Schaefer v. Dinwiddie

186 P. 617, 44 Cal. App. 405, 1919 Cal. App. LEXIS 613
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 22, 1919
DocketCiv. No. 3047.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 186 P. 617 (Schaefer v. Dinwiddie) 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
Schaefer v. Dinwiddie, 186 P. 617, 44 Cal. App. 405, 1919 Cal. App. LEXIS 613 (Cal. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

SLOANE, J.

This action was originally brought by G. A. Schaefer, the plaintiff, to quiet title to a five-acre tract *406 of land in Riverside County against Anna M. Johnson and a number of other defendants. Judgment was taken by default against all defendants. Anna M. Johnson, having been served by publication, within a year moved to vacate the default and judgment, which motion was granted. She answered, and also filed a cross-complaint, claiming title to the land and naming the plaintiff, G. A. Schaefer, and one Grace B. Talbot (who was not made a party by the original complaint), as cross-defendants, and asking to have cross-complainant’s title quieted against these defendants. Cross-defendant G. A. Schaefer answered the cross-complaint, but no proof of service of the cross-complaint upon, or of any appearance, answer, or other pleading on the part of cross-defendant Grace B. Talbot appears in the judgment-roll or transcript of the record. She, however, appeared on the trial, with counsel, and evidence was introduced in her behalf. Judgment was against the plaintiff, as well as the cross-complainant, and in favor of cross-defendant Grace B. Talbot, adjudging her to be the owner and in the possession of the premises, and quieting her title to the same against the other parties to the cross-action. Cross-complainant Anna M. Johnson appeals from this judgment.

[1] Respondents raise certain objections to appellant’s standing in court on this appeal, which will first be considered. It is claimed that the appeal fails by reason of the alleged fact that appellant did not file with the clerk her notice requesting a transcript, as required by section 953a of the Code of Civil Procedure, within ten days after notice of decision denying her motion for a new trial. It does not appear by the record that any notice of the denial of the motion for new trial was served on appellant, but the record of the court’s minutes does show that counsel for appellant were present in court on the hearing at which the motion was denied, and it is argued that this fact presumes actual notice at that time, under the authority of Estate of Keating, 158 Cal. 109, [110 Pac. 109]. The date of this hearing was March 27, 1916. The notice of demand for transcript was filed April 7, 1916—on the eleventh day after the date of ruling on the motion.

It will be noticed that in Estate of Keating, supra, the fact that appellant had actual notice of the order appealed *407 from upon a given date was conclusively evidenced by Ms having filed his notice of appeal from such order on that date, thus showing actual notice by an overt act of his own. The courts do not give such effect to the mere presence of a party in court on a hearing at wMch the action in question may be taken, unless by some affirmative proceeding in the matter he indicates that he has taken cognizance of the ruling of the court. Brown v. Superior Court, 175 Cal. 141, [165 Pac. 429], is directly in point on this question. There is notMng, therefore, in the record to show that the request for transcript was not in time.

[2] Respondents also raise the objection that the court was without jurisdiction to set aside the default judgment against appellant and to reopen the case, by reason of the fact that the motion was not made within one year, as provided by section 473 of the Code of Civil Procedure. No appeal or other direct action was taken upon tMs order vacating the default and judgment. This objection constitutes a collateral attack upon the action of the court in vacating this default and judgment. Even conceding that the order would be void on the face of the record if it affirmatively appeared therefrom that no motion was made to open the default until the year had expired, in this case it does not so appear, and every presumption is in favor of the jurisdiction. The notice of intention was filed on February 10, 1914, and recited that “defendant will, on February 21, 1914, move the court to vacate the judgment.” This date was within the year by several days. There is no further entry regarding the matter until March 14, 1914, when the minutes of the court recite: “Motion to set aside default and judgment made in open court, argued by counsel and motion granted. ’ ’ Non constat but that on the date—February 21st—for which the hearing was noticed the moving party appeared, made her motion, and secured a continuance of the hearing to March 14th. If the motion was noticed and presented to the court within the year and continued for hearing to a later date, the court did not lose jurisdiction to act, and the presumption of regularity in the court’s proceedings is not overcome by the mere fact that the minutes recite that a motion to set aside the default was made on the last-named date. It not infrequently happens *408 that such motions are repeated from time to time, where the hearings are postponed.

On the merits of the appeal the only question to be considered is whether the pleadings and evidence sustain the judgment in favor of cross-defendant Grace B. Talbot. The court found and decided that the plaintiff Schaefer never was the owner or in the possession of the land in question. The plaintiff is not appealing, so that the only parties concerned are the appellant and cross-complainant, Anna M. Johnson, who claims as the record owner of the premises, and the cross-defendant Grace B. Talbot, who, as indicated by the evidence given on the trial in her behalf, claims under color of title by mesne conveyances from the plaintiff Schaefer, and by virtue of actual possession of the land. She is not appealing, and is, therefore, bound by the decision of the court that Schaefer never had any title. The issue, then, resolves itself into one between the alleged record .title of appellant and the possessory title of respondent Grace B. Talbot.

As hereinbefore stated, there is no record before us of any appearance -or pleading on behalf of respondent Grace B. Talbot, and she is, therefore, without standing in this case to obtain affirmative relief. It is true that she prints, as an appendix to her brief on this appeal, what purports to be a copy of an answer filed to appellant’s cross-complaint, in which is alleged ownership and possession of this land, but this nowhere appears in the authenticated transcript. There has been no suggestion for diminution of the record. [3] Without some pleading in her behalf, the court was without jurisdiction to give a judgment establishing her title to this land. (Wilson v. White, 84 Cal. 239, [24 Pac. 114]; Kimball v. Richardson-Kimball Co., 1 11 Cal. 386, 397, [43 Pac. 111].) If, however, we were permitted to treat this document, printed in respondent’s brief, as part of the record, we do not think this respondent was entitled to judgment in her favor.

[4] The record discloses that appellant Anna M. Johnson was the record owner of this land up to July 3, 1900, at which time the property was sold and afterward deeded to the state of California under a sale for delinquent taxes. The period of five years had elapsed without a redemption, but without a valid sale and conveyance by the state. There *409

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Bluebook (online)
186 P. 617, 44 Cal. App. 405, 1919 Cal. App. LEXIS 613, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schaefer-v-dinwiddie-calctapp-1919.