State Ex Rel. Horner v. Swan

1929 OK 468, 281 P. 803, 139 Okla. 204, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 273
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 29, 1929
Docket20612
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1929 OK 468 (State Ex Rel. Horner v. Swan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Horner v. Swan, 1929 OK 468, 281 P. 803, 139 Okla. 204, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 273 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

GULI/ISON, J.

This is an action in mandamus wherein the state of Oklahoma, on relation of G. it. Horner, prays this court to issue a writ of mandamus directed to the defendant, Hon J. H. Swan, judge of the superior court of Okmulgee county, Okla., commanding him to immediately certify his disqualifications and desist from further hearing any matter arising in the case in which G. R. Horner, petitioner herein, is plaintiff, and Harwood and M. L. Keaton were defendants, No. 2277, pending in said superior court of said county and state.

The record in this ease shows that the petitioner filed an action to recover a claim of $700 against the defendants Harwood and M. L. Keaton, in case No. 2277, in the superior court of Okmulgee county, Okla., over which the respondent herein presided as judge; that on the 6th day of March, 1928, petitioner obtained a judgment against said defendants in the sum of $510.92.

Petitioner for his cause of action alleges and says:

That respondent well knew that he had rendered judgment in said case on March 6, 1928, in favor of petitioner; that the respondent well knew that the petitioner was acting as his own attorney in the case of Horner v. Keaton et al., and was so acting and had been so acting from the beginning of said action; that the respondent also knew that one Joseph L. Rosenbloom was the attorney for the defendants in said action. That notwithstanding the granting of said judgment on March 6, 1928, and the intimate knowledge of the respondent herein of all the facts and circumstances arising in said case, the respondent did, on July 2, 1928, permit the attorney for the defendants to file a motion for new trial in said cause, in which defendants prayed for a restraining order restraining the clerk of said court from issuing or having issued on execution against the property of the defendants.

The record in this case shows that on the 5th of June, 1928, the plaintiff in the original action, petitioner herein, caused execution to be issued; that he directed the sheriff to levy on the car in dispute, but that the sheriff did not do so and no levy was ever made. That on July 2, 1928, the court, respondent herein, granted the restraining order prayed for, but held the motion for neiw trial in abeyance.

The restraining order issued on that date directed the clerk not to issue an execution on the judgment rendered on March 6, 1928, and further ordered that if an execution had been issued, the sheriff is temporarily restrained from serving' the same, and the hearing on the motion for new trial was continued until August 11, 1928.

Petitioner alleges that the motion for new trial, the issuance of the restraining order prohibiting the issuance of an execution, and the setting of said motion for new trial for hearing, was all done without any knowledge or consent on the part of the petitioner and without any notice of any nature or kind ever having been served upon the petitioner, plaintiff in the cause pending in respondent’s court.

The record shows that on the 7th day of July, 1928, the respondent issued a second *206 order similar in effect to tlie order of the court made on July 2, 1928, at which time he directed that the motion for new trial would be heard on August 11, 1928; that said order was made without the knowledge or consent of petitioner and without notice of any kind to him.

The record further shows that Mr. Payne, attorney for defendant in the original action, admits that no notice was ever served upon the petitioner when said orders were made.

The record further shows that on July 14, 1928, defendants filed their petition to vacate the judgment in said cause; that on the same date, to wit, July 14, 1928, the court, respondent herein, made an order restraining the sheriff of Okmulgee county from serving an execution, and directed that in case one had been issued, said sheriff was restrained from levying on, advertising for sale, or selling any property of defendants thereunder.

The record further shows that on the 3rd day of July, 1928, petiitoner filed his motion to strike the pending motion for new trial; that said motion was sustained and the restraining order set aside on July 7, 1928.

The record further shows that the order restraining the sheriff from levying upon the property in dispute was made on the 7th day of July, 1928, but in truth and in fact the order was not made until July 14, 1928. It therefore clearly appears that said order was made seven days prior or before the application for said order was filed.

The referee’s record, page 6, shows that the respondent herein did on the 7th day of July, 1928, set aside the first restraining order issued by him, but on the same date, to wit, July 7, 1928, immediately granted a second restraining order, restraining the sheriff from levying upon the property of defendants. As above observed, the petition or application for réstraining order was not filed until July 14, 1928. It therefore clearly appears that the restraining order issued on July 7, 1928, by respondent was in fact issued 7 days before the application for said order was filed.

The record further shows that on July 14, 1928, defendants filed a petition to vacate the judgment rendered by respondent on March 6, 1928; that on August 8, 1928, petitioner filed his answer to defendants’ petition to vacate judgment. On September 4, 1928, respondent issued his order setting petitioner’s motion to vacate the hearing on defendants’ petition to vacate judgment, on September 8, 1928; and on said date, to wit, September 8, 1928, the following record was made:

“Plaintiff present in open court in person and by counsel, Ohas. B. Steele. Defendant present in open court in person and by counsel, Tom Payne. Motion to vacate order withdrawn. Three witnesses sworn by the clerk. One witness sworn by the court, evidence heard, Petition to vacate denied. Defendant excepts to the ruling of the court and gives notice in open court of his intention to appeal to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, and asks the clerk to note same on the proper docket. Por good cause shown defendant allowed an extension of 30 days in which to make and serve case-made, ten days thereafter allowed plaintiff in which to suggest amendments and five days notice by either party in writing to settle same. Supersedeas bond fixed at the sum of double the amount of the judgment, same to be approved by the clerk, and filed within 20 days from this date. Execution to be stayed pending the filing of said bond and thereafter until the final hearing of the Supreme Court.”

This order clearly establishes the fact that defendants gave notice of an appeal to the Supreme Court, it being understood that said ease was pending on appeal both by the judge of the superior court, respondent herein, and counsel for both petitioner and defendants.

The record shows that a case-made for the Supreme Court was served on Ohas. Steele, attorney for petitioner, on the 3rd of December, 1928, but that the case-made served upon the attorney for petitioner was never filed in this court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 468, 281 P. 803, 139 Okla. 204, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 273, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-horner-v-swan-okla-1929.