Smith v. Wells Estate Co.

29 Nev. 411
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 15, 1907
DocketNo. 1714
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 29 Nev. 411 (Smith v. Wells Estate Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Wells Estate Co., 29 Nev. 411 (Neb. 1907).

Opinions

By the Court,

Talbot, C. J.:

The motion to dismiss the appeal and the merits in this case may be more conveniently understood and considered together,

The appellant, G-. M. Smith, with P. W. Nicholson, T. J. Pickett, and his wife, Mary M. Pickett, filed a complaint against The Wells Estate Company, a corporation, in the court below, alleging Smith to be the owner in fee of ten lots, together with one and one-half miners’ inches of water in the S. O. Wells ditch, in McCormick’s Addition'to the City of Eeno, and that he is in possession of these lots and entitled to the possession of this water; that Pickett and his wife were the owners in fee of three lots, and one miner’s inch of water, in the S. O. Wells ditch, in said McCormick’s Addition, and were in the possession of these lots and entitled to the possession of this water; that Nicholson had purchased of the plaintiffs Pickett and wife the three lots and one. miner’s inch of water so owned by them, and had made partial payments therefor. There was an allegation that the water flowed, and that plaintiff Smith was entitled to an easement and right of way to have it flow, through the S. 0. Wells ditch to his lands, and that he had long and continuously used it therein; that the defendant, through its agents and employees, disregarding the plaintiffs’ rights, had filled up [414]*414large portions of tbe diteh above the plaintiffs’ lands and diverted all the water from their premises, to the damage of the plaintiff Smith in the sum of $800. There were special allegations that, by reason of sneh diversion, the grass, verdure, garden, trees, and shrubbery growing on Smith’s lands had dried up and died, to his damage in the sum of $260, and that he had been compelled to pump and carry all the water for his live stock and poultry and for domestic purposes in his residence, to his damage in the sum of $240. There were separate allegations of diversion of the water from and damage to the lands of the other plaintiffs.

The prayer in the complaint asked for an order. of the court compelling the defendant to open, repair, and clean out the S. O. Wells ditch and to let the waters of the plaintiffs flow through it undisturbed to their lands, for damages to them in separate amounts, and for general relief. A demurrer to this complaint on the grounds, among others, that there was a misjoinder of parties plaintiff, and that they had no joint or common interest in the subject-matter or in the damages or relief sought to be recovered, that several causes of action had been improperly joined, and that the alleged causes of action of the several plaintiffs were independent, was sustained by the court. An amended complaint was filed, naming Smith alone as plaintiff, alleging that he was the owner of the same lots and water as claimed by him in the first complaint, and that he was entitled to have it flow through the S. O. Wells ditch to his premises, and alleging, as before, that it had been filled up and the water diverted by the defendant, and special damages to him for the same cause and in the same amount as in the original complaint and general damages for the same diversion in a different amount. He demanded to have the title quieted to the water and water rights, ditch and diteh rights, and privileges belonging and appurtenant to his lands and premises, and for damages, costs, and general relief.

The defendant filed a demurrer to the amended complaint, which was sustained, and moved to have it stricken from the files, on the ground that it was an attempt to change the parties mentioned in the original complaint and the nature [415]*415of the original complaint of which it purported to be an amendment. This motion was granted by the court. The transcript on appeal, in two volumes, one designated "Plaintiff’s and Appellant’s Affidavit on Appeal,” and the other without designation, were filed in this court on the 26th day of February, 1907, and the appellant’s brief was filed on the same day. On April 10th respondent’s brief was filed in this court, and therein it was asked that the appeal herein be dismissed upon the ground that the record is not in the form required by law. On April 11th appellant filed notice of a motion to have respondent’s brief stricken from the files because it was not filed within the time required by rule 11 of this court. Accordingly two questions are suggested— whether the record is properly certified, and whether the respondent has waived its right to have the appeal dismissed if the certification is defective, at least one of which it is essential to determine.

In the volume of the transcript marked "Plaintiff’s and Appellant’s Affidavit on Appeal” copies of papers and proceedings of the court are set out and stated in the form of an affidavit by the plaintiff, followed by a certificate of the district judge that "the foregoing is the plaintiff’s original affidavit on appeal and identified as such,” and by the certificate of the county clerk of similar effect. The other and undesignated volume of the transcript seems to contain original papers which are followed by the certificate of the clerk certifying that it contained all of the original files and papers, excepting the affidavit on appeal, including the original judgment roll, original complaint, amended complaint, demurrers, and other papers. There was no certificate by the judge that the statement had been allowed and was correct, such as is usually attached to statements 'on appeal. In the absence of any waiver of objections, the affidavit made by the appellant setting out the proceedings of the court would be insufficient, as stated in Hart v. Spencer, 29 Nev. 286, 89 Pac. 289.

As has been held by this court, the methods of taking appeals are matters of purely statutory regulation. (Burbank v. Rivers, 20 Nev. 81, 16 Pac. 430.) By analogy only bills of [416]*416exception properly settled and signed by the judge and records complying with the statute will be considered. (State v. Mills, 12 Nev. 403; State v. Rover, 13 Nev. 17; State v. Wilson, 5 Nev. 43; State v. Ah Mook, 12 Nev. 369.) Following this rule, the court has refused to receive affidavits to show irregularities or proceedings not regularly certified. (State v. Baker, 8 Nev. 141; State v. McMahon, 17 Nev. 365, 30 Pac. 1000; State v. Larkin, 11 Nev. 314; State v. Roderigas, 7 Nev. 328; State v. McLane, 15 Nev. 345.) Under rule 11, respondent is required, to file and serve his points and authorities or brief within fifteen days after the service' of appellant's brief, and a failure by either party to file his brief within the time provided is deemed a waiver of the right to orally argue the case or to recover certain costs, and under rule 8 exceptions or objections to the statement or transcript must be taken at the first term after the transcript is filed, and must be noted in the written or printed points of respondent and filed at least one day before the argument, or they will not be regarded. On April 1st, without making any reservation, respondent obtained an order allowing it ten days within which to file its brief, and this and the fact that it failed to file its brief or make any motion to dismiss the appeal within fifteen days after the filing of appellant’s brief we deem to be a waiver-of its-right to make the objections offered to the transcript. (Johnson v. Wells, 6 Nev. 224, 3 Am. Rep. 245; Truckee Lodge v. Wood, 14 Nev.

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

Related

Hartford Mining Co. v. Home Lumber & Coal Co.
107 P.2d 128 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1940)
Mexican Dam & Ditch Co. v. Schultz
201 P. 548 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1921)
Rosenthal v. Rosenthal
153 P. 91 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1915)
Radovich v. Western Union Telegraph Co.
36 Nev. 341 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1913)
Gamble v. Hanchett
35 Nev. 319 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1912)
Botsford v. Van Riper
32 Nev. 214 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1910)
Henningsen v. Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad
32 Nev. 51 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1909)
Hoffman v. Owens
31 Nev. 481 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1909)
Adams v. Rogers
31 Nev. 163 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1909)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 Nev. 411, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-wells-estate-co-nev-1907.