Cupples v. Castro
Cupples v. Castro
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal taken upon the judgment roll alone from a judgment in favor of the contestant in an election contest.
The cause was previously before this court for hearing, at which time it was ordered off calendar until a representative of contestant Samuel E. Cupples might be substituted as respondent. (Cupples v. Castro, 55 Cal.App.2d 489 [130 P.2d 747].) Since that time Eunice I. Cupples, as the administratrix of the estate of Samuel E. Cupples, deceased, has been duly substituted; said administratrix has filed a brief; and the cause has been argued and submitted.
The trial court entered its judgment in favor of the contestant on July 18, 1941. This appeal was taken by the contestee on July 21, 1941. Before the filing on May 15, 1942, of the transcript on appeal, the contestant died on February 12, 1942. On the previous hearing, it was held upon the authority of Snibley v. Palmtop, 127 Cal. 31 [59 P. 200], that the estate of the deceased had an interest in the appeal because of the provisions for costs in election contests (Elections Code, sec. 8572) and that while the eontestee had a right to pursue his appeal, he could not do so until a representative of the contestant had been substituted. After the .substitution had been made and at the oral argument on May 12, 1942, it was, of course, conceded that the contestant had died during the pendency of the appeal and it was further conceded that the two year term, for which the contestant and eontestee ran in the disputed election of April 7, 1941, had expired. In view of these conceded facts, the only remaining controversy between the eontestee and the representative of the contestant is the controversy over costs.
A determination of this controversy over costs does not require the discussion of the numerous questions argued in the briefs of the parties. Section 8511 of the Elections Code provides that any elector may contest an election upon any of the grounds specified therein. The contest herein was brought upon the grounds specified in subdivisions (d) and
On this appeal upon the judgment roll alone, the eontestee of course makes no contention that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the findings with respect to the number of votes received by the respective candidates. His sole contention is that the election was invalid generally because of certain other alleged irregularities, not specified in the pleadings; “that all ballots cast in this case are illegal”; and that “the election should be held void as to Mayor and that neither party was elected Mayor of Santa Clara.” He states, “In this case, Mr. Cupples may have proved that Mr. Castro was not elected Mayor but Mr. Cupples has failed to prove that he
The judgment is affirmed.
Nourse, P. J., and Pooling, J. pro tern, concurred.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.