Vassilopulos v. Fabianoff

187 S.W. 106, 193 Mo. App. 696, 1916 Mo. App. LEXIS 72
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 12, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 187 S.W. 106 (Vassilopulos v. Fabianoff) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vassilopulos v. Fabianoff, 187 S.W. 106, 193 Mo. App. 696, 1916 Mo. App. LEXIS 72 (Mo. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinion

TRIMBLE, J.

The appeal' herein was granted the National Surety Company by one of the judges of this court under section 2043, Revised Statutes 1909. The order granting the appeal was made March 15, 1915, and the appeal was, therefore, returnable to the October term, 1916.

The case in which the appeal was allowed was that of Louis Vassilopulos v. Gust Fabianolf in which a judgment for $1000 was rendered against the latter on December 19, 1914, by the circuit court of Jackson county, Missouri. It seems that, as originally instituted, the suit was brought July 2, 1914, by Louis Vassilopulos against John J. Grier and Gust Fabianolf in which the petition alleged a contract whereby defendants agreed, in consideration of $427 paid to them by plaintiff, to furnish employment for- eighty-six men-on the tracks of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, at Davenport, Iowa; that plaintiff kept eighty men waiting in Kansas City for defendants to furnish with said employment; but that said defendants violated said contract and failed to furnish said employment; that plaintiff was damaged not only in the loss of the money he paid but also by the loss of the services of the eighty men and the cost of their board and lodging since making the agreement, aggregating in all the sum of $5000 for which judgment was prayed.

Summons was issued and served upon both defendants. Grier appeared and filed answer but Fabianolf [698]*698never appeared. On December 2, 1914, the canse was, by agreement, dismissed as to G-rier.

On December 14,1914, the plaintiff filed an amended petition against Fabianoff only. In this amended petition it was alleged that defendant conducted an employment agency in Kansas City, Missouri, and was by the city duly licensed so to do; that on or about February 25, 1914, defendant, with intent to deceive and defraud plaintiff, represented to the latter that he had positions for eighty-six men- as track laborers for the Chicago, Bock Island and Pacific Bailway Company at Davenport, Iowa, which he was authorized to fill, and that plaintiff by paying $427 could select said men to fill such positions; that said representations were false and known by defendant to be false at the time they were made; that plaintiff relied upon said representations and was thereby induced to pay defendant $427 and to keep said men on expense and in idleness for four weeks waiting for defendant to ship them to. Davenport; that by reason of the premises plaintiff was damaged in the sum of $1000 for which-he asks judgment.

Buie 6 of the Jackson circuit court required that, whenever an amendment of a petition was made before trial, the adverse party must be served with a copy of such amended pleading, as prescribed by law for service' of notice, and unless otherwise ordered; any appropriate pleading thereto should be filed within three days after such service. No service of such amended petition was had upon Fabianoff. But on December 19, 1914, as hereinbefore' stated, judgment by default was entered against 'him in the sum of $1000.

On the 12th day of January, 1915, Vassilopulos began a suit in the circuit court of Jackson county, Missouri, on the bond of Fabianoff, given by Aim, in accordance' with the ordinances of Kansas City to [699]*699obtain a license to conduct an employment agency in said city. Said bond was to tbe said city in tbe sum of $1000 and conditioned for tbe full compliance on tbe part of said Fabianoif with tbe ordinances of tbe city governing said business and also conditioned that said Fabianoff would pay all judgments rendered against bim on account of any wilful misrepresentations or for wilfully deceiving any person transacting business witb bim, or for being guilty of any deception whatever toward any person wbo might employ any person to work for any other person. Said suit on said bond was entitled “Kansas City at'the relation and to tbe use of Louis Vassilopulos. Plaintiff v. Gust Fabianoff and National Surety Company, defendants.” Tbe petition therein set out tbe section of tbe ordinance under which tbe bond was given. It also alleges tbe execution of said bond by tbe National Surety Company as surety thereon, a verified ‘copy of which was attached; it further alleged tbe bringing of tbe suit against Fabianoff upon tbe grounds herein-before stated and tbe recovering of tbe judgment of $1000 against bim; that tbe defendants were guilty of a breach of said bond in that part of said judgment bad been paid; wherefore, judgment for $1000 was asked against both defendants on said bond. Said suit was returnable to tbe March, 1915, term of said court.

Thereupon, tbe National Surety Company applied to one of tbe judges of this court for an appeal under-section 2043 as above stated. Tbe application for tbe appeal sets out tbe foregoing facts together witb a copy of tbe petition in tbe suit against appellant herein on the bond, together witb a copy of Rule 6 of tbe Jackson Circuit Court requiring a notice of the amended petition, in tbe case against Fabianoff, to be served upon bim, which tbe plaintiff failed to do.

[700]*700The application for appeal farther sets ont that the amended petition in the case against Fabianoff wholly changed the canse of action alleged against him in the original petition; that no notice of such change was ever served upon said Fabianoff as required by said rule; and that he had no notice thereof; that, in said suit on the bond, said plaintiff was attempting to proceed on said judgment against Fabianoff as conclusive of the rights of the parties; and as binding and conclusive upon the rights of the National Surety Company as surety on said bond.

It is further alleged in the application for an order granting an appeal that certain errors were committed which rendered the said judgment a nullity; that from an inspection of the record error was committed against the rights of Fabianoff and the National Surety Company which materially affects the merits of said action.

It thus appears that the National Surety Company, appellant herein, was not a party to the suit in which the judgment was rendered on account of which the Surety Company claims to be aggrieved and from which it appeals. Section 2038, Revised Statutes 1909, says: “Any party to a suit aggrieved by any judgment” may take an appeal. Plaintiff Vassilopulos, therefore, moves to dismiss the appeal because the National Surety Company is not a party to the suit aggrieved by the judgment.

Prior to the amendment of section 2038 in 1891, 'it read: “Every person aggrieved by any final judgment or decision of any circuit court,” etc., could take an appeal. But the amendment of 1891 changed the section to read “any party to a suit aggrieved, etc.”

Under the section as it formerly stood, giving to “every person aggrieved” a right to appeal, the appellant herein clearly had such right. [Nolan v. Johns, 108 Mo. 431.] And it might seem that the change to “any party to a suit” would take away such right. [701]*701But in Thomas v. Elliott, 215 Mo. 598, l. c. 603, the Supreme Court say they do not construe the change in the statute as taking away from anyone the right of appeal which he had under the statute as it for-. merly stood even though the one says “every person” and the other says “any party to a suit.” It is true that on page 604 of the same case the court say: “But as we have already seen, the right of appeal given by that act was given only to a party to the suit.

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Bluebook (online)
187 S.W. 106, 193 Mo. App. 696, 1916 Mo. App. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vassilopulos-v-fabianoff-moctapp-1916.