Toledo, Ann Arbor & North Michigan Railway Co. v. Toledo & Michigan, Belt Railway Co.

6 Ohio C.C. 521
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedJanuary 15, 1892
StatusPublished

This text of 6 Ohio C.C. 521 (Toledo, Ann Arbor & North Michigan Railway Co. v. Toledo & Michigan, Belt Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toledo, Ann Arbor & North Michigan Railway Co. v. Toledo & Michigan, Belt Railway Co., 6 Ohio C.C. 521 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1892).

Opinion

Haynes, J.

This is a petition in error, filed in this court for the purpose of reversing the judgment of the court of. common pleas,, which court had dismissed a petition in error that had been, filed by the plaintiff company in that court,,for,the purpose of. [522]*522reversing an alleged special order made by the probate court of this county in a certain proceeding for the appropriation of lands pending therein, in favor of the plaintiff railway company against the Ann Arbor Railway Company. The particular matter before us is an application to fix the bond to be given for a stay of execution of the order of the probate court under a certain section of the Revised Statutes, sec. 5725. The defendant company oppose the granting of that motion, for the reason that the petition in error in the case was filed in the common pleas, and has proceeded here, before any final order was made in the probate court in the appropriation proceedings, and that the petition in error cannot be filed until final order is made; and that therefore the court of common pleas, and this court have no jurisdiction to hear or determine the matters in controversy.

The whole matter of the right to take up cases in error is governed in the state of Ohio by statutes. In the probate court a petition was filed by the Belt Railway Company, claiming the right to take about fifty feet in width, across certain lands lying within the city of Toledo that are owned by the Ann Arbor Company. The Ann Arbor Railway Company went into that court, and on the preliminary hearing, set up by way of answer, and upon that offered proof, that the strip of land in question was a part of the lands used by them for their terminal facilities in the city of Toledo ; that they were necessary for the business of the Ann Arbor Railroad, and especially so in view of the fact that their business was increasing, and that they should need them, both for side tracks and for the purpose of storing cars, and transacting such other business at the terminus of the road as might be necessary for them to transact at that terminal; and they denied the right, under the laws of Ohio, of the Belt Railroad Company to appropriate these lands to its use, in any manner or form. As I have said, testimony was offered before the probate judge upon the preliminary hearing, both for and against the proposition, and that court made a finding under the statute, and [523]*523thereupon a bill of exceptions was taken by the Ann Arbor road, and tendered to that court, signed by it, made a part of its records, and is sent up with a transcript of the proceedings. To the action of that court, and what was actually done bv it, I shall refer further on. No other or further order has yet been made in said appropriation.

It becomes necessary, in order to get at a full understanding of the questions that are presented, that we should refer to quite a number of statutes, and I will refer to them in the first instance, so as to have them before the court; then proceed to discuss the questions that are made.

The plaintiff in error founds its right to file this petition in error and to have this order of suspension granted, upon sections 6707, 6708, 6709 and 6725 of the Revised Statutes.

Sec. 6707 provides that: “ An order affecting a substantial right in an action, when such order in effect determines the action and prevents a judgment, and an order affecting a substantial right made iu a special proceeding, or upon a summary application iu an action after judgment, is a final order which may be vacated, modified or reversed, as provided iu this title.”

The alleged order of the probate court, it is claimed, is an order affecting a substantial right made in a special proceeding ; for it is claimed by the plaintiff in error that the whole proceedings for the appropriation of private property come under the head of “special proceedings,” as denominated in the statute.

Sec. 6708 provides that: “ A judgment rendered or a final order made by a probate court, justice of the peacé, or any other tribunal, board, or officer exercising judicial functions, and inferior in jurisdiction to the court of common pleas, may be reversed, vacated, or modified by the court of common pleas.”

And the next section provides: “ A judgment rendered or final order made by the court of common pleas, or any supe[524]*524rior court, may be reversed,, vacated, or modified by the circuit court.”

Sec. 6725 reads:

“Execution of a judgment or final order, other than those enumerated in this chapter, of any judicial tribunal, or the levy or collection of any tax or assessment therein litigated, may be stayed on such terms as may be prescribed by the court in which the petition,in error is filed, or by a judge thereof.”

That is to be read in connection with sec. 6718, which provides that: “ No proceeding to reverse, vacate, or modify a judgment or final order rendered in the probate court, court of common pleas, superior court, or district court, except as provided in the fourth sub-division of this section (and as provided in three or four paragraphs here), shall operate to stay execution, unless the. clerk of the court in which the record of such judgment or final order is made take a bond,”

But sec. 6725 is intended to include everything which is not included in the other sections that I have referred to. It will be observed that these sections are those which govern the ordinary course of proceedings in error from tbe various courts to the circuit court, under the Revised Statutes, and is a part of what was originally known as the “ Code of Civil Procedure.”

The jurisdiction of the probate court, I understand, is drawn in question here, and reference may be made to that:

“ The probate court shall have exclusive jurisdiction, except as hereinafter provided : * * * Seventh, to make inquests of the amount of compensation to be made to the owners of real' estate when appropriated by any corporation legally authorized to make such appropriation.”

Section 537 provides: “In the exercise of the jurisdiction conferred, the probate judge shall have the same powers, perform the same duties, and be governed by the same rules and regulations, as are provided by law for the courts of common pleas and.the judges thereof, in vacation, so far as the same are consistent with laws in force.”

[525]*525It will be recollected that the term “ Code of Civil Procedure” has been left out of the Revised Statutes ; that under Part Three of the Revised Statutes, denominated “ Remedial,” Title I relates to “ procedure in the common pleas and superior courts, and in the circuits courts on appeal,” and includes very largely what was known as the Code of Civil Procedure. Title II refers to “ Procedure in Probate Court,” and is divided into chapters — first, on wills; second, executors and administrators; third, guardians and trustees; fourth, insolvent debtors; fifth, marriages; sixth, statistics of births and deaths; seventh, general provisions; eighth, appropriation of property; and ninth, criminal. Title III relates to matters before justices of the peace and mayors, and Title IV relates to error, mandamus, and quo warranto. Chapter seven of the statutes governing the procedure before probate courts, is entitled “General Proceedings,” and relates to quite a number of matters.

Sec.

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Bluebook (online)
6 Ohio C.C. 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toledo-ann-arbor-north-michigan-railway-co-v-toledo-michigan-belt-ohiocirct-1892.