McMinn v. Bliss
McMinn v. Bliss
Opinion of the Court
This is an action of forcible entry and detainer. The case passed from the Justice’s Court to the County Court on appeal taken by defendants on the 31st of December, 1863. At the January term of the County Court, 1864, the defendants moved to dismiss the action on the ground that the statutes under which it was brought had been repealed. The motion was denied. The case was tried at the September term, 1864, and comes here on the appeal of the defendants from the judgment and the order overruling their motion for a new trial.
The Act of April 27th, 1863, (Acts 1863, p. 655, Secs. 15, 16,) repealed all Acts previously passed relating to forcible entries and unlawful detainers, the repeal to take effect on the 1st day of January, 1864. The right of the plaintiff to the summary remedy of forcible entry and detainer, being of statute origin, would have terminated on the 1st day of January, 1864, had not the Legislature repealed the repealing clause, so far as pending cases were concerned, by the Transfer Act of December 23d, 3 863. (Acts 1863-4, p. 1.) This Act and the Act of April 27tb, 1863, both took effect at the same time—January 1st, 1864—and are clearly in pari materia. The provisions of the Transfer Act are, in our judgment, wholly irreconcilable with the idea that the Legislature conserved judicial, cognizance over the cases referred to for no other purpose than that they might be formally dismissed on motion. The provision is that the cases “ shall be tried and determined” in the County Courts the same as though they had been brought there in the first instance.. So far, the case is with the plaintiff.
The first count of the complaint charges “ a forcible entry with a multitude of people,” and a “ forcible and unlawful detainer.” In a complaint so framed, the forcible entry is the gist of the action, the averment of forcible detainer not being stated as an independent ground of relief, but as a mere continuation or consequence of the first act. (Preston v. Kehoe, 15 Cal. 318; Thompson v. Smith, 28 Cal. 532.) There was
Judgment reversed and new trial ordered.
Mr. Chief Justice Currey expressed no opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JAMES B. McMINN, of the Last Will and Testament of William S. Reese v. GEO. D. BLISS, and JOHN O'CONNELL, and HARRY O. GOUGHs.
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Forcible Entry and Detainer Oases pending December 31st, 1863.—The new County Courts, as organized under the amended Constitution, January 1st, 1864, had authority to proceed, try, and determine appeals in cases of forcible entry and detainer pending in the old County Courts on the last day of December, 1863. Construction op Statutes.—Two statutes upon the same subject matter, passed at different times, which are in pari materia, must be read and construed as one Act. Effect op Repeal op a Statute on Pending Action.—A repeal of a statute under which alone a right of action exists, operates as an extinguishment of actions pending when the repeal takes effect, unless there is a subsequent law which enables the Court to try and determine them. Complaint charging Forcible Entry and Detainer.—If the complaint charges a forcible entry with a multitude of people, and a forcible and unlawful detainer, the forcible entry is the gist of the action. Evidence op Forcible Entry.—The evidence must tend to prove an entry by defendants with strong hand, with unusual weapons, or with menace of life or limb, or they cannot be convicted of a forcible entry. Evidence op Forcible Detainer.—There must be evidence tending to prove an actual exhibition of force to retain possession, and of present ability and disposition to use it, to warrant a conviction of a forcible detainer.