Thorn v. Silver

89 N.E. 943, 174 Ind. 504, 1909 Ind. LEXIS 179
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 23, 1909
DocketNo. 21,333
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 89 N.E. 943 (Thorn v. Silver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thorn v. Silver, 89 N.E. 943, 174 Ind. 504, 1909 Ind. LEXIS 179 (Ind. 1909).

Opinions

Myers, J.

Appellees on August 13, 1904, filed in the clerk’s office of the Huntington Circuit Court their petition for a drain in Huntington county. On April 12, 1905, the commissioners of drainage filed a favorable report. Remonstrances were filed, for cause, and also one purporting to be filed by two-thirds of the landowners named as such in the report. The two-thirds remonstrance was withdrawn, and the cause went to trial March 18, 1907, on the remonstrances for cause, and after the hearing’ had progressed five days the further hearing was continued until the April term, 1907.

The drainage act of 1907 (Acts 1907 p. 508) took effect April 10, 1907, and on April 20, 1907, appellee Silver and 137 other “residents of Huntington county, and owners of lands severally assessed for the construction of the improvement,” over the objection and exception of appellants, filed a two-thirds remonstrance against the drain, and moved to dismiss the proceedings, and appellants were ruled to reply to the two-thirds remonstrance. At this point, and on May 6, 1907, appellants filed an affidavit for a change of judge, alleging that they were “two of the petitioners, and that they could not have a fair and impartial trial thereof, * * * on account of the bias and prejudice of said judge against the petitioners, and their cause of [509]*509action, which bias and prejudice these affiants say exists, that the cause for said change of judge has just come to the knowledge of these affiants, and that they have filed their affidavit asking for such change, and presented it to the court at the earliest opportunity.”

The motion for a change of judge was denied, and an exception reserved to the ruling. A motion was made to strike out the two-thirds remonstrance, which was overruled, and exception reserved. Appellants then unsuccessfully demurred to the two-thirds remonstrance, reserving exceptions, and filed replies to said remonstrance. A trial was had, special findings of fact made, conclusions of 'law stated as to the two-thirds remonstrance, and judgment rendered, dismissing the petition and proceeding at the costs of the petitioners.

The assignment of errors calls in question the ruling in refusing a change of judge, assigned as a cause for a new trial, overruling the objections to filing the two-thirds remonstrance, overruling the motion to strike out the remonstrance, overruling the demurrer to the remonstrance, and error in the conclusions of law.

1. 2. [510]*5103. 4. 5. 6. 7. [509]*509The trial upon the remonstrances for cause was in progress when the act of 1907 took effect. That act provided for the filing of a two-thirds remonstrance in ease none had been filed (§6142 Burns 1908, Acts 1907 p. 508, §3), and when filed it would suspend the trial on the remonstrance for cause until it could be disposed of, and if found in favor of appellees, ended the proceeding, hut, if otherwise, the hearing would proceed upon the remonstrance for cause; but the cause was none the less on trial. Suspending the trial by the two-thirds remonstrance, did not of itself operate to set aside the submission, because if the court had found against appellees on the two-thirds remonstrance the right to proceed on the remonstrances for cause was not affected. Had appellants desired to [510]*510have the submission set aside on the remonstrances for cause, there should have been a motion therefor; but each party seems to have treated the trial on the remonstrances for cause as suspended until the two-thirds remonstrance could be disposed of; and, under such circumstances, neither was in a situation to ask a change of judge upon the issue tendered by the remonstrances for cause, for, as wo understand it, that practice is not allowable where a, trial is in progress, unless there is disclosed a state of facts which would have rendered the judge ineligible ; for example, relationship to a party or interest in the subject-matter of the action. If a two-thirds remonstrance had been filed with the remonstrances for cause, we see no reason why they might not have been tried together, as there is no inconsistency in their being tried together. The two-thirds remonstrance is not strictly a pleading or an answer. Cochell v. Reynolds (1900), 156 Ind. 14; Sauntman v. Maxwell (1900), 154 Ind. 114. It is a special proceeding which the General Assembly may control, and between March 10, 1903, and April 10, 1907, there was no right of two-thirds remonstrance. The most that could be said is, that owing to the tendering of a new issue, the change of judge should have been granted. If the change of judge had been sought as to that issue, which did not exist when the trial on the other issues was begun, a different question might be presented, as to which we express no opinion. But to say generally that a change of judge, for a cause which did not render him ineligible, and make it manifestly improper that he should continue, may be granted in the midst of a trial, would be fraught with such consequences that we cannot assent to the proposition. If the claim is timely made, it cannot be refused, and upon affidavit filed at any time, and a showing of the discovery of the cause, even though it be after a rule of court has fixed a time within which it shall be [511]*511applied for, it is error to refuse it, and the change must be granted. Ogle v. Edwards (1893), 133 Ind. 358; Burkett v. Holman (1885), 104 Ind. 6; Krutz v. Howard (1880), 70 Ind. 174. The statute says that upon a showing by affidavit of the “bias, prejudice, or interest of the judge before whom the said cause is pending” the venue shall be changed. §422 Burns 1908, §412 R. S. 1881. The language, “before whom the said cause is pending,” is of course broad enough to cover any period of the pendency of a cause, but it must receive a reasonable construction. If, as is now the rule, it is sufficient to state the statutory cause or causes, and show lack of knowledge of the cause before, it would follow that the judge might be changed in the midst or at the close of a trial, even though the bias or prejudice might, to the mind of the mover, arise from an adverse ruling of a court upon a question of law during the trial. It must be apparent that the statute is not open to that construction, and that such a rule would be fraught with the gravest consequences. The precise question has not been determined in this jurisdiction, but, upon principle, we think that it must be true, that the change may .not be made during trial, unless there is such showing made as to show the entire disqualification of a judge. True, every party is entitled to an unbiased and unprejudiced trier of fact and of law, and the presumption is that a judge who acts in a cause is unbiased and unprejudiced. On discovery of a condition, or a state of facts on a trial, which render it manifestly improper for a judge to act, the submission should be set aside on his own motion and the change made. If this is not voluntarily done, a showing should be made that cannot be ignored. But it should be more than the mental conclusion of a party on such an abstract question as bias or prejudice, stated in the language of the statute. It could not, in reason, be required that the application should be made before discovery. If the discovery of bias or prejudice arises during trial, because of a supposed [512]

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Bluebook (online)
89 N.E. 943, 174 Ind. 504, 1909 Ind. LEXIS 179, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thorn-v-silver-ind-1909.