marked “Filed.” On April 13, 1920, defendant’s attorney inclosed a copy of such notice of appeal and undertaking thereon in a letter to plaintiff’s attorneys, the attorneys for the respective parties both residing in and having their respective offices in the city of Milwaukee. It is a conceded fact that such letter with the inclosure was received by plaintiff’s attorneys not later than the following day. No [193]*193written admission of service was made by plaintiff’s attorneys and the copies were not returned.

August.3, 1920, the respondent paid the necessary fees for the transmission of the record, and the record, having as a part thereof the said notice of appeal, affidavit, and undertaking, with admission of service by the clerk of the circuit court, was sent to this court, and filed on August 3, 1920. November 24th the attorneys for plaintiff and respondent admitted in writing due service of four copies of the printed case and made a similar written admission of service of the appellant’s printed brief on December. 1st. Respondent’s counsel subsequently forwarded to the clerk of this court a written stipulation made between the parties that this cause, which was regularly set on the then calendar for argument on December. 16th, should be continued to the January, 1921, term of this court without costs to either party and that an order to that effect might be made without other or further notice. The cause was so' continued.

On March 21, 1921, a year and a day after, the entry of the judgment in the circuit court and just a day after the statutory period for the taking of an appeal had expired, plaintiff’s attorneys served notice on defendant’s attorneys of a motion returnable April 5th in this court for a dismissal of the appeal on the ground that this court has no jurisdiction either of the subject matter of the appeal or of the person of the respondent upon the grounds hereinafter discussed.

Sec. 3049, Stats., providing for. appeals to this court, requires service of written notice of the appeal upon the adverse party and the clerk of the court from which the appeal is taken. Sec. 2820, defining and describing the manner of service, provides, among other things, for personal service by delivery of a copy of the paper to be served to the party or attorney on whom service is to be made. [194]*194Provision is made by sec. 2821 for service by mail where the person making the service and the one on whom.it is to be made reside in different places.

Respondent urged that where, as here, the attorneys for both sides resided in Milwaukee, the mailing of the copy of the appeal papers to respondent’s attorneys was entirely ineffectual and in no sense a délivery of them or the statutory personal service that is required, and that the personal service required under sec. 2820, supra, has been differentiated from service by mail. Adams v. Wright, 14 Wis. 408, 414. That for want of a showing of proper service of the appeal papers there is an entire absence of jurisdiction in this court of the subject matter of the appeal as well as of the person of the respondent and no authority to hear the appeal upon the merits or to do more than to dismiss such attempted appeal.

Former decisions of this court passing upon the then statutory provisions as to service and the necessity of proof thereof appearing in the record have been called to our attention and examined, among others Koch v. Hustis, 110 Wis. 62, 85 N. W. 643; Munk v. Anderson, 94 Wis. 27, 68 N. W. 407; Herrick v. Racine W. & D. Co. 43 Wis. 93; Eaton v. Manitowoc Co. 42 Wis. 317; Yates v. Shepardson, 37 Wis. 315; all of these indicating the strictness with which such rules were formerly applied. The same doctrine was reiterated in the later case of Haessly v. Secor, 135 Wis. 548, 116 N. W. 175. That the later judicial decisions, however, were beginning to lessen the rigor with which such statutory requirements had been construed, is suggested in Liesner v. Wanie, 156 Wis. 16, 19, 145 N. W. 374.

Subsequent to all of these, decisions, however, and in line with the more recent suggestions of this court, the legislature, in the exercise of its wide control over the subjects of the matters which may and the manner in which they shall be appealed (Dempsey v. Nat. S. Co. 173 Wis. 296, 181 N. W. [195]*195218), by ch. 219, Laws 1915, passed an act for the declared purpose of simplifying and expediting legal procedure, amending certain specified sections of the statutes, and adding, among others, a new section which now appears as sec. 2836a, the. material part whereof reads as follows:

“Whenever an appeal is attempted to be taken in a matter, action or proceeding in which an appeal is authorized by statute from any inferior court, tribunal, officer, or administrative board to any court of the state, and return is duly made to such court, the respondent shall be deemed to have waived all objections to the regularity or sufficiency of the appeal or to the jurisdiction of the appellate court over person or subject matter, unless he shall make such objection by motion to dismiss such appeal before taking or participating in the taking of any other proceedings in said appellate court. . .

It is manifest that such section refers to appeals attempted to be taken to this court and is applicable to. the present situation.

Prior to this motion to dismiss, the plaintiff, respondent here, admitted due service of copies of the printed case and brief respectively on this appeal and stipulated in writing that the appeal regularly set for. hearing on the August, 1920, calendar, of this court should be continued to the present term. Upon such stipulation the cause was so continued in this court. By such acts the respondent, before making its objection on the ground of alleged want of jurisdiction by its motion to dismiss, did participate in the taking of other proceedings in said cause in this court within the meaning of this statute. The respondent therefore has waived any right it might have had to question the jurisdiction of this court on this appeal.

Upon the merits we are convinced that the finding of the jury in favor of the defendant on the trial in the civil court upon which judgment was rendered there in defendant’s favor should be sustained.

[196]*196Prior to Saturday noon, August 11, 1917, Groves, the Chicago broker, had been in communication with plaintiff with reference to the sale of this particular lot of 2,500 to 3,000 hides, and, the prospective customer or customers with whom Groves was then negotiating not agreeing to the terms as proposed by plaintiff, the negotiations in that regard were concluded. Up to this time Groves was in no manner an agent for the defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
182 N.W. 847, 174 Wis. 185, 1921 Wisc. LEXIS 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sauer-hide-co-v-stein-wis-1921.