Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund v. Gleason
Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund v. Gleason
Opinion of the Court
In August, 1892, the appellee filed his bill in equity fin the Circuit Court of Dade county against the appellants under the provisions of section 1500 of the
The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement-Fund, and several others of the defendants, answered the bill, reserving therein, as a ground of demurrer to the whole bill the question of its want of equity. The-complainant filed divers exceptions on the ground of impertinence to various parts of the several answers of' the defendants, and brought said exceptions on for-hearing, and the court below made orders sustaining-the several exceptions to all of said answers, and frorm these orders the defendants have taken this appeal.
Without passing upon the propriety or the impropriety of the rulings upon the exceptions to- the answers, the cause is remanded with directions that the complainants bill be dismissed, and that the appellee pay the costs of the cause, and of this appeal.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund of Florida, Edward L. White, Susan G. White, Edward C. Pent v. William H. H. Gleason
- Cited By
- 19 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SECTION 1500 REVISED STATUTES UNCONSTITUTIONAL WHEREIN IT PERMITS EJECTMENT BILLS IN EQUITY — APPELLATE COURTS WILL ORDER DISMISSAL OP BILL WHERE EQUITY HAS NO JURISDICTION, EVEN THOUGH THE JURISDICTIONAL QUESTION IS NOT RAISED. 1. Section 1 of Chapter 3881, laws of 1889, brought forward as section 1500 of the Revised Statutes, should be enforced so far only as it can be consistently with the limitations of our Constitution, but it is unconstitutional and without force or effect in so far as it undertakes or has the effect of converting the remedy at law by ejectqient into an action cognizable in equity. Where the remedy at law by ejectment is clear and adequate, then this statute can not, constitutionally, put such a case into equity, and thereby deprive the defendant of his common law right of a trial thereof by jury. 2. Where it is apparent to an appellate court that a bill in equity carried to it on appeal makes no case of which a court of equity has jurisdiction, it is proper for it to order a dismissal of the bill for want of equity, even though its equity be not questioned by the pleadings or expressly presented.