State Ex Rel. Martorano v. Robles

147 So. 910, 109 Fla. 528
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 24, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 147 So. 910 (State Ex Rel. Martorano v. Robles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Martorano v. Robles, 147 So. 910, 109 Fla. 528 (Fla. 1933).

Opinion

Davis, C. J.

Section 4962 C. G. L., 3170 R. G. S., provides that no appeal from any interlocutory decision, judgment or decree of a Circuit Court sitting as a court of equity shall operate as a supersedeas unless the Judge of the Circuit Court or a Justice of the Supreme Court shall, on an inspection of the record, order and direct a stay of proceedings.

Respondents, the Spicolas, filed in the Circuit Court of Hillsborough County, their bill of complaint praying for *530 the foreclosure of a mortgage and for the appointment without notice of a receiver for the mortgaged property. A receiver was appointed as prayed. Three -days later the defendants in the case, who are the relators in this proceeding, filed their motion to vacate and set aside the receivership. The Circuit Judge, who is a respondent to this proceeding, made an order denying the motion to vacate the receivership appointment, and the defendants appealed therefrom to this Court on September 13th, 1932. On the same day that the appeal to this Court was entered from the interlocutory order refusing to vacate the appointment of a receiver, appellants on that appeal applied to the Circuit Judge and obtained from him an order for supersedeas under Section 496 — C. G. L., supra. That supersedeas order was in substance as follows: “That the said entry of appeal do operate as a supersedeas upon the defendant’s filing and entering into a good and sufficient bond in the sum of five hundred dollars * * * conditioned to pay the complainant all cost and damage which she may sustain by reason of the appeal entered in said cause, by the said defendants to the Supreme Court of Florida.”

The appeal in connection with which the supersedeas order was entered, recited that it was taken and entered “from the order rendered in said cause by the Honorable F. M. Robles, Judge of the Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida * * * on the 10th day of September, 1932, by which said order, the said Circuit Judge denied defendant’s motion to vacate and set aside the order appointing a receiver in said cause.”

Bond in compliance with the supersedeas order entered by the Circuit Judge was made and filed by the appellants. They, contending that the supersedeas had, by its perfection in accordance with law, arrested all further proceedings *531 in the' main cause, failed to file any plea, answer or demurrer in the cause, in consequence of which decree pro confesso was entered against them and final decree rendered pursuant thereto.

Rule nisi in prohibition was awarded by us herein on the representation made in relator’s petition to the effect that the supersedeas operated to stay all proceedings in the main cause as well as with reference to the subject matter of the order appealed from, and that therefore the proceedings being had by the Circuit Judge in entering a final decree against the relators was in violation of the supersedeas and an invasion of the jurisdiction of this Court, which alone would have the power to modify or discharge its effect as a stay of all proceedings in the main cause. The answer of the respondents is that the supersedeas order does not have the effect attributed to it and that it' should form no basis for a writ of prohibition absolute from this Court.

There can be no doubt that when an appeal in an equity cause has been duly entered, and the Circuit Judge has determined the amount and condition of a supersedeas bond, and the bond has been executed, approved and filed all within thirty days from the entry of the decree appealed from, that the supersedeas is thereupon effective, and neither the Circuit Judge nor a master appointed by him may thereafter ignore or refuse to recognize such supersedeas. Banning v. Brown, 73 Fla. 54, 74 Sou. Rep. 23. And in such case this Court has undoubted power to protect the statutory supersedeas thus put into effect by issuing its writ of prohibition to restrain further proceedings in the court below in violation of such supersedeas, as well as to enforce, the supersedeas by contempt proceedings'. Section 5 of Article V, State Constitution.

*532 • So the proposition to be decided in this proceeding is •whether or not the taking of an appeal from an interlocutory order refusing to vacate a receivership, accompanied by a general supersedeas order not limited in its terms to the interlocutory order that has been appealed from, operates to stay all proceedings in the court below after the supersedeas bond has been executed, approved and filed in accordance with the supersedeas order and within the time fixed by the statute.

■ It has been held by this Court that a supersedeas granted on an appeal from an interlocutory order appointing a receiver in a foreclosure case does not necessarily bar the right of the parties to the suit to otherwise proceed with the litigation in the court below. Coyle v. Dean, 94 Fla. 637, 114 Sou. Rep. 526. But in that case the Chancellor within his legal authority to grant a supersedeas on appeal, from his interlocutory order appointing a receiver, expressly fixed the conditions of the supersedeas in' such manner as to limit its effect not to stay or delay the proceedings in the main suit in the court below. Relators therefore contend that the converse must be true and that whether or not a supersedeas from an interlocutory order operates to stay or delay the proceedings in the main suit in the court below is to be determined by the presence or absence from the supersedeas order of language which in terms limits the effect of the supersedeas to a stay or suspension of the interlocutory order appealed from only.

i Our conclusion on this point is that since a supersedeas is ordinarily to stay or suspend the execution of a decree already rendered, and not to suspend other proceedings in the cause further adjudicating the rights of the parties, unless to do so would, in effect, be carrying out the order of the court that is superseded, that when an appeal is *533 taken from an interlocutory order in an equity case, and an order is made by the Circuit Judge under Section 4962 C. G. L., 3170 R. G. S. providing in general terms that the appeal taken shall operate as a supersedeas in the cause, that the appeal taken operates only as a supersedeas of the interlocutory order appealed from, and does not necessarily bar the right of the parties to otherwise proceed with the litigation in the court below insofar as such litigation may be lawfully proceeded with in due course, without having to depend upon the supersedeas order appealed from in order'to justify such further proceedings as being according to law and equity practice. Continental National Building & Loan Assn. 41 Fla. 421, 26 Sou. Rep. 726. The real effect of' an appeal with supersedeas is to suspend the-power of the court below to make any order tending towards an'extension or enforcement of the order appealed from. Carr v. Marion Mortgage Co., 99 Fla. 540, 128 Sou. Rep. 12.

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Bluebook (online)
147 So. 910, 109 Fla. 528, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-martorano-v-robles-fla-1933.