Wood v. Miller

83 So. 2d 206, 263 Ala. 499, 1955 Ala. LEXIS 663
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 3, 1955
Docket2 Div. 350
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 83 So. 2d 206 (Wood v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wood v. Miller, 83 So. 2d 206, 263 Ala. 499, 1955 Ala. LEXIS 663 (Ala. 1955).

Opinion

GOODWYN, Justice.

Appellant brought suit in the circuit court of Dallas County, in Equity, against appellees to quiet title to approximately 20 acres of land located in said County. The suit is brought pursuant to Code 1940, Tit. 7, § 1109 et seq., and was commenced on April 22, 1953. The record does not disclose the time of service of the bill of complaint on respondents. However, the respondent Alice Alison Lide, as guardian of Alice Jo and Kate A. Whittington, filed demurrer to the complaint on May 5, 1953, and the other respondents demurred to the complaint on June 4, 1953. Respondent Lide made no demand for a trial by jury at the time of filing her demurrer. • The other respondents, E. S. Miller, R. W. Buchanan and S. C. Cursey, individually and as partners doing business under the firm name of Mico Log & Timber Company, did make a written demand for a jury trial at the time of filing their demurrer on June 4, 1953. The bill of complaint was amended on August 16, 1954. On January 26, 1955, the demurrers of all of the respondents were refiled to the complaint as amended and on the same date were overruled. Then, also on the same date, respondents Miller, Buchanan and Cursey, individually and as partners, filed their joint answer to the bill of complaint praying that their answer be taken and considered as a cross-bill. Respondent Lide also filed her answer and cross-bill on said date. On both answers and cross-bills there was this endorsement signed by the respective attorneys for the respondents, viz.: “For the trial of this cause, respondents and cross-complainants demand a trial by jury.” Also, on January 26, 1955, the complainant and cross-respondent answered the respondents’ cross-bills. Thereupon, a jury was selected on said date for hearing the evidence.

At the conclusion of the taking of testimony on January 28, 1955, the jury returned a verdict finding the “issues in favor of the respondents”. On January 31, 1955, the chancellor rendered a decree “in accordance with the verdict of the jury”. On March 29, 1955, appellant gave notice of appeal “from the verdict of the jury and the decree of the circuit court of Dallas County, in equity, rendered in said cause on the 28th day of January, 1955.” Security for costs of appeal “from the verdict of the jury and the decree rendered in the above entitled cause on the '28th day of January, 1955” was taken and approved on April 5, 1955. Notice was given to respondents on April 6, 1955, of appeal by [501]*501■complainant from a decree in the cause “rendered on the 31st January, 1955.”

Appellees have filed a motion to ■dismiss the appeal on the ground that the assignments of error are without merit and present nothing for review by this ■court, since all of the assignments are directed to the setting aside of the jury verdict and appellant failed, prior to the rendering of the decree of January 31st, to make a motion in the equity court to set aside the verdict of the jury and grant appellant a new trial. There are five assignments of error, as follows:

1. “The verdict of the jury and the judgment entered thereon is contrary to the great weight and preponderance of the evidence in said cause.”
2. “The verdict of the jury is contrary to the facts in said cause.”
3. “The verdict of the jury is contrary to the law in said cause.”
4. “The trial Court erred in giving the following requested charge on behalf of the respondents: ‘The Court charges the jury ‘that unless the plaintiff had the actual, open, notorious and exclusive possession of the South half of the Southwest quarter of the Northwest quarter, Section 19, Township 13, Range 10, Dallas County, Alabama, at the time of the filing of this suit, your verdict should be in favor of the defendants.’ ”
5. “The trial Court erred in giving the following requested charge on behalf of the respondents: ‘The Court charges the jury that the map marked Exhibit A and attached to the bill of complaint, “plat of lands owned by Mrs. Minnie W. Miller” filed in the Probate Office of Dallas County, Alabama, January 11, 1939, purported to be executed by E. E. Todd, County Surveyor, under date of 22nd day of October, 1938, is not sufficient as color of title and cannot be considered by the jury as a color of title.’ ”

The authorities principally relied on in support of the motion are the following: Woods v. Allison Lumber Co., 261 Ala. 286, 287, 74 So.2d 486; Owens v. Washington, 260 Ala. 198, 201-202, 69 So.2d 694, and Karter v. East, 220 Ala. 511, 515, 125 So. 655.

In Woods v. Allison Lumber Co., supra, it is said:

“ * * * The suit was one to quiet title to real estate and on demand of one of the parties a jury trial was granted as a matter of right. Code 1940, Title 7, § 1112. The jury found the issues in favor of the appellee and the trial court accordingly rendered a decree responsive to the jury’s verdict. Thereafter a motion was filed to set aside the verdict for alleged errors occurring at the trial. The motion was properly overruled and the propriety of that action is not here reviewable. An equity decree based on a jury’s verdict on an issue out of chancery cannot be assailed on account of errors occurring on the jury trial unless motion is made assigning such errors before the final decree is entered on the jury’s verdict. When no such motion is seasonably interposed, only those érrors committed by the equity court (as distinguished from those occurring on the jury trial) can be reviewed. Owens v. Washington, 260 Ala. 198, 69 So.2d 694.”

From Owens v. Washington, supra, is the following [260 Ala. 198, 69 So.2d 696]:

“Therefore, the correct procedure to follow in cases in equity where the party is entitled to a trial by jury as a matter of right appears to be as follows : The aggrieved party, after the jury has rendered its verdict and before the equity court has entered a decree thereon, must file a motion in the equity court to set aside the verdict and grant a new trial. Of such was the import of the holding in Farmers & Merchants Bank of Ashville v. Jones, 238 Ala. 463, 191 So. 617, where the appellant was appealing from a final decree entered on the jury’s verdict rendered on the trial of an [502]*502issue out of chancery (bill to quiet title). In that case also the appellant made a motion for a new trial after the final decree was entered on the verdict. The court in holding that such motion came too late adopted the theory deduced in Brintle v. Wood, 223 Ala. 472, 136 So. 803 (a bill to quiet title where one party demanded a jury), which said:
“ ‘* * * in order to review the findings of the jury on the facts culminating in the verdict by the judge sitting in equity, motion must be made before a final decree is entered on the verdict. * * *
“ ‘The ruling of the court of equity on petition for rehearing filed after the final decree is entered is not reviewable on appeal. * * * ’ 223 Ala. 474, 136 So. 804.
That a motion to set aside the verdict of the jury and grant a new trial should be made before the equity court enters a decree thereon must logically follow from the principle referred to in Jester v. Jester, 225 Ala. 138, 142 So. 523; Ex parte Curry, 248 Ala.

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Bluebook (online)
83 So. 2d 206, 263 Ala. 499, 1955 Ala. LEXIS 663, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wood-v-miller-ala-1955.