Smith ex rel. Smith v. Kirkpatrick

58 Ind. 254
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1877
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 58 Ind. 254 (Smith ex rel. Smith v. Kirkpatrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith ex rel. Smith v. Kirkpatrick, 58 Ind. 254 (Ind. 1877).

Opinion

Howk, J.

The appellant, as plaintiff, sued the appellee, as defendant, in this action, in the court below. Omitting the title of the cause, the names of the court and county, and the signature of counsel, the appellant’s complaint was as follows:

“ Alice Smith, a minor under the age of 21 years, by her next friend, Enoch R. Smith, complains of the defendant, *Wesley Kirkpatrick, and says, that heretofore, to wit, prior to the 23d day of June, 1874, .there existed a matter in difference between the plaintiff herein, Alice Smith, and one Frank Kirkpatrick, on account of the act of the latter in seducing and begetting the said Alice with child, she being the daughter of her said next friend, and the said Frank being the son of said defendant herein; and it is further averred, that to settle and adjust said matter of difference, the said defendant, 'Wesley Kirkpatrick, on behalf of his said son, agreed in writing with the plaintiff’s next friend herein, Enoch R. Smith, her father as aforesaid, who entered into the same on her behalf, which was executed on the day last aforesaid for the purposes aforesaid; and she avers, that, at the same time, said defendant and the said next. friend also entered into a written agreement to abide'by and pay the award the said arbitrators, to wit, E. W. Coe, Luke Kitzmiller and O. P. C. Evans, might make in the matter submitted to them; and she herewith files a copy of said agreement to submit, marked ‘A,’ said bond to abide [256]*256the award, marked ‘ B,’ and the award of said arbitrators, marked ‘ C,’ and made a part of this complaint; that said award was made by said arbitrators after they had given the parties a full, fair and impartial hearing of said matter submitted; that said defendant has been served with notice of said award before the commencement of this cause, and immediately after the same was given, and, though often requested to comply with its terms, he has wholly failed and refused, to the plaintiff’s damage in the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars. "Wherefore the plaintiff demands judgment for twenty-five hundred dollars, the costs of this suit, and all other proper relief.”

The agreement of submission to arbitration, which was made a part of appellant’s complaint, was as follows:

“ Tippecanoe Co., Ind., June 23d, 1874.

“We, the undersigned, do hereby agree and bind ourselves, in the sum of five thousand dollars, to abide the decision of Elijah W. Coe, Luke Kitz miller and O. P. C. Evans, arbitrators chosen by us in a matter, wherein E. R. Smith, Sen’r, of the county and State aforesaid, is plaintiff, and Wesley Kirkpatrick, of Montgomery county and State aforesaid, is defendant, wherein Alice Smith, daughter of said E. R. Smith, claims and charges to have been seduced under promise of marriage, between the 15th of September and the 10th of October, 1873, by Frank Kirkpatrick, minor son of said Wesley Kirkpatrick aforesaid, which promise of marriage said Prank Kirkpatrick has failed to fulfil up to the present time, which makes said promise binding upon him under her allegation; and, in the absence of said Prank Kirkpatrick (who has absconded), we agree to submit the matter for final settlement to the within named arbitrators, and hereby agree to abide their decision in the matter, and upon the refusal of either party to comply with and abide such decision as such arbitrators may make, we bind our[257]*257selves, onr heirs and executors, in the payment of the foregoing sum. (Signed,) “E. R. Smith, Sen.

“ J. W. Kirkpatrick.

“ Witness: Luke Kitzmiller,

“E. W. Coe”

The award of the arbitrators, which was made a part of the complaint, first recites the matter submitted to the arbitrators, as a claim of damages for the seduction of said Alice Smith by said Erank Kirkpatrick, under a promise of marriage, which had not been complied with, the birth of herchild on June 21st, 1874, and that he had “left the country;” and the award then proceeds, as follows: “We award to her the following amount of damage, and hereby decide, that the said Wesley Kirkpatrick shall, within ten-, execute to her his promissory notes of hand for the sum of five hundred dollars, payable on the 1st day of August, 1874, the 1st day of August, 1875, the 1st day of August, 1876, the 1st day of August, 1877, and the 1st day of August, 1878, making $2,500; also, the sum of one hundred dollars per year for the support of the child, until it arrives at the age of 18 years, should it [be] living so long; said payments or amounts for the support of the child to be made to its mother, if living, or its guardian, and said annuity to cease if the child should die.”

The award was signed by all the arbitrators. It was without date, but was evidently made before the 1st day of August, 1874.

The appellée demurred to the appellant’s complaint, upon the following grounds of objection:

“ 1. Because the complaint does not contain facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action;

“ 2-. Because there is a defect of parties plaintiffs;

“ 3. Because there is a defect of parties defendants.”

This demurrer was sustained by the court below, and to this decision the appellant- excepted, and, failing to-[258]*258plead over, the judgment was rendered on the demurrer, from which this appeal is now prosecuted.

The decision of the court below, in sustaining the demurrer to her complaint, is assigned for error by the appellant in this court.

The second and third grounds of demurrer are defective and insufficient, because they do not point out the supposed defect m the complaint, “ with any certainty, nor name the party or parties, who should have been joined either as plaintiff or defendant therein.” Gaines v Walker, 16 Ind. 361; Musselman v. Kent, 33 Ind. 452; and Marks v. The Indianapolis, etc., Railway Company, 38 Ind. 440.

In our opinion, however, there is no defect of parties, either plaintiff or defendant, in this case. “ The real party in interest” is the party plaintiff, and the party who executed the submission bond, and against whom the award was made, is the party defendant.

The first ground of demurrer presents the real question in this case, and that is this: Does the appellant’s complaint state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action ?

It will be observed, that the arbitration proceedings, mentioned in and made a part of the complaint, do not conform, nor was it apparently intended that they should conform, to the requirements of our statute in relation to arbitrations and umpirages. 2 R. S. 1876, p. 317. The proceedings, therefore, are not governed by the provisions of the statute. The arbitration set out in the complaint is what is called a common-law arbitration, as distinguished from an arbitration under the statute. Estep v. Larsh, 16 Ind. 82; and Hawes v. Coombs, 34 Ind. 455.

It is urged by the appellee, that it is apparent on the face of the complaint and of the exhibits therewith filed and made a part thereof, that there was no matter of difference between the parties to the agreement of submission, to be submitted to arbitration. It is very clear, we think, from the terms of said submission, that in its exe-. [259]*259cution each of the parties thereto assumed to act for and on behalf of his infant child.

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Bluebook (online)
58 Ind. 254, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-ex-rel-smith-v-kirkpatrick-ind-1877.