Squire, Supt. v. Grn. Trust Co.

72 N.E.2d 137, 79 Ohio App. 371, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 203
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 18, 1947
Docket20317
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 72 N.E.2d 137 (Squire, Supt. v. Grn. Trust 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
Squire, Supt. v. Grn. Trust Co., 72 N.E.2d 137, 79 Ohio App. 371, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 203 (Ohio Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

OPINION

By ROSS, J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from a judgment of the Common- Pleas Court of Cuyahoga County, in which demurrers to certain causes of action in the Fourth Amended Petition were sustained, and those causes of action dismissed, the plaintiff not desiring to plead further thereon.

The fourth amended petition contains 97 causes of action. In the brief of the plaintiff-appellant, it is stated:

“I. The Court of Common Pleas sustained the demurrers to Causes of Action Nos. 1 to 19 inclusive, 21 to 32 inclusive, 35, 37 to 49 inclusive, 51, and part of Cause of Action No. 50 (47 in all) on the ground that the causes were barred by the statute of limitations. Since the Superintendent did not desire to amend, the Court of Common Pleas rendered judgment in favor of defendants on these Causes of Action. The first issue before this Court, therefore, pertains to the statute of limitations.
*209 “II. The Court of Common Pleas also sustained the demurrers to Causes of Action Nos. 20, 33, 34, and 59 to 97, inclusive (42 in all) on the ground that the Superintendent had not alleged facts sufficient to state a cause of action. The plaintiff did not desire to amend Causes of Action Nos. 20, 33, 34 and 97, and the Court of Common Pleas rendered judgment in favor of defendants on these four Causes of Action. The second issue, therefore, concerns the sufficiency of the allegations set forth in Causes of Action Nos. 20, 33, 34 and 97.
“III. The Court of Common Pleas in its Opinion stated that Causes of Action Nos. 59 to 96 inclusive (38 in all), relating to the plans and policies for the administration of trust estates, were prematurely brought because no damage was alleged to have occurred. To remedy this objection, plaintiff made application for leave to file a Supplemental Petition setting forth facts pertaining to damage which occurred after the commencement of the action. This application was overruled, and, after the Superintendent had stated that he did not wish to amend any of these thirty-eight Causes of Action, judgment was reversed in favor of defendants on Causes of Action Nos. 59 to 96 inclusive. This refusal to permit the filing of the Supplemental Petition constitutes the basis of the third issue.
“IV. The Court of Common Pleas, as we have said, sustained demurrers to part only of Cause of Action No. 50, and overruled them as to the balance of that Cause of Action. The right to sustain demurrers to a part only of a Cause of Action raises the fourth issue.
“V. A fifth and minor issue arises because the Court of Common Pleas granted a demurrer of defendant, Mather, on the ground that all of the Causes of Action did not affect him.”

It is probably unnecessary to state that the task presented to the trial court and now to this court assumes herculean proportions. The points raised in the briefs and arguments are legion. Any attempt to tender in this opinion any detailed discussion of the several contentions of the parties, or even to mention all of them, would be of little benefit to anyone and unduly extend this opinion beyond the scope permitted by considerations of propriety, or the necessity for a fair statement of the premises upon which the conclusions reached herein are based.

Justification also is found in the able and extended consideration given the problems presented by the trial court.

For these reasons, such conclusions will be stated in a more or less'categorical manner. In the main, the outline *210 adopted by the appellant will be followed in passing upon the assignments of error advanced by him.

I.

Directing attention to the causes of action included in division No. I, as set out supra, the trial court sustained demurrers to the causes of action therein included, upon the ground that it appears from the face of the petition they are barred by the statute of limitations.

The appellant places his claim of error in such ruling upon a number of premises. These premises in turn involve a number of questions which will be first considered.

Is more than one statute of limitations involved?

Without at this point passing upon the validity of the several causes of action, it may be considered that the appellant in his allegations has relied for relief both upon remedies provided by the common law and the statutes of Ohio. In the consideration of his pleading certain general rules applicable to demurrers are considered.

(1) The appellant is not bound by any theory for relief he may assert. He is bound only by the facts he alleges in his petition and if those facts state any action in law or equity, the Court is compelled to extend such relief, regardless even of his prayer for same. Schaefer v First Natl. Bank, 134 Oh St 511, 520; Triff, Admx., v Foundry Co., 135 Oh St 191, 205; State, ex rel., v Beamer, 109 Oh St 133, 150.

When in doubt, a plaintiff may state his cause of action in the alternative. Sicard v Distributing Co., 133 Oh St 291, 296.

So even if the plaintiff mistakenly disclaims charges of fraud or negligence, if the facts alleged state a cause of action in fraud, negligence or equity, or a cause of action created by statute, the court must disregard his “theory” and even his prayer, and upon demurrer give his petition any proper construction sustained by the facts.

(2) In construing such petition upon demurrer the plaintiff is entitled to consideration of not only the proper and well-pleaded factual allegations, but also to the fair, reasonable, and favorable intendments and inferences arising therefrom, except when jurisdictional factual allegations are involved. Life Ins. Co. v Veser, 128 Oh St 200; Parletto v Indus. Comm., 140 Oh St 12; Humphries v Steel Corp., 132 Oh St 263; Elec. Ry. Co. v Express Co., 105 Oh St 331.

(3) The nature of the action, whether in law or equity, is determined by the character of the principal relief, justi *211 fled by the facts alleged in the petition. Nordin v Coulton, 142 Oh St 277; Borton v Earhart, et al., 144 Oh St 334.

(4) It is an equitable action if it is necessary to determine first whether the plaintiff is entitled to equitable relief before legal redress can be granted. (Id.)

These general principles, it may appear, will be more applicable when considering the causes of action in the-light of a demurrer predicated upon the claim that no cause of action is stated. However, they are at this point pertineht, in view of the several claims of plaintiff as to the nature of these causes of action, and the several theories advanced by plaintiff which he asserts are sustained by his several allegations of fact.

Bearing these general principles of pleading in mind, a solution of the questions presented is undertaken.

The facts alleged in the causes of action justify only a claim for money. This is the relief sought and the only principal relief warranted by the allegations of the petition.

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Bluebook (online)
72 N.E.2d 137, 79 Ohio App. 371, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/squire-supt-v-grn-trust-co-ohioctapp-1947.