Olney v. Butte Creek Consol. Dredging Co.
Olney v. Butte Creek Consol. Dredging Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbina, where a jury
On January 3, 1911, the appellee filed in the superior court of Butte county, Cal., an amended complaint," setting up that, prior to April 8, 1907, the appellants were the owners in fee of a certain described tract of land in that county, and that on said day they entered into a written contract for the sale thereof to two individuals,' which was subsequently assigned to the appellee; that the appellee had complied fully with its part of said contract, hut that the appellants had refused to convey, and the prayers were that they be required to execute and deliver a proper conveyance; that the appellee recover the sum of $5,000 damages sustained by it on account of such refusal; and for general relief. To this the appellants filed an elaborate answer, through a California attorney, duly signed- and sworn to by them.
It embodied a counterclaim, under which the appellants demanded the return of a certain certificate of stock, or the sum of $400 as the value thereof, and $100 damages for its detention.
Thereafter issue was joined, and on September 25, 1913, the suit being about to be called for trial, the appellee filed a pleading, styled “Second Amended Complaint,” which was in substance identical with the amended complaint, except that it alleged that appellants, at the time of making the contract of sale, had represented their ownership to include a certain parcel of 20 acres, which appellee had discovered that appellants could not convey; that appellee had been prevented from obtaining possession of this parcel, although embraced in the contract of sale, it being held by one Martin, who refused to allow the appellee to continue dredging thereon, by reason whereof, and of the failure of title to the 20 acres, the appellee had been damaged in the sum of $5,000.
On the same day a supplemental complaint was filed to the same effect, with the additional averment that prior to the commencement of the action the appellee had discovered that this portion of the land did not stand of record in the name of Mrs. OIney, but that she had insisted that she could deliver title thereto, which representation the appellee believed, and the same claim of damages were made. Both these last-mentioned pleadings were filed by leave of the superior court.
On said September 25, 1913, the case was tried before the superior court, a jury being waived, and evidence was adduced and arguments made on behalf of both parties. It is to be inferred that the case was taken under advisement by the court, and pending its decision, on October 6, 1913, separate answers were filed to the second amended complaint and to the supplemental complaint, purporting to be the answers of the appellants, both being signed by the California attorney, and in the record before us it is stated that they were “duly verified.” On November 26, 1913, the superior court filed its findings of fact and conclusions of law, together with a decree in favor of the appellee for a stated amount, with interest and costs.
Thereafter an appeal was taken by the appellants to the Supreme Court of California, where the recovery was reduced to the sum of
The evidence at the trial below was largely documentary, being made up of the proceedings in full as above referred to; the appellants giving evidence tending to show that neither of them was in the state of California at the time the case there was instituted or pending, that they employed the California attorney, but were not advised by him of the amendments of September 25, 1913, until after they had been made and the action tried, nor did they authorize the attorney there to plead to said amendments, or to appear for them after the amendments were made. Mrs. Olney did authorize the appeal to the Supreme Court of California, and the same attorney argued the case there.
The assignment of errors present, when considered together, two contentions: (1) That the filing of the second amended complaint and the supplemental complaint in the superior court of California, had the effect of making a new cause of action. (2) That the California attorney was not authorized by his employment to file an answer to those pleadings, and that the superior court had no jurisdiction over the appellants, or to render the decree on which the judgment below is founded.
The ultimate question, then, for decision here, is whether the record sued on, all the facts being considered, is within the “full faith and credit” provision of the Constitution. There is no dispute but that the superior court had jurisdiction of the subject-matter and of the parties, so far as the amended complaint to which the appellants made answer signed and verified by them.
“In essence it was still a suit founded upon the written contracts of sale and the failure on the part of the Olneys to perform their part of said agreements.”
This was a general appearance, and authority is not wanting for the proposition that, where a judgment is reversed on the ground that the trial court had no jurisdiction of the person of the defendant, a general appearance in his behalf in the appellate court will put the defendant in court without any further step to bring him in. Foster-Milburn Co. v. Chinn, 134 Ky. 424, 120 S. W. 364, 34 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1137, 135 Am. St. Rep. 417.
By section 283 of the Code of Civil Procedure of California, an attorney regularly entering his appearance for a party has authority:
“To bind bis client in any of the steps of an action or proceeding.”
Finding no error in the judgment below, it is affirmed, with costs.
Mr. Justice HXTZ, of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, sat in the place of Mr. Justice ROBB in the hearing and determination of this appeal.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- OLNEY v. BUTTE CREEK CONSOL. DREDGING CO.
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- Published