Young v. Carnahan Creamery

157 So. 616
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 26, 1934
DocketNo. 14977.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 157 So. 616 (Young v. Carnahan Creamery) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Young v. Carnahan Creamery, 157 So. 616 (La. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

JANVIER, Judge.

Mrs. Annie R. Young received physical injuries in the accident from which resulted the suit entitled “Mrs. Charles G. Battalora, et al. v. Carnahan Creamers, et al.,” 157 So. 612, in which we have this day rendered our opinion and decree. In tire district court there was judgment in favor of Mrs. Young against all of the defendants in solido in the sum of $1,500, and there was also judgment in favor of Mr. Young for $396.85, that being the amount expended by him or for which he had become liable for medical attention, etc., rendered to Mrs. Young. All of the defendants have appealed from both judgments.

Though this case and the Battalora Case were not submitted on the same record, we find in the transcript before us nothing which alters the conclusions as to liability which we reached in the Battalora Case. It is true that the testimony of some of the witnesses is somewhat different, but we believe that the differences result only from the fact that one case was tried'later than the other and that recollections differ with time and memories are faulty. Wo, therefore, direct our attention solely to the question of the amount of the award to which Mrs. Young is entitled.

• We find no evidence which would justify an amendment of the judgment in favor of Mr. Young.

When the judgment was rendered in favor of Mrs. Young, she, feeling that the amount awarded her was inadequate, obtained an order for a suspensive appeal, which was made returnable to this court on June 18, 1934. One week later all of the defendants obtained orders granting them appeals, all of which were also made returnable to this court on June IS, 1934.

On the said return day all defendants obtained from this court orders'extending the return day to July 18th, and again on July 17th all defendants secured further orders extending the return day to August 20th. Mrs. Young did not secure any of the said extensions. On August 20, 1934, the transcript of *617 appeal was filed in tills court by the defendants.

No answers to tbe said appeals were filed by Mrs. Young, nor was any transcript of appeal filed with us by ¡her.

Two of the defendants, Frank G. Carnahan and Standard Surety & Casualty Company of New York, have now filed motion seeking the dismissal of the appeal of Mrs. Young. The remaining defendants, Mr. and Mrs. Salathe and United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, have not joined in the motion to dismiss Mrs. Young’s appeal.

The purpose in seeking the dismissal of the appeal df Mrs. Young is to prevent an increase in the amount awarded (her; the contention being that, since she has not answered the appeal taken by the defendants and has not perfected an independent appeal bn her own part, she cannot seek an amendment of the said judgment.

Of course, if she has neither answered the other appeals, nor perfected an appeal on her own behalf, she can obtain no amendment in her favor.

“ * ⅜ ⅜ . n js axiomatic that a judgment cannot be amended at the instance of an ap-pellee, who has neither appealed nor filed an answer to the appeal, praying for an amendment, C. P. art. 888; Chopin v. Freeman, 145 La. 973, 83 So. 210; Alfred Hiller Co. v. Hotel Grunewald Co., 147 La. 129, 84 So. 520; Ervin v. Shelby’s Heirs, 146 La. 580, 83 So. 835; City of N. O. v. N. O. Jockey Club, 115 La. 911, 40 So. 331; Oglesby v. Turner, 127 La. 1094, 54 So. 400.” Nelson v. Allen, 152 La. 754, 94 So. 379, 380.

Obviously there has been no answer by Mrs. Young to the appeals taken by the defendants, and it follows that her only hope for a consideration of her assertion that the amount awarded her is inadequate must rest on her contention that her independent appeal has been perfected.

If her appeal has not been perfected, or if the transcript has been lodged in this court too late, then we cannot consider her appeal at all, and she can be granted no increase ; neither against those defendants who have moved to dismiss her appeal, nor against those who have not so moved. This is true because of the fact that appellate courts in this state must, sua sponte, dismiss appeals which have been abandoned, or which have been lodged with them too late.

“ * * ⅞ “where a transcript is lodged too late, the court has no jurisdiction to do anything other than dismiss the appeal. Atlantic Paint Co. v. Merkel, No. 8869, Orleans Appeal, of the Docket unreported [see Louisiana and Southern Digest]; Collins Piano Co. v. Cospelich, 7 La. App. 277.” Roussel v. Guiterrez, 12 La. App. 709, 127 So. 1, 2.

See, also, Gigand v. City of New Orleans, 52 La. Ann. 1261, 27 So. 794; O’Reilly Eng. Co. v. Buckner, 5 La. App. 662.

By our decision in the matter of Farrow. v. John R. Thompson Co., 18 La. App. 404, 135 So. 80,137 So. 604, some doubt may have been thrown upon the duty of an appellate court to dismiss, 'sua sponte, an appeal lodged too late, but there can be no doubt that, where no transcript has been lodged and no extension has been obtained, the appeal must be considered as having been abandoned, and ,that an appellate court has no jurisdiction to consider such an appeal, even if no motion to dismiss has been filed.

All defendants, then, are in the same category, so far as a possible amendment in favor of Mrs. Young is concerned.

Counsel make two contentions:

First, they assert that, among all counsel there was an understanding which, in effect, contemplated that the extensions of the return day were to be for the benefit of all appellants and that, furthermore, though the motions suggesting that extensions be granted bear the names of defendants only, the orders granting the extensions do not name any particular appellants, and thus should be construed as applying to all; and,

Second, they contend that it should be considered that the transcript ultimately lodged by defendants was filed on behalf of all appellants, including Mrs. Young.

In the face of disputes we are unable to give effect to agreements between counsel unless they are reduced to writing and appear in the record. We have many times so stated, as have most other courts.

The motions on which the extensions were granted referred specifically to the several defendants and give no indication of applying to Mrs. Young, so that we can find nothing in them which authorizes the view that the orders granting the various extensions were issued for the benefit of all appellants; those named in the respective motions and all others also.

We note particularly that the different counsel representing the different groups of defendants were careful to obtain separate extensions and to refer to their respective clients by name in their motions, thus indicating that they did not feel that extensions *618 granted to one group oí appellants could be effective in extending, on behalf of the other appellants, the date of the return day.

In Rojas & Conner v. Seeger et al., 122 La. 218, 47 So. 532, 534, there were two defendants who-obtained orders of appeal from a judgment perpetuating an injunction against them.

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