Simonton v. State ex rel. Turman

43 Fla. 351
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJune 15, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 43 Fla. 351 (Simonton v. State ex rel. Turman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simonton v. State ex rel. Turman, 43 Fla. 351 (Fla. 1901).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

On the application of Solon B. Turman he was authorized by the Attorney-General to institute proceedings by information in the nature of quo warranto in the [352]*352name of the Attorney-General of the State of Florida, against Frank M. Simonton to test his right and title to the office of solicitor of the Criminal Court of Record for Hillsborough county upon condition that the State should not incur any cost in the proceedings. Thereupon leave to file the information in the nature of quo warranto was applied for and the Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, in which the application was ijiade, duly entered of record his disqualification to act in the matter.

The Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, to whom the application was presented, entered a rule ag'ainst the plaintiff in error to show cause why the information should not be filed, and proceedings thereafter had in the cause resulted in a judgment of ouster rendered on the twenty-second day of August, 1901, against him by the Judge of the Second Circuit on demurrer to pleas filed to the information.

The information, alleges the use, exercise arid usurpation of the office of Solicitor of the Criminal Court of Record for Hillsborough county by respondent, Frank M. Simonton, and that the relator, Solon B. Turman, had been duly appointed to said office, and, after qualifying and being commissioned by the Governor, had exercised the duties of the office from the eighth day of June, 1809, to the twenty-seventh day of April, 1901, and that he is entitled to said office and to perform the functions hereof for four years from the date of his commission, which was on the eighth day of June, 1899.

The judgment rendered on the demurrer adjudges that relator, Solon B. Turman, was entitled to use, hold and exercise the office of Solicitor of the Criminal Court of Record for Hillsborough county for four 3'ears from the eighth day of June, 1899, and that respondent, Frank [353]*353M. Simonton, was guilty of usurping, holding, exercising and receiving the emoluments of the same. It is further adjudged that respondent was thereby excluded from said office, and that he forthwith yield and deliver it up to relator, Solon B. Turman. Immediately after this judgment, and bearing the same date with it, the following entry of record appears over the signature of the Judge, ■vis: “The foregoing order is now made to be entered and become effectual at the same time with the filing of the writ of error by the respondent to the Supreme Court, and upon the giving and filing by the respondent of a supersedeas bond with two good and sufficient sureties, or a surety company under the laws of this State, to be approved by the clerk of the Circuit Court cf the Sixth Judicial Circuit, in and for Hillsborough county, said bond to be payable to the relator in the sum of eight thousand dollars, and conditioned to pay all damages and costs that the relator may sustain in the event said judgment be affirmed; Whereupon said writ of error shall operate as a supersedeas and the clerk shall so endorse said writ of error; said foregoing order, however, is thus suspended for ten days only from this date."

The judgment was filed in the office of the Circuit Clerk for Hillsborough county on the twenty-fourth day of August, 1901, and a writ of error bearing same date was sued out to the judgment, returnable to' the January term, A. D. 1902, of this court. On the same day a bond in compliance with the order of the court was filed and approved by the clerk.

A transcript of the record in the cause has been filed in this court and a motion made to vacate the supersedeas on substantially the following grounds: 1. There was no final judgment rendered and entered in the cause from which the writ of error issued will lie.

[354]*354’ 2. In the judgment rendered, it being simply one of ouster, there is nothing upon which a supersedeas can operate.

3. The bond given under the special order of the court is not made payable to the adverse party as contemplated by the statute in such cases, and the conditions of said bond are not sufficient to protect the State of Florida or the relator.

It is not contended that the Circuit Judge had no power to conditionally suspend the operation of the judgment rendered by him for ten days, and we have no doabt as to the final character of it. It was rendered upon sustaining a demurrer of relator to pleas of respondent, and finally disposed of the issues and contentions of the parties. Nothing further was to be done by the Judge to judicially declare respondent not entitled to the office and to adjudge relator rightfully entitled to it.

The principal contention in the case is that there is nothing that can be superseded in a judgment rendered in a quo warranto proceeding simply ousting one person from an office and adjudging another entitled 1 hereto. By statute it is provided that “all proceedings to procure review by an appellate court of the proceedings of a lower court in cases at law shall be by writ of error, except in cases where certiorari or prohibition shall lie, or where it shall be otherwise expressly provided,” Section 1262 Rev. Stats. Writs of error lie only from final judgments except as specified in section 1267. Section 12Ó3 Rev. Stats. “All writs of error shall be tested in the name of the Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, and shall issue on demand as matter of right,” &c. .Section 1270 Rev. Stats. By section 1265 it is provided that all orders and judgments of courts of this State made and passed [355]*355in any cause therein wherein said courts shall sustain or shall refuse to sustain any demurrer, shall and may be assigned for matter and cause of error upon any writ of error from the final judgment in said cause taken to the appellate court, and the said court shall hear.and determine the matter so assigned for error in the same manner and under the like rules and regulations as in other cases.

Quo warranto proceedings are at law, and there can be no doubt that a writ of.error can under our statutes, be sued out to a final judgment rendered therein. This is not questioned by movant. In reference to supersedeases the following section is found in our statutory revision, vis: “1272. When to operate as a supersedeas.— 1. As of course. Every writ of error shall operate as a supersedeas if sued out during the session of court at which the judgment was rendered, or within thirty days thereafter, if, within said time, the plaintiff in error, if he be the plaintiff in the court below, shall have paid all costs which have accrued in and about said suit up to the time when the writ shall be issued, and shall have filed a bond payable to defendant, with two good and sufficient obligors to be approved by the judge or clerk of the court below, in a sum sufficient to cover all costs which may accrue in the prosecution of the writ, conditioned to pay the said costs if the judgment of the court-below shall be affirmed ; or if he be a party in the court below against whom a judgment has been given, shall have filed a bond payable to the adverse party with like obligors and approved in like manner as the bond hereinbefore required of the plaintiff, and if the judgment be a money judgment in a sum sufficient to cover the amount for which the judgment, was given together with costs, conditioned to pay the amount of the judgment with interests and! costs, if the [356]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
43 Fla. 351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simonton-v-state-ex-rel-turman-fla-1901.