Standard Steel Works v. Crutcher-Rolfs-Cummings, Inc.

269 P.2d 402, 176 Kan. 121, 1954 Kan. LEXIS 382
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedApril 10, 1954
Docket39, 315
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 269 P.2d 402 (Standard Steel Works v. Crutcher-Rolfs-Cummings, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Standard Steel Works v. Crutcher-Rolfs-Cummings, Inc., 269 P.2d 402, 176 Kan. 121, 1954 Kan. LEXIS 382 (kan 1954).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Wedell, J.:

This was an action by Standard Steel Works, a corporation, against Crutcher-Rolfs-Cummings, Incorporated, a foreign corporation, to recover a money judgment for alleged breach of two sales contracts.

The petition was framed in two counts. Service was sought on the principal defendant by publication. The action was filed in McPherson county in which service was had on one garnishee defendant and on another garnishee defendant in Butler county.

The defendant appeared specially by motion to quash the publication service. That motion and defendant’s demurrer to both causes of action were overruled. The appeal is from those two orders.

Before treating the appeal on its merits we' shall consider appellee’s contention the appeal from the order overruling the motion to quash the publication service must be dismissed. Appellee, in substance, contends:

Under G. S. 1949, 60-3309 appeals from judgments and appealable orders may be taken only within two months from their date; the order overruling the motion to quash the service of summons does not determine the action or prevent a judgment; the ruling on the motion is neither a judgment nor a final and appealable order within the meaning of G. S. 1949, 60-3302, 60-3303; more than five months elapsed after the ruling on the motion before the appeal therefrom was perfected and the appeal from that ruling must be dismissed.

Appellee cites numerous decisions of this court which support its contention. Appellee, however, overlooks the interpretation recently placed by a majority of this court on a later 1951 enactment. It is G. S. 1953 Supp. 60-3314a, which reads:

*123 “When an appeal or cross-appeal has been timely perfected the fact that some ruling of which the appealing or cross-appealing party complains was made more than two months before he perfected his appeal shall not prevent a review of the ruling.”

An order sustaining or overruling a demurrer is an appealable order. (G. S. 1949, 60-3302, Second.) Here the appeal from the order overruling the motion and the demurrer were filed on the same date, which was within two months after the ruling on the demurrer. It is true the order overruling the motion to quash the service did not determine the action or prevent a judgment as would an order which sustained such a motion. It is also true no separate or independent appeal would lie at any time from this ruling on the motion. The contention presently made by appellee was quite fully treated in Western Shale Products Co. v. City of Fort Scott, 175 Kan. 643, 266 P. 2d 327. The court held:

“G. S. 1951 Supp. 60-3314a, examined, considered and held: It was intended when an appeal has been properly perfected, although prior to final judgment, from an appealable order, that the party appealing, or cross-appealing, should have a right of review of any ruling complained of which was made more than two months before the appeal was perfected, although no separate appeal was taken therefrom or the ruling is one from which an independent appeal does not he such as, in the instant case, orders overruling plaintiff’s separate motions to make one of the city’s answers definite and certain and to strike portions thereof.” (Syl. f 8.)

That decision is controlling. It follows the order overruling the motion to quash the service is reviewable.

Was the ruling erroneous? The action was filed in McPherson county on December 9, 1952. On that date appellee filed two affidavits. One was for publication service on the nonresident defendant, appellant. The other was for garnishment summons on M. E. White, doing business as M. E. White Construction Company in McPherson county and on Roy L. Smith and Sons, Incorporated, in Butler county. The first mentioned garnishment summons was served on the same day. The second was served in Butler county the next day. The notice of suit against appellant was first published in a McPherson county newspaper on December 12, 1952. In addition to notifying appellant of the money judgment sought against it the notice stated:

“. . . and you are further notified that your money, property, credits and effects in the possession or under the control of M. E. White doing business as M. E. White Pipe Line Construction Company, and your money, property, credits and effects in the possession or under the control of R. L. Smith & Son, *124 Inc., has been garnisheed herein and you are hereby required to plead to said petition on or before January 23, 1953, in said Court in said city of McPherson, state of Kansas. Should you fail therein judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon said petition and said money, property, credits and effects garnisheed herein will be applied upon such judgment.”

The garnishee defendants filed answers on January 13 and January 15,1953, respectively, in which each admitted being indebted to appellant. Neither of the defendant garnishees is a party to this appeal.

Appellant appeared specially and moved to quash the publication service on grounds which will be considered under its present contentions.

Appellant first contends the legislature did not intend to vest a district court in which an action is filed with jurisdiction over property or credits of a defendant irrespective of the county in which they might be located. The specific contention is the district court of McPherson county could not reach the funds in the hands of the Butler county garnishee. It seems to us that question has become moot. That garnishee entered his general appearance by filing an answer admitting his indebtedness to appellant. However, we believe the publication service was good as to the defendant garnishee in Butler county.

An action against a nonresident defendant may be brought in any county in which there may be property of, or debts owing to, such defendant. (G. S. 1949, 60-507.) The venue of this action, therefore, was properly laid in McPherson county as one garnishee was served in that county on the day the action was filed. The district court, therefore, acquired jurisdiction over that fund in McPherson county.

Was a valid garnishee summons issued to Butler county? Any number of garnishees may be embraced in the same affidavit and summons. (G. S. 1949, 60-941.)

The pertinent part of G. S. 1949, 60-943, pertaining to summons for garnishment, provides:

“Upon the filing of such affidavit a garnishee summons shall be issued by the clerk and served upon the defendant or his attorney of record, and each of the garnishees, in the manner provided for service of summons, and shall be returned with proof of service in five days.” (Our italics.)

From the language in the foregoing statute it is clear personal service on the defendant in McPherson county was not required. It is observed the statute provides summons may be served on the *125 defendant in the manner provided for service of summons. Service by publication is one of them.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
269 P.2d 402, 176 Kan. 121, 1954 Kan. LEXIS 382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/standard-steel-works-v-crutcher-rolfs-cummings-inc-kan-1954.