State v. Young

174 P.2d 189, 180 Or. 187, 1946 Ore. LEXIS 191
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided October 23, 1946·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

*188 KELLY, J.

This is a proceeding instituted on November 24, 1943, in the Juvenile Department of the County Court in and for Lake County, Oregon, to have Guy Erwin Young adjudged to be a dependent child.

On November 26, 1943, defendants, George Young and Rachel Young, who are the parents of Guy Erwin Young, filed in said county court a demurrer to plaintiffs’ petition on the ground that said petition does not state facts sufficient to require or authorize the intervention of said court. Defendants ’ demurrer was thereupon overruled and upon summarily hearing the petition said court made and entered an order committing the said Guy Erwin Young to the care of the petitioner Robert E. North.

On November 27, 1943, an appeal was taken from the order of said county court to the Circuit Court in and for Lake County, Oregon.

On May 16, 1944, the demurrer of defendants to the petition of plaintiffs was submitted to and overruled by said circuit court.

On May 17, 1944, defendants filed their answer to said petition, and on August 14, 1944, Robert E. North filed a reply thereto.

A trial to a jury was had on June 14th to 16th inclusive, 1945. At the conclusion of the evidence submitted by plaintiffs a motion for an order of involuntary nonsuit was interposed by defendants. This motion was denied by the trial court.

On June 16, 1945, a verdict was returned finding “that Guy Erwin Young is a dependent child.”

*189 On said 16th day of June, a judgment was duly entered adjuding Guy Erwin Young to be a dependent child and permanently committing him to the Boys’ and Girls’ Aid Society of Oregon.

From this judgment defendants have appealed.

At the outset, we are confronted with a renewed presentation of plaintiffs’ motion to dismiss this appeal on the ground that the Boys’ and Girls’ Aid Society was not served with a notice of appeal herein. On March 12, 1946, this motion was denied without an opinion. In plaintiffs’ brief and upon oral argument, it is contended that it should have been sustained and defendants’ appeal dismissed.

The requirement of the statute governing appeals not taken at the time of decision is that—

“the party desiring to appeal may cause a notice, signed by himself or attorney, to be served on such adverse party or parties as have appeared in the action or suit, * * *
Sub-div. 1 of Section 10-803, Yol. 2, O. C. L. A., p. 202.

The Boys’ and Girls’ Aid Society is not a party to, and has not appeared in, this proceeding either by petition, motion, demurrer, answer or otherwise.

“With reference to judicial proceedings, the word ‘party’ is generally used as meaning one of two opposing litigants, he or they by or against whom a suit is brought, whether in law or in equity; the plaintiff or defendant, whether natural or legal persons; and all others, whether composed of one or more individuals, and who may be affected indirectly or consequentially are persons interested, but not parties. * * * 47 C. J., Subject: Parties, See. 1, p. 14.

*190 In note 7, supporting the last clause of the above quotation, the following authorities are cited: Merchants Bank v. Cook, 4 Pick. (Mass.) 405, 411; Walker v. Hill, 21 Me. 481, 482; Cullen v. Woolverton, 65 N. J. L. 279, 282, 47 A. 626; Winston v. Masterson, 87 Tex. 200, 27 S. W. 768. See also Douglass v. Gardner, 63 Me. 462; Hunt v. Haven, 52 N. H. 162; Thayer v. Overseers, 5 Hill 443; Cooke v. Cooke, 41 Md. 362, 369; Owens v. Gotzian, 4 Dill. 436, 438, Fed. Cas. No. 10634; Seeley v. Clark, 78 N. Y. 220. See also Annotation to Colwell v. Union Central Life Ins. Co., in 88 A. L. R. 419, under the title, “Who is adverse party within statute providing for service of notice of appeal on adverse party.” Subtitle: “Persons not joined as parties,” wherein it is said:

“It seems to have been held with practical uniformity that persons who are not made parties to an action or proceeding are not within the purview of a statute which requires an appellant to serve notice of the appeal on adverse parties. Such a person, though interested in upholding the judgment, not having been a party, cannot be an adverse party.”

To support this statement the editor of the annotation, inter alia, cites Barger v. Taylor, 30 Or. 228, 42 P. 615 and Spitzer v. “Annette Rolph” et al, 110 Or. 461, 218 P. 748, 223 P. 253.

In Spitzer v. “Annette Rolph” et al, supra, the late Mr. Justice Burnett, speaking for this court, said:

“The statute only requires notice ‘to be served on such adverse party or parties as have appeared in the action or suit.’ ”
* # * * *
“Appearances as employed in this statute is predicated of persons in favor of or against whom *191 allegations are made in the pleadings and who are called upon to prosecute or defend.”

In support of their motion to dismiss this appeal, plaintiffs cite In re Brooks Estate, 167 Or. 428, 118 P. (2d) 103, and State of Oregon v. McDonald, 63 Or. 467, 472, 128 P. 835, Ann. Cas. 1915A, 201.

In the first of these two cases, the appeal was dismissed, because no notice thereof had been served upon Mattie Alice Baker. In the opinion, the following statement appears:

“As shown by the above excerpts of the record, Mattie Alice Baker appeared in the proceeding first, by interposing a petition for the removal of claimant as administrator; second, for the purpose of opposing claimant’s alleged claim at the time first appointed for hearing said claim; and, third, when the order appealed from was made.” The following statement is also made:
“A party to a judgment or decree entitled to service of notice of appeal must have become a party thereto in some manner recognized by law.”

In the case at bar, the Boys’ and Girls’ Aid Society did not become a party thereto in any manner recognized by law. It could not control or exercise any control over the proceeding; it had no right to call or examine or cross-examine witnesses, or present a brief or argument to the court.

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State v. Young, 174 P.2d 189, 180 Or. 187, 1946 Ore. LEXIS 191 (Or. 1946).

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