Johnson v. Lawson
Johnson v. Lawson
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the conrt.
On October 19, 1894, the appellee obtained a judgment by default in the county court against the appellants for f768.76. Afterwards, the appellants appeared and moved the court to set aside the default and judgment. The court denied the motion as to the default, but vacated the judgment, and permitted proof to be taken in support of the appellee’s claim. A second judgment on the same default
The question argued is whether, the court having denied the motion to set aside the default, but having at the same time opened the judgment to admit proof, and having, after hearing the evidence, rendered a new judgment, a motion to vacate the second judgment was necessary to enable the defendants to appeal to the district court.
The statute concerning appeals from the county court to the district court, provides that no appeal shall be taken from a judgment by default, or nonsuit, unless, within ten days after the rendition of such judgment, application shall have been made to the county court by the party aggrieved to set the same aside, and such application shall have been refused; and that the appeal must be made within ten days, after the refusal of the court to set aside the default or nonsuit, and grant a new trial, or within such further period as the court may allow upon good cause shown before the expiration of the ten days. Session Laws, 1885, p. 158. An appeal is therefore allowable from the county court to the district court, in the case of a judgment by default, on two conditions: First, that the party aggrieved, within ten days after its rendition, make application to have the judgment by default set aside, and, second, that the appeal be taken within ten days, or within the time allowed by the court, after the refusal of the court to set aside the default.
The purpose of the motion which the statute requires is obvious. It is to enable the party against whom a judgment by default is entered, and who shows himself entitled to a vacation of the judgment, to have his case heard by the court. It is immaterial that the judgment entered upon the default may be opened up, if the default is not at the same time set
Our former judgment was that the first motion to set aside was sufficient, — that another, after entry of the second judgment, was unnecessary, — but we affirmed the judgment of the district court because the record did not show that the motion was made within the time limited by the statute. This point was not made in argument, but as it affected the jurisdiction of the district court to entertain the appeal, we took notice of it ourselves. After our opinion was announced the defendant presented a petition for a rehearing, and, at the same time, a motion for leave to file a supplemental transcript of the record showing the time when the motion to set aside the default was made, and that it was made within the statutory period. We allowed the additional record to be filed, and it appears from it that the motion was made in time. It now becomes our duty to reverse the judgment, unless the defendant came too late with his motion to file the supplemental transcript. Opposing counsel says that he did come too late, because he came after our decision was rendered. But our first decision in a cause is not necessarily final. The unsuccessful party has a right to move for a rehearing, and if he does so, until the motion is disposed of, there is no final decision. We may, upon re
Wilson, J., not sitting.
Reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.