Fraser v. Superior Court
Fraser v. Superior Court
Opinion of the Court
Prohibition is sought to restrain further proceedings by respondent court in an action pending therein in which petitioners are the plaintiffs, and Harold H. Bennetto and Bernadette M. Bennetto, husband and wife, are the defendants. The action now pending in the superior court was begun in the justice court, and a judgment was rendered therein in favor of the plaintiffs against Bernadette M. Bennetto, and in favor of Harold H. Bennetto against plaintiffs. The same attorneys appeared for Bernadette and Harold in the justice court. Within the time allowed by law, Bernadette filed a notice of appeal from the judgment. The notice of appeal was directed to the justice, to the plaintiffs, and to their attorneys. She served a copy of the notice of appeal on the attorney for the plaintiffs, but did not serve a copy of the notice, or any notice of the appeal, on Harold. The appeal was taken on questions of both law and fact.
When the cause came on for trial in the superior court, plaintiffs, petitioners here, moved the court to dismiss the appeal on the ground section 974 of the Code of Civil Procedure had not been complied with since Harold was an adverse party on the appeal; that he had not been served with the notice of appeal, and that therefore the superior court was without jurisdiction of the appeal. The attorneys ap
Petitioners contend the superior court did not acquire jurisdiction of the appeal by reason of the failure to serve Harold. We have concluded the contention must be sustained.
Section 974 of the Code of Civil Procedure reads; “Any party dissatisfied with the judgment rendered in a civil action in a police or justice’s court, may appeal therefrom to the superior court of the county, at any time within thirty days after notice of the rendition of the judgment. The appeal is taken by filing a notice of appeal with the justice or judge, and serving a copy on the adverse party. The notice must state whether the appeal is taken from the whole or a part of the judgment, and if from a part, what part, and whether- the appeal is taken on questions of law or fact or both. ’ ’ (Italics added.) Section 976 reads; “When a party appeals to the superior court on questions of fact, or on questions of both law and fact, no statement need be made, but the action or hearing on the order made after judgment must be tried or heard anew in the superior court.” Section 980a reads: “When the action is tried anew or the application for an order is heard anew on appeal the trial or hearing must be conducted in all respects as other trials or hearings in the superior court. . . .”
Molenaar v. Superior Court, 137 Cal.App. 643 [31 P.2d 221], is squarely in point and decisive of the question. The Molenaar case was a proceeding for a writ of prohibition to restrain further proceedings by the superior court in a case which had been appealed from the justice court. The action in the justice court was against a husband and wife. Judgment was against the wife and in favor of the husband. The same attorney represented both defendants throughout. The wife appealed. Notice of appeal was served on the plaintiff in the action, but not on the husband. The respondents there
“In the case before us, the defendant against whom judgment was entered appealed from the entire judgment on questions of law and fact, but did not serve the defendant in whose favor the judgment had been rendered. The nature of the appeal called for a trial de novo, during which the appealing defendant would have the right to prove either that no money was owed to the plaintiff or that any amount due was owed by her husband and not by herself. In the event she proved the latter, a judgment should be entered in favor of the plaintiff against the husband alone. The interest of the husband might be seriously affected by the new judgment and, under established rules, he must be considered an adverse party.
“The question remains whether service of notice of appeal on the husband as an adverse party was unnecessary because the attorney who took this appeal had represented both defendants at the trial and therefore had knowledge
The effect of the appeal, if it had been well taken, would have been to vacate the judgment of the justice court in toto, and to require that all issues of fact between the plaintiff and both defendants be tried anew in the superior court; and if, on a trial of the issues, the superior court should have determined in favor of the plaintiff, it would have been authorized to render a judgment against both defendants. (Rossi v. Superior Court, 114 Cal. 371, 374 [46 P. 177].) Harold was an adverse party, and in order that an effective appeal be taken it was necessary to serve a copy of the notice on him.
The filing of the document we have quoted did not operate to give the superior court jurisdiction; nor did the appearance of Harold in the superior court when the cause was called for trial. Service of a copy of the notice of appeal on the adverse party is a jurisdictional prerequisite; it cannot be dispensed with; nor can it be supplied after the time limited by the statute for taking the appeal; and unless it is done, the superior court does not acquire jurisdiction, and the appeal is ineffectual for any purpose. (McKeen v. Naughton, 88 Cal. 462, 465-466 [26 P. 354]; Brown v. Superior Court, 65 Cal.App. 147 [223 P. 426] ; Dalzell v. Superior Court, 67 Cal. 453 [7 P. 910].) Such jurisdiction cannot be conferred by stipulation of the parties. (Harpold v. Superior Court, 58 Cal.App. 629, 631 [209 P. 219].) In the Harpold case, the court said (p. 631) : “ [T]here is no duty on the part of the respondent court, nor is there any power resting in the respondent court, to take jurisdiction of, or to hear an appeal, except as the statute provides, and the statute governing the subject expressly provides that ‘the appeal is taken by filing a notice of appeal with the justice or judge, and serving a copy on the adverse party. ’ ” The exercise of jurisdiction by a reviewing court in a ease where there has been no service of the notice of appeal when service is required, is ineffectual and void. (Trobock v. Caro, 60 Cal. 301.)
Section 940 of the Code of Civil Procedure formerly provided that an appeal from the superior court was taken by filing with the clerk of that court a notice of appeal and serving a similar notice on the adverse party or his attorney. (Am. Code Amdts. 1873-1874, p. 336.) It was held that
Let a peremptory writ of prohibition issue as prayed.
Shinn, P. J., and Wood (Parker), J., concurred.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.