State v. Seaboard Air Line Railway

56 Fla. 670
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJune 15, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 56 Fla. 670 (State v. Seaboard Air Line Railway) 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 v. Seaboard Air Line Railway, 56 Fla. 670 (Fla. 1908).

Opinions

Shackleford, C. J.

(After stating the facts.) — We assume that the cause of action in this case is among those designated by Section 1449 of the General Statutes of Florida of 1906, and Rule 14 of Circuit Court Rules in Common Law Actions, which provide that certain instruments designated therein, or a copy thereof, shall be filed with the declaration, as it has been so treated by both parties and the court below. But see Sammis v. Wightman, 31 Fla. 10, text 31, 12 South. Rep. 526, text 532. It has been uniformly held by this court that the object of this statute and rule in requiring the cause of action, or a copy thereof, to be filed With the declaration, is to have the plaintiff apprise the defendant of the nature and extent of the cause of action alleged, in order that he may plead thereto with greater certainty. Ordinarily it forms no part of the declaration and cannot be reached by demurrer, and neither can the failure of the plaintiff to- file the same be taken advantage of by demurrer. If no such c-aus-e of action or bill of particulars be filed, or if the same be filed but is insufficient or defective, by pleading to the declaration the defendant will be deemed to have -waived such omission or defect. See Waterman v. Mattair, 5 Fla. 211; McKay v. Lane, 5 Fla. 268; Barbee v. Plank R. Co., 6 Fla. 262; Hooker v. Gallagher, 6 Fla. 351; Robinson v. Dibble, 17 Fla. 457; Wilson v. Fridenberg, 22 Fla. 114, text 152; Stephens v. Bradley, 24 Fla. 201, text 205, 3 South. Rep. 415, text 417; Columbia County v. Branch, 31 Fla. 62, text 69, 12 South. Rep. 650, text 652; First National Bank of Fla. v. Savannah, F. & W. Ry. Co., 36 Fla. 183, 18 South. Rep. 345; Martyn v. Arnold, 36 Fla. 446, 18 South. Rep. 791; Muller v. Ocala F. & M. Works, 49 Fla. 189, text 198, 38 South. Rep. 64, text 67; Milligan v. Keyser, 52 Fla. 331, text 347, 42 South. Rep. 367, text 371; Royal Phos[679]*679phate Co. v. Van Ness, 53 Fla. 135, 43 South. Rep. 916; Butler v. Ederheimer, 55 Fla. 544, 47 South. Rep. 23, text 25; Poppell v. Culpepper, 56 Fla. 515, 47 South. Rep. 351.

Both parties, as well as the court below, have treated the copy of the “judgment and order” of the commissioners imposing the penalty attached to and by reference made a part of the declaration as being properly a part thereof which can be reached by demurrer. This practice has been questioned by this court, but it has always followed the example of both parties and the trial court in likewise treating it. See Wilson v. Fridenberg, 22 Fla. 114, text 152; Sammis v. Wightman, 31 Fla. 10, text 31, 12 South. Rep. 526, text 532; First National Bank of Fla. v. Savannah, F. & W. Ry. Co., 36 Fla. 183, text 192, 18 South. Rep. 345, text 347; Martyn v. Arnold, 36 Fla. 446, text 449, 18 South. Rep. 791, text 792; Langley v. Owens, 52 Fla. 302, text 308, 42 South. Rep. 457, text 459; Milligan v. Keyser, 52 Fla, 331, 42 South. Rep. 367; Royal Phosphate Co. v. Van Ness, 53 Fla. 135, 43 South. Rep. 916. The demurrer, then, must be considered as being addressed to the entire declaration, of which such “judgment and order” of the commissioners, a copy of which is attached hereto, forms a part. As was held in Florida Cent. & P. Ry. Co. v. Ashmore, 43 Fla. 272, 32 South. Rep. 832: “Where the allegations of a declaration containing only one count are-repugnant to and inconsistent with each other, such allegations neutralize each other, and the declaration will be held bad on demurrer.” A like result must necessarily follow if the allegations or statements contained in the cause of action, which is made a part of the declaration by apt words, as was done in the instant case, are repugnant to and inconsistent with the allegations in the decla[680]*680ration. We call attention to the fact that, although the demurrer contains forty-five grounds, such ground of repugnancy and inconsistency is not embraced among therii, and no such point is made before us, therefore, even if such ground existed, it might be deemed to have been waived. Florida Cent. & P. Ry. Co. v. Ashmore, supra; Little v. Bradley, 43 Fla. 402, 31 South. Rep. 342; State ex rel. Kittel v. Trustees I. I. Fund, 47 Fla. 302, 35 South Rep. 986; Moore v. Lanier, 52 Fla. 353, 42 South. Rep. 462; Jacksonville Electric Co. v. Schmietzer, 53 Fla. 370, 43 South. Rep. 85; Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Crosby, 53 Fla. 400, 43 South. Rep. 318; Royal Phosphate Co. v. Van Ness, 53 Fla. 135, 43 South. Rep. 516. As a matter of fact, however, there is neither repugnancy nor inconsistency betwieen the allegations in the declaration and the cause of action, as a comparison thereof will readily show, both being copied in the statement preceding this opinion. The declaration distinctly, clearly and positively alleges that the defendant operates a railway from Abbott, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida, and refused to transport certain lumber which was offered to' it for transportation from Abbott to Jacksonville, while the cause of action simply contains allegations to the effect that the defendant refused to transport certain lumber offered to' it for transportation from Abbott, Florida, the point of destination not being designated therein. Now we know of no rule or statute requiring the cause of action attached to a declaration to be full and complete within itself, independent of the declaration. Even if such a requirement exists, conceding for the purposes of this case that this cause of action is among those designated by the statute and rule, if the defendant conceived that it was not sufficiently full, certain and complete to enable it to plead with greater certainty to the declaration, it should have moved the court [681]*681for a more definite cause of action or bill of particulars. By failing tO' take this step before pleading and by interposing a demurrer to the declaration the defendant must be deemed to have waived any such requirement, even if the same existed. See the reasoning along this line in the authorities already cited. Of course, in the instant case, as in other cases, the proof offered by the plaintiff must be confined to the bill of particulars or cause of action and it would not be permitted to introduce evidence which varied or contradicted the same. See authorities previously cited, especially Hooker v. Gallagher, Robinson v. Dibble; Columbia County v. Branch; Butler v. Ederheimer, supra. Also see West v. Fleming, 36 Fla. 298, 18 South. Rep. 587. However, all this relates to matters of proof — not of pleading. It may be well enough, however, to call attention to the fact that every judgment may be construed and aided by the entire record in the case, though it is more convenient as well as better in other respects that a judgment should be so complete within itself there would be no necessity for resorting to the record in the case in order to determine its validity, meaning and effect. See Taylor v. Branham, 35 Fla. 297, 17 South. Rep. 552, S. C. 48 Amer. St. Rep. 249, 39 L. R. A. 362; Elizabeth Cordage Co. v. Whitlock, 37 Fla. 190, 20 South. Rep. 255; Pearson v. Helvenston, 50 Fla. 590, 39 South. Rep. 695; Clay v. Hildebrand, 34 Kan. 694, 9 Pac. Rep. 466; National Foundry & Pipe Works v. Oconto Water Supply Co., 183 U. S. 216, text 234, 22 Sup. Ct. Rep. 111; United States ex rel. Coffman v. Norfolk & W. Ry. Co., 114 Fed. Rep. 682; 23 Cyc. 1102; 5 Ency. of Pl. & Pr. 1060; 1 Black on Judgments, § 117; 1 Freeman on Judgments, § 45. If this be true as applied to judgments and decrees generally, we know of no reason why it would not apply with full [682]

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Bluebook (online)
56 Fla. 670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-seaboard-air-line-railway-fla-1908.