The Astorian

57 F.2d 85, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3927
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 14, 1932
Docket6625
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 57 F.2d 85 (The Astorian) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The Astorian, 57 F.2d 85, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3927 (9th Cir. 1932).

Opinion

57 F.2d 85 (1932)

THE ASTORIAN.
DI MEGLIO et al.
v.
GIACONI.

No. 6625.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

March 14, 1932.

*86 John J. Monahan, of San Pedro, Cal., for appellants.

Loucks & Phister, of San Pedro, Cal., for appellee.

Before WILBUR and SAWTELLE, Circuit Judges.

WILBUR, Circuit Judge.

Appellants instituted a libel in rem against the Astorian, an American fishing boat, for advances made to Y. Ito, charterer, and for the discharge of maritime liens against the vessel alleged to have been necessary for the proper operation of the fishing vessel Astorian. Three causes of libel are stated in three separate counts, the first count for $1,888.50 advanced by libellants and appellants, the second cause of action for $1,890.37 advanced by John Vitalich and assigned to appellants; the third cause of action for $1,928.50 advanced by Vincent Petrasich and Pete Kuglis, also assigned to appellant. John Vitalich is doing business under the name of Chesapeake Fish Company, and Petrasich and Kuglis are doing business under the name of the Star Fisheries.

The issues were referred to a commissioner who made a report on the law and the facts favorable to the appellee. The appellant excepted to the report. Upon the hearing of appellants' exceptions to the commissioner's report brought on for hearing before the court by stipulation, the court filed a memorandum decision to the effect that he was of opinion that the advances were made upon the credit of Ito and not upon the credit of the Astorian, and that "his conclusions in this regard are justified by the evidence, and the exceptions should be disallowed and the Commissioner's report confirmed." This memorandum was dated January 16, 1931, and was followed by a final decree that libelants take nothing by their action, dated, entered, and recorded January 21, 1931. On March 10, 1931 appellants filed a petition in the District Court entitled "Petition for libel of review," the prayer of which is as follows: "Wherefore, your petitioner prays that as he will be prevented from taking an appeal in the absence of separate findings of fact and conclusions of law, as required by Supreme Court Admiralty Rule 46½ [28 US CA § 723] and the decision of the Supreme Court in Panama Mail S. S. Co. v. Vargas, 281 U. S. 670, 74 L. Ed. 1105, 50 S. Ct. 448, that this Honorable Court vacate and set aside the final decree herein, and that the court find the facts specially and state separately its conclusions of law thereon."

The petition was heard on March 23, 1931, and thereupon ordered submitted. On June 17, 1931, the court filed a memorandum decision to the effect "that the findings of the special master, the same having been confirmed by this court, are sufficient compliance with Rule 46½. The petition for review of libel is therefore denied." Notice of appeal from the decree was served and filed June 26, 1931, and the bond on appeal was approved on that date.

The appellee moves to dismiss the appeal upon the ground that it was taken more than three months after the entry of the decree. 28 USCA § 230; The Ruth (C. C. A.) 20 F.(2d) 314; The Albatross (C. C. A.) 19 F.(2d) 141.

The real question involved in the motion to dismiss is whether or not the petition entitled "Petition for libel of review" tolled the statutory limitation for appeal. As said by the Supreme Court in Aspen Mining & Smelting Co. v. Billings, 150 U. S. 31, 36, 14 S. Ct. 4, 6, 37 L. Ed. 986, speaking *87 through Chief Justice Fuller: "The rule is that if a motion or a petition for rehearing is made or presented in season and entertained by the court, the time limited for a writ of error or appeal does not begin to run until the motion or petition is disposed of. Until then the judgment or decree does not take final effect for the purposes of the writ of error or appeal. Brockett v. Brockett, 2 How. 238, 240 [11 L. Ed. 251]; Texas & Pac. Ry. v. Murphy, 111 U. S. 488, 4 S. Ct. 497 [28 L. Ed. 492]; Memphis v. Brown, 94 U. S. 715 [24 L. Ed. 244]."

It is true that a new trial in admiralty is rarely, if ever, applied for or granted (1 C. J. 1338, § 274, and notes), for the reason that upon appeal the case is tried de novo (Burdett v. Williams (D. C.) 29 F. 542; The Vaderland (D. C.) 19 F. 527), although a court of admiralty has the power upon a seasonable application during the term to reopen for rehearing a decree entered under a misapprehension of facts or on improper evidence (1 C. J. 1342, § 286, and cases cited under note 94). The petition filed by the appellant was ineffective as a petition for libel of review, for the reason that it was filed within the term, and the remedy by a petitioner for libel of review is, in effect, a new proceeding instituted to attack what would otherwise be final decree by reason of the expiration of the term and of the right of appeal. Jackson v. Munks (C. C.) 58 F. 596, affirmed (C. C. A.) 66 F. 571; The Columbia (D. C.) 100 F. 890; Hall v. Chisholm et al. (C. C. A.) 117 F. 807; Benedict on Admiralty (5th Ed.) vol. 1, § 275. See quotation from the decision by Mr. Justice Story in The New England, 3 Sumn. 495, Fed. Cas. No. 10151, quoted by Judge Gilbert in Jackson v. Munks (C. C.) 58 F. 596. Without further discussion of the propriety or sufficiency of petition for libel of review, it is clear that petition filed herein fails to state facts essential for the maintenance of such petition as set forth in the above decisions. It does not follow, however, that the petition should be entirely ignored. In Dunlap's Admiralty Practice, published in 1836, the author states, at page 324: "It is not settled in the admiralty practice whether a cause, which has once been closed, can be reopened by libel of review, as in chancery by a bill of review. There seems to be as strong reasons for the possession of this power, in order to do justice, by a court of admiralty, as by a court of chancery. In the High Court of Admiralty in England, an opinion has been expressed, that the Court, in its range of large discretion, and by the very extended equity which it is in the habit of exercising, might, in a case of direct fraud, or something equivalent to it, suffer a cause which had been once closed to be re-opened; but there must be strong reasons, and mere negligence or oversight would not be a sufficient ground for this extraordinary interposition."

Judge Gilbert, in Jackson v. Munks (C. C.) 58 F. 596, states there are but few precedents to be found in the decisions of admiralty court upon the subject of the jurisdiction of this court to entertain a libel of review in admiralty.

In the case at bar the so-called petition for libel of review prayed that the decree be vacated because of an alleged failure to find the facts and state the conclusions of law and because of surprise on the part of the petitioner, in that he was not served with a copy of the proposed decree in accordance with rule 44 of the trial court. We think that the petition may be treated as a petition for reopening of the case and a rehearing within the meaning of the rule as stated by this court, speaking through Judge Dietrich in Thos. Day Co. v.

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Bluebook (online)
57 F.2d 85, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3927, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-astorian-ca9-1932.