State Ex Rel. Fabrico v. Trimble

274 S.W. 712, 309 Mo. 415
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJuly 3, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 274 S.W. 712 (State Ex Rel. Fabrico v. Trimble) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Fabrico v. Trimble, 274 S.W. 712, 309 Mo. 415 (Mo. 1925).

Opinion

GRAVES, C. J.

Certiorari to Kansas City Court of Appeals. It would seem that relator herein was the *418 plaintiff in an action in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, entitled Angelo L. Fabrico, Plaintiff, v. Joseph Marsala, Maria Marsala and Diego Marsala, Defendants. Fabrico’s wife is the daughter of the two latter named defendants, and the suit is one for the alienation of the wife’s affections. Service was had in the circuit court (indicated by the return upon the summons made by the sheriff) in the following manner:

“Executed this writ in Jackson County, Missouri, on the 14th day of March, 1919, by delivering a copy of this writ together with a copy of the petition hereto attached, to the within named defendant Maria Marsala, he being the first defendant served.
“Overtón H. Gentry, Sheriff.
“By Henry Costello, Deputy.
“And further executed this writ in Jackson County, Missouri, on the 1st day of April, 1919, by delivering a copy of this writ to the within named defendant, Diego Marsala, and further executed this writ in Jackson County, Missouri, on the 1st day of April, 1919, by leaving a copy of this writ at the usual place of abode of the within named defendant, Joseph Marsala, with a member of his family over the age of fifteen years.
“Overton H. Gentry, Sheriff.
“C. B. Child, Deputy.”

Judgment by default in the sum of $2,000' was had by plaintiff in such action, on April 7, 19201. At the September term, 1920, of said court, Joseph Marsala, under the name of Fortunato Marsala, filed in said cause a petition for review. May 12, 1922, Fabrico filed his motion to strike out such petition for review, stating as grounds therefor the following:

“1. It would be error for the court to entertain and act upon the said motion.
“2. It nowhere appears in the record that Fortunato Marsala is a party to this action.
‘ ‘ 3'. Parties to said action are estopped by the record in the above entitled cause from disputing any of the facts apparent upon the face of the record,
*419 “4. All parties to the record in the above entitled cause are concluded by the officer’s return and by the judgment in the said cause.
“5. The record in the above entitled cause is full and complete and cannot be impeached.”

The trial court sustained such motion, and Marsala appealed to the Kansas City Court of Appeals, where upon a hearing, and by an opinion filed, the Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the circuit court, and remanded the cause. It is their opinion and judgment that relator seeks to have quashed in the instant action. The opinion of the Court of Appeals is short, and is in words as follows:

“This is an appeal from the action of the court in sustaining plaintiff’s motion to strike from the files defendant’s petition for review.
“The facts show that on March 5, 1919', Angelo L. Fabrico, sued Maria, Diego and Fortunato Marsala, the last under the name of Joseph Marsala. The suit was for the alienation of the affection of the wife of plaintiff, who was the daughter of Maria and Diego Marsala and the sister of Fortunato Marsala. Summons was issued and the sheriff made return that he had executed the writ by personally serving Maria and Diego Marsala and that he served Joseph Marsala by leaving a copy of the writ and petition at his usual place of abode with a member of his family over the age of fifteen years. None of the defendants appeared, but on April 7, 1920, judgment was rendered against 'all three of them in the sum of $2,000. Execution was ordered and levied on real estate of Fortunato Marsala, whereupon he filed this petition for review, under the provisions of Section 1532, Revised Statutes 1919. This petition alleges that he, Fortunato Marsala, was the only son of Maria and Diego Marsala and that he assumed that he was the person intended when Joseph Marsala was named as defendant in said suit; that he was never summoned and had a good defense, etc., and knew nothing of the suit until the execution was levied. Fabrico filed a motion to dismiss the *420 petition for review, which, the court overruled,’ and he applied to this court for a writ of prohibition to prevent the circuit court from hearing said petition. This writ was denied, and he thereupon applied to the Supreme Court for a similar writ, which was denied by that court. [State ex rel. v. Johnson, 239 S. W. 844.] Thereafter on May 12, 1922, F'abrico filed the following motion to strike the petition for review from the files:

‘1. It would be error for the court to entertain and act upon the said motion.

“ ‘2. It nowhere appears in the record that Fortunato Marsala is a party to this action.

“ ‘3. Parties to the said action are estopped by the record in the above entitled cause from disputing any of the facts apparent upon the face of the record.

“ ‘4. All parties to the record in the above entitled cause are concluded by the officer’s returned and by the judgment in the same cause.

“ ‘5. The record in the above entitled cause is full and complete and cannot be impeached.’

“This motion was sustained by the trial court, resulting in this appeal by said Marsala.

“ Fabrico’s point is that Section 1532-, Chapter 12, Revised Statutes 1919, by its terms provides for a petition for review only when defendant has ‘not been summoned as required by this chapter, ’ and as Section 1186 of Chapter 12 provides service of summons by leaving a copy of the writ at the usual place of abode of the person to be summoned with some member of his family over the age of fifteen years, Marsala cannot maintain a petition for review, for the sheriff’s return shows such service ; that while the service had upon Fortunato Marsala was substituted servi-cé, nevertheless, it was personal service as distinguished from service by order of publication; that the sheriff’s return cannot be contradicted or impeached in any way, and that Fortunato Marsala ‘having been summoned as required by this chapter’ cannot maintain a petition for review under Section 1532,
*421 “The matter of personal service by leaving the writ or copy thereof at the usual place of abode of the defendant is purely statutory (21 R. C. L. 1280; 32'Cyc. 462), and many courts using the term “constructive service” have not distinguished between service by leaving a copy of the writ of summons at the abode of the defendant and service by publication in a newspaper. Many have referred to the former service, as constructive service, no doubt; for the reason that at common law the only personal service known was the delivery of the writ or a copy thereof to the person to be served, or reading it to him.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
274 S.W. 712, 309 Mo. 415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-fabrico-v-trimble-mo-1925.