Zweibel v. Caldwell

99 N.W. 843, 72 Neb. 47, 1904 Neb. LEXIS 145
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedMay 18, 1904
DocketNo. 13,540
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 99 N.W. 843 (Zweibel v. Caldwell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zweibel v. Caldwell, 99 N.W. 843, 72 Neb. 47, 1904 Neb. LEXIS 145 (Neb. 1904).

Opinions

Hastings, C.

This is an appeal from a decree of the district court for Sarpy county entered on November 25, 1903, setting aside a judgment in ejectment of that court entered on November 2, 1901, and ordering a new trial. The findings of the trial court are that, after a trial by jury, the defendants recovered a judgment against the plaintiff here; that a motion for a new trial was filed and overruled; that Zweibel and his attorneys exercised due diligence to procure a transcript of the record in that case for the purpose [48]*48of prosecuting error to the supreme court, and were unable, through no fault of theirs, to procure it within 6 months, and the procuring of the transcript was prevented through the inability of the clerk of the court to furnish it within the time, and that Zweibel having lost his right to a review on error was therefore entitled to a new trial in the ejectment action. The defendants requested a special finding as to the employment of H. Z. Wedgwood as attorney for them in the ejectment suit, and the court found that Wedgwood, as attorney for them in the ejectment suit, Avas employed to assist in the trial and for no other purpose, and within 4 days after Avas paid for his sendees, Avhich terminated his employment. There is no general finding, and, upon the record, the original ejectment judgment stands as set aside for the reason that, because of the inability of the clerk to furnish the transcript Avitliin 6 months and the inability, Avithout fault on their part, of ZAveibel or his attorneys to get it, he is entitled to a neAV trial, and it is allowed him.

The defendants on their appeal say, in the first place, that the petition fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The basis of this claim is the fact that Zweibel’s petition, filed in the district court for Sarpy coun^ptjd not allege any error in the ejectment action in which the^ judgment was rendered; that, consequently, there was no right shown to review it, and no prejudice in the failure of the clerk to prepare a transcript. The petition shows the beginning of an action to recover certain described premises; the filing of a general denial, and a trial before Judge Baker in the Sarpy county district court; a full hearing and a verdict, it being the second trial of the case; the filing of a motion Avithin 3 days for a new trial, which motion is alleged to have set up certain errors of the court and irregularities at the trial; “that among the errors alleged Avas that the verdict was contrary to law; that the verdict was not sustained by the evidence, and that the court erred in giving each of the following instructions, to wit, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; said in[49]*49structions being given by the court on its own motion, and it was alleged in said motion for a new trial that the trial court erred in refusing to give each of the instructions 3, 4 and 5 asked by the defendants;” that the motion was heard and overruled, and judgment entered in November, 1901; that a bill of exceptions was ordered and prepared, signed, settled and filed within the time allowed by huv; a supersedeas bond was given, and a precipe for a transcript of the petition, ansAver and reply, of the orders or the court and instructions requested and given, of the order refusing instructions, of the motion for neAV trial, of the ruling of the court on it, and of the time of the court’s adjournment, filed Avithin 3 months of the judgment; and also that the clerk had been requested a number of times, both previously and subsequently, to prepare a transcript; that the files and records Avere not Avithin the control of the plaintiff, and there Avas no complete record; that the instructions of the court were partly typeAvritten and partly hand Avritten, and could not be reproduced; that plaintiff Avas informed by the court’s stenographer that there Avas no copy of the instructions in existence; that frequent demands by Zweibel and his counsel Avere unavailing, because the clerk could not make the transcript ; that plaintiff used all possible diligence, but failed to obtain his transcript, and without fault on his part, was deprived of his appeal from said judgment to the supreme court. It is alleged that, after the time for filing the appeal had gone by, counsel for the defendants returned to the clerk the instructions of the court and some of the other files; that repeated demands had been made upon defendants’ counsel for such files Avithin the proper time, and defendants’ counsel had kept the instructions and denied knowledge, of their existence, and by reason of such action the clerk was unable to obtain the files, and plaintiff unable to secure his transcript.

The only allegation of any error in the ejectment proceedings is the implied one embraced in the allegation that such error Avas set up in the motion for a neAV trial. There [50]*50is no direct allegation in the petition that there was any good ground for a reversal. If the petition is to be sustained, it must be on the ground that the right to review' is, in the state of Nebraska, a constitutional one, guaranteed to a party in every instance, and does not depend for its existence upon there being error in the record. A demurrer was filed to this petition and was overruled. Defendants then ansAvered, admitting the pleadings, the trial, the verdict, the motion for a neAV trial and the errors assigned in it, its overruling and judgment for defendants, and the settling of a bill of exceptions. The filing of a supersedeas bond is denied for lack of information, as is also the precipe for a transcript, and the allegations as to demand upon the clerk, and as to the files and records being in the possession of defendants’ counsel, and also as to Avhethcr or not there had been a request of the stenographer for copy of the instructions, and the statement made by him that they could not be obtained. The other allegations of the; petition Avere denied. The defendants also allege that their attorneys, as plaintiff well knew, had long before the month of January, 1902, full copies of all the pleadings in the action, and instructions given by the court to the jury, and the motion for a new trial; that neither plaintiff nor his counsel ever requested that they be furnished, or took any steps for the substitution of new ones in said action. It is alleged that plaintiff could have procured a certified copy of the judgment, filed the same with his bill of exceptions in this court, thereby giving this court jurisdiction, and could have gained at least 6 months’ time in Avhich to make search for the files and instructions, and have them substituted in case the originals could not be found, and plaintiff could easily have secured a hearing in the supreme court on the merits of said. ejectment case, and the failure to do so was solely owing to the neglect of plaintiff and his counsel. For a reply this answer was denied, and on trial had the findings were as above indicated.

Besides the claim that no cause of action is set out, it [51]*51is further urgent that the decree is not supported by the facts found. The allegations of the petition are that the inability to make the record, and consequent failure of the plaintiff to file his petition in error, was “by reason of the conduct of the counsel for the plaintiffs therein” (that is the ejectment case). This allegation has reference only to the conduct of Wedgwood. The trial conn found, as we have1 seen, that he was paid off and discharged immediately after defendants recovered their judgment. For his acts after that time defendants were not responsible.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
99 N.W. 843, 72 Neb. 47, 1904 Neb. LEXIS 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zweibel-v-caldwell-neb-1904.