Stratton & Terstegge Co. v. Meriwether

144 S.W. 1083, 147 Ky. 577, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 308
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 16, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 144 S.W. 1083 (Stratton & Terstegge Co. v. Meriwether) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stratton & Terstegge Co. v. Meriwether, 144 S.W. 1083, 147 Ky. 577, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 308 (Ky. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

Judge Miller —

Overruling the appellant’s motion to docket, advance and submit [579]*579the appeal; overruling petitioner’s motion for a writ of mandamus against the Circuit Judge; and adjudging response of Stratton & Terstegge Co. insufficient.

Lewis Meriwether is the owner of a lot fronting upon Rowan street between 15th. and 16th. streets, in Louisville, and extending back to an alley, which is known as Crop street. The Stratton & Terstegge Company (hereinafter called the Company for brevity) owns the property upon either side of Crop street, and extending from Meriwether’s lot eastwardly to 15th. street.

On June 26, 1911, Meriwether instituted an equity action in the Jefferson Circuit Court against the Company for an injunction, requiring it to remove from Crop street three large platforms about 50 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 4 feet high, which it had placed along Crop street and next to its buildings; and also to remove a swinging draw bridge, which connected the upper stories of the Company’s factory. The action proceeded to a final judgment on November 25, 1911, which granted the relief prayed, by ordering and directing the defendant company to remove from Crop street the three freight platforms and the draw bridge above mentioned.

On December 14, 1911, the company prayed and wa's granted an appeal to the Court of Appeals from the judgment of November 25,1911; and, by a bond executed on December 16, 1911, it undertook to supersede the judgment. No further steps were taken until February 15, 1912, when Meriwether entered a motion in the circuit court to punish the company and its officers for contempt of court in failing to comply with the judgment of November 25, 1911; but the circuit judge not only overruled said motion, but he entered an order giving the company sixty days from that day in which to comply with the original judgment of November 25, 1911.

Again, on February 24, 1912, Meriwether moved the lower court to require the defendant to forthwith remove the three freight platforms and swinging draw bridge referred to in the judgment, but the chancellor again overruled the motion.

Having failed in the enforcement of his judgment in the lower court, Meriwether filed his petition in this court on March 5, 1912, against James Quarles, the judge of the lower court, in which the foregoing facts are alleged, and moved this court for a writ of mandamus requiring said judge to forthwith compel the company [580]*580to comply with the judgment of November 25, 1911. At the same time, Meriwether moved for a rule against the company, requiring it to show cause, if any it has. or can, why it and its officers should not be punished for contempt, by this court, for failure to comply with the judgment of November 25, 1911. In the meantime, the company having perfected its appeal by filing’ the record in this court on March 2, 1912, it moved to docket and advance and submit the case, to which motions Meriwether objects. Judge Quarles demurs to the.petition for a writ of mandamus, and files an answer satisfactorily showing his entire good faith in entering the extension order of February 15. The company likewise files its response satisfactorily showing that it has acted in good faith, in believing that it had effectually superseded the judgment by the bond which it had given in the circuit court.

This action is now submitted; (1) upon the company’s motion to docket, advance and submit its appeal; (2) upon Meriwether’s petition for a writ of mandamus against the chancellor; and, (3) upon the sufficiency of the response of the company to the contempt rule.

1. Section 753 of the Civil Code of Practice provides that appeals shall stand for trial during the first term twenty days before which the transcript is filed in the clerk’s office; and, as the record in this case was filed on March 2, the appeal will stand for trial at the April term of this court.

This statutory provision can be waived only by the consent of the parties; and, if either party objects, as is done in this case, the appeal cannot be tried before the term next after the record is filed. This practice and construction of the Code provisions are well established by the decision's of this court in Meacham v. Democratic State Executive Committee, 24 Ky. L. R., 1340; 71 S. W., 447; Hamilton v. Kentucky Title Co., 25 Ky. L. R., 1575; 79 S. W., 1182; Ingram v. Kentucky Title Co., 127 Ky., 638, and other cases. The motion of appellant to docket, advance and submit its appeal is overruled.

2; Section 747 of the Civil Code of Practice, expressly provides that the provisions concerning supersedeas on appeals shall not apply to a judgment granting an injunction. It, in part, provides as follows:

“The provisions of the Civil Code concerning supersedeas on appeals shall not apply to judgments grant[581]*581ing, modifying, perpetuating or dissolving injunctions. When an appeal shall be taken from any judgment granting, modifying, perpetuating or dissolving any injunction, the court which rendered the judgment may, in its discretion, if the ends of justice so require, at the time the appeal is taken, make an order suspending, modifying or continuing the injunction during the pendency of the appeal, upon such terms as to bond or otherwise as may be proper for the security of the rights of the opposite party. Either party, within twenty days after the entry of such order, may take a transcript o'f the record, or all parts thereof appertaining to the injunc-. tion, and upon reasonable notice in writing to the opposite party, move the Court of Appeals, or, if in vacation, any judge thereof, to revise the order of the lower court, and finally determine how far the injunction shall be suspended, modified or continued pending the appeal. Pending such application to the Court of Appeals or judge thereof, but not longer than for twenty days, the status existing immediately before the entry of the judgment appealed from shall be maintained, and the lower court shall so provide in the judgment upon the request of either party.”

The attempt to supersede the judgment of November 25, 1911, by the bond and supersedeas of December 16, 1911, was therefore, ineffectual for any purpose.

Furthermore, the- judgment of November 25, 1911, contained no provision -suspending its operation; and as no step was taken in this court to revise it, the execution of the judgment was not stopped.

In Jackson v. Hardin, 122 Ky., 774, appellant moved this court, after the expiration of the twenty days, to continue in force the suspending order of the circuit judge; but, in overruling that motion, we said:

“It will be observed that the statute limits the application to this court to revise the action of the circuit court as to continuing the injunction in force pending the appeal to ‘twenty days after the entry of such' order.’ The motion here was not made within twenty days after the entry of the order, and so comes too late. The motion is made under the statute. No other question is presented. The motion therefore is overruled.”

And, in Barrone v. Moseley Bros., 143 Ky., 812, it was expressly held that an injunction granted by the final judgment in an action could be suspended only in the [582]*582way pointed out by Section 747 of tbe Civil Code above quoted, and that a supersedeas obtained in tbe lower court affects tbe injunction in no way.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Karr v. Kentucky State Board of Dental Examiners
469 S.W.2d 545 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1971)
Tabor v. Commonwealth Ex Rel. Peterson
199 S.W.2d 613 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1947)
Wood v. Williams
178 S.W.2d 20 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1944)
Union Trust Co. v. Garnett, Judge
72 S.W.2d 27 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1934)
Harvey v. Board of Education
242 S.W. 849 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1922)
Cox v. Jones
235 S.W. 365 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1921)
Wathen v. Wathen
216 S.W. 93 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1919)
Crecelius v. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co.
205 S.W. 181 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1918)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 S.W. 1083, 147 Ky. 577, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stratton-terstegge-co-v-meriwether-kyctapp-1912.