Varner v. Eppley

30 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 531, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1783
CourtMuskingum County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedJanuary 10, 1933
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 30 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 531 (Varner v. Eppley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Varner v. Eppley, 30 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 531, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1783 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1933).

Opinion

Ribble, J.

This matter is before the court on a demurrer to the petition. The petition filed November 2, 1932, alleges that on August 2, 1930, the defendant began an action against the plaintiff in this court to recover a judgment on account of the wrongful death of Herbert Eppley and charged negligence on the part of the plaintiff in this action. On March 26, 1931, trial was had and the jury returned a verdict for this defendant against this plaintiff for $6500.00 and judgment was rendered thereon on June 6, 1931. Said judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeals of this county on the 14th day of December, 1931, 36 O. L. R. 296, and on October 6, 1932, said judgment was affirmed by the Supreme Court, 125 O. S., 526.

The petition’ further alleges that since said trial and term of court in which said judgment was rendered in this court this plaintiff has discovered new, material and important evidence on the main issue between the parties and sets out the substance of said new testimony.

This petition further alleges that said newly discovered evidence has been discovered after most diligent search and inquiry and that with reasonable diligence it could not have [532]*532been discovered and produced at the tidal or at the term at which said verdict was rendered and that had he been able to discover and produce said evidence the verdict would not have been for the defendant in this action, and prays that a new trial be granted in said action.

This action is therefore brought under and by virtue of the -provisions of Section 11580 and 11581, General Code. Said Section 11580, General Code, reads as follows:

. “When, with reasonable diligence, the grounds for a new trial could not be discovered before, but are discovered after the term at which the verdict, report, or decision was rendered or made, the application may be by petition, filed •not. later than the second term after the discovery, nor more than one year after final judgment was rendered, on which a summons must issue, be returnable and served, or publication made, as in other cases.”

The demurrer raises the question whether or not this action is brought within the time provided by said section of the code, and that depends upon the construction of the words in said section “final judgment”. What is the meaning of “final judgment” as contained in said Section 11580, General Code? If it means the judgment of the trial court in rendering judgment on the verdict then the demurrer should be sustained because this action would then not have been brought in time. If it means the judgment of •either the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court in affirming the lower court then this action is brought in time and "demurrer should be overruled.

-■•• The plaintiff herein - claims that said words “final judgment” mean the judgment of the Supreme Court in affirming the lower courts, while defendant’s contention is that 'said “final judgment” means the judgment of the trial .court rendered on the verdict.

' It might be of some help to notice other sections of the General Code, to-wit: — Section 12247 reads as follows:

“A judgment rendered or final order made by a Court of Common Pleas or by the Superior Court of Cincinnati or by the Municipal Court of Cleveland, or by a judge of any of such courts, may be reversed, vacated, or modified, by the Court of Appeals having jurisdiction in the county wherein the Common Pleas, Superior or Municipal Court is located, for errors appearing on the record.”

[533]*533Section 12250, General Code, reads as follows:

“A judgment rendered or a final order made by a Court of Appeals or a judge thereof, Court of Common Pleas or a judge thereof, Probate Court, Insolvency Court, or a Superior Court or a judge thereof, may be reversed, vacated or modified by the Supreme Court, on a petition in error, for errors appearing on the record, except cases in which the judgment of th8 Court of Appeals is final, as provided by the constitution, and such judgment shall not be subject to modification, vacation or reversal.”

Section 12258, General Code, reads as follows:

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

Section 12265, General Code, first paragraph reads:

“No proceeding to reverse, vacate or modify a judgment or final order rendered in the Probate Court, Common Pleas Court or Court of Appeals, except as hereinafter provided, shall stay execution, unless the clerk of the court in which the record of such judgment or final order is made takes a bond executed on the part of the plaintiff in error to the adverse party.”

It will be noticed that the judgment of the trial court rendered on the verdict in this case was never reversed nor set aside, but affirmed by both the higher courts. This exact question does not seem to have been decided in Ohio. Many cases have been before the courts of this state, as well as every other state, in which the question appeared: What is a judgment or final judgment or final order? But they are cases in which the question arose in order to determine whether or not appeal and error lay.

• Many cases are cited in briefs of attorneys in this case. We will examine a few of them.

Sweet v. Sullivan, 7th Mass. 342, where it was held that “by final judgment mentioned in the statute within one year from which scire facias must be served upon bail is intended the first judgment on which plaintiff may sue out execution, whether such judgment be rendered in Common [534]*534Pleas Court or this court. The judgment rendered on review is not intended.”

Opinion similar to the above is found in the case of Sheehan v. Connor (N. H.) 136-A, 355.

Allen v. Allen, 17 Conn. 67, 72. “Judgment which was rendered continued to be final judgment until reversed, then it ceased to be a judgment. If it bad not been reversed it would have continued to be a final judgment because in the words of Blackstone it would have ‘put an end to the action.’” This case, construed a statute, providing that execution must be issued within sixty days after final judgment to constitute a lien on personal estate.

Jordan v. Agawam Woolen Company, 106 Mass. 571. (Cited in brief for plaintiff)

“This is the last decree of the Circuit Court. It includes the whole amount of damages and costs recovered and it is the final decree in the case within the meaning of this bond.”

The above is found in the last sentence of the opinion on page 572. This was the judgment of the lower court, not the higher court remanding the case.

In Burton-Lingo Company v. Church, 222 S. W. 203 (Texas). (Cited in brief for plaintiff) the question was whether judgment for plaintiff on verdict in trial was final from which error could be prosecuted, the cross action not having been disposed of. Court of Civil Appeals held the judgment was not final and the Supreme Court reversed the appeals court holding that cross action had been waived or abandoned and that the judgment on verdict was final.

In Bank of Charles City v. Reser,

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Related

Varley v. Varley
434 A.2d 312 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1980)

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Bluebook (online)
30 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 531, 1933 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1783, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/varner-v-eppley-ohctcomplmuskin-1933.