Schnitzler v. Lake Shore Coach Co.

41 N.E.2d 436, 69 Ohio App. 265, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 540, 24 Ohio Op. 60, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 709
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 16, 1942
DocketNo 18505
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 41 N.E.2d 436 (Schnitzler v. Lake Shore Coach Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schnitzler v. Lake Shore Coach Co., 41 N.E.2d 436, 69 Ohio App. 265, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 540, 24 Ohio Op. 60, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 709 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

OPINION

By SKEEL, J.

This action comes to this court as an appeal on questions of law from a final order of the court of common pleas.

The action as it was presented to the trial court by the pleadings, involved an accident which occurred by reason of a collision between a bus of the defendant, then being driven westerly on Lake Road at or near its intersection with Cahoon Road in Bay Village, and an automobile in which the plaintiff was a passenger, which, just before the accident, was being driven east on said Lake Road but which the plaintiff claims was standing still at the time of the impact. The collision took place in the early afternoon of November 23, 1938.

Plaintiff was a governess in the McCrae family in Bay Village, having under her care two small children. On the day in question the plaintiff was being taken to the street car for her afternoon off. In the automobile at the time of the collision was the family chauffeur, one of the children, and the plaintiff. They were all seated on the fronc seat, the plaintiff being on the extreme right hand side. It was a snowy day and the road was very slippery. The chauffeur had brought the automobile to a stop as close as he could against the right hand curb because there was approaching him from the east a Ford car that was skidding and out of control. The Ford just brushed the front left fender of the car in which the plaintiff was riding, passed by and came to a stop just to the west. There was a hill and a curve just to the east of where the automobile in which the plaintiff was a passenger had been stopped. The defendant’s bus was following the Ford within about 100 feet. When it came to the .crest of the hill the driver applied his brakes. The bus skidded on to the wrong side of the road and ran head on into the automobile in which the plaintiff was seated. Negligent conduct in the operation of the bus was charged in plaintiff’s petition, and denied in the defendant’s answer and upon submission of the issues to a jury the verdict was returned for the defendant.

Plaintiff presented a number of assignments of errors but attempts to sustain only numbers two, three, four, five, and seven, which were therein stated as follows:

“Two and Three: The verdict and judgment are against the weight o 1 *541 the evidence and are contrary to law.”
“Four: The court erred in its charge to the jury in the trial of the within action.”
“Five and Seven: The court erred in the rejection of evidence and requests for charges offered by the plaintiff.”

The defendant challenges the plaintiff’s right to present these claimed errors to this court, alleging that there is no bill of exceptions before the court. The facts which are the basis of this claim of the defendant are as follows:

The case was filed in May of 1939. It came on for trial on February 28, 1941. The jury was impanelled and sworn and upon- conclusion of the trial a verdict was returned for the defendant. On March 3, 1941, or within three days, a motion for new trial was filed. There was an oral argument before the court on April 5, 1941, and the motion was overruled on July 18, 1941, and judgment entered on the journal in accord with the verdict. The notice of appeal was filed on August 6, 1941. On August 29, 1941, 42 days after the motion for new trial was overruled, the plaintiff filed a motion requesting the court to vacate the entry of July 18, 1941, overruling the motion for new trial, and reenter the same as of August 30, 1941. Upon hearing this motion on August 30th the court, over the objection of the defendant, granted same and vacated the entry of July 18, overruling plaintiff’s motion for new trial, and then reeentered the same ruling as of August 30th. The second notice of appeal was -then filed on September 4th and the bill of exceptions was filed on September 30th.

The motion requesting the court to vacate the entry overruling plaintiff’s motion for new trial, was as follows:

“Now comes the above named plaintiff, Ethel Louise Schnitzler and hereby moves this Honorable Court for an order vacating the entry and ruling-made in this cause on July 17, 1941, in which plaintiff’s motion for new trial was overruled; and further moves that said ruling be reentered as of this date, without plaintiff’s waiving her exceptions to such entry overruling her motion for new trial in the within cause. This motion is filed within the same term of court as the date on which the original motion for new trial was overruled, to-wit, July 17, 1941. Due to inadvertence in the absence of attorneys for plaintiff from the city, the date for filing a bill of exceptions in the above entitled action was overlooked and the within motion is made in order to permit the filing of said bill of exceptions and thus relieve the plaintiff against any possible hardship that would otherwise ensue.”

The journal entry of the vacating and reentering the overruling of plaintiff’s motion for new trial recited that “upon full hearing of the issues involved and' to promote justice” the motion to vacate and reenter the entry of July 18th is granted. There can be no question but that the sole purpose of the plaintiff’s motion requesting the vacating and reentering, as of a later date, the entry of July 18th overruling plaintiff’s motion for a new trial, was to extend the time for filing the bill of exceptions beyond the 40 days allowed by §11564 GC. The evidence that was submitted on the hearing of August 30th is not before the court but the contents of the motion can leave no doubt as to the reasons advanced in procuring such entry.

It is true that the entry overruling the motion for new trial, and the subsequent motion seeking to vacate such entry, which was filed on July 28th and ruled upon on August 30th, all took place during the May term of court. Ohio recognizes to the full extent of the common law rule the power of a court over its judgment during term.

First National Bank of Dunkirk, Ohio v Smith et, 102 Oh St 120: (Syllabus 1)

“1. A court of general jurisdiction such as the common pleas court has control of it own orders and judgments *542 during the term at which they are rendered, which control may be exercised within the sphere of sound discretion, as an inherent right founded upon common law.”

This case involved the vacation of a cognovit judgment during term. The court granted the defendant leave to file an answer and to have the case heard upon its merits. The rule is well stated in Black on Judgments, Chapter IX, page 153:

“The court has plenary control of its judgments, orders and decrees during the term at which they are rendered and may amend, correct, modify or supplement them for cause appearing, or may, to promote justice, reverse, suspend, remake or vacate them as in its discretion seems necessary.”

But the power of the court over its entries, judgments and decrees- does not encompass the right to extend or change statutory procedural rules. Such an act constitutes judicial legislation and cannot be sustained.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hebert v. New York Central Rd.
105 N.E.2d 438 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 N.E.2d 436, 69 Ohio App. 265, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 540, 24 Ohio Op. 60, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 709, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schnitzler-v-lake-shore-coach-co-ohioctapp-1942.