State v. Seaboard Air Line Railway
State v. Seaboard Air Line Railway
Opinion of the Court
(After stating the facts.) — We assume that the cause of action in this case is among those designated by Section 1449 of the General Statutes of Florida of 1906, and Rule 14 of Circuit Court Rules in Common Law Actions, which provide that certain instruments designated therein, or a copy thereof, shall be filed with the declaration, as it has been so treated by both parties and the court below. But see Sammis v. Wightman, 31 Fla. 10, text 31, 12 South. Rep. 526, text 532. It has been uniformly held by this court that the object of this statute and rule in requiring the cause of action, or a copy thereof, to be filed With the declaration, is to have the plaintiff apprise the defendant of the nature and extent of the cause of action alleged, in order that he may plead thereto with greater certainty. Ordinarily it forms no part of the declaration and cannot be reached by demurrer, and neither can the failure of the plaintiff to- file the same be taken advantage of by demurrer. If no such c-aus-e of action or bill of particulars be filed, or if the same be filed but is insufficient or defective, by pleading to the declaration the defendant will be deemed to have -waived such omission or defect. See Waterman v. Mattair, 5 Fla. 211; McKay v. Lane, 5 Fla. 268; Barbee v. Plank R. Co., 6 Fla. 262; Hooker v. Gallagher, 6 Fla. 351; Robinson v. Dibble, 17 Fla. 457; Wilson v. Fridenberg, 22 Fla. 114, text 152; Stephens v. Bradley, 24 Fla. 201, text 205, 3 South. Rep. 415, text 417; Columbia County v. Branch, 31 Fla. 62, text 69, 12 South. Rep. 650, text 652; First National Bank of Fla. v. Savannah, F. & W. Ry. Co., 36 Fla. 183, 18 South. Rep. 345; Martyn v. Arnold, 36 Fla. 446, 18 South. Rep. 791; Muller v. Ocala F. & M. Works, 49 Fla. 189, text 198, 38 South. Rep. 64, text 67; Milligan v. Keyser, 52 Fla. 331, text 347, 42 South. Rep. 367, text 371; Royal Phos
Both parties, as well as the court below, have treated the copy of the “judgment and order” of the commissioners imposing the penalty attached to and by reference made a part of the declaration as being properly a part thereof which can be reached by demurrer. This practice has been questioned by this court, but it has always followed the example of both parties and the trial court in likewise treating it. See Wilson v. Fridenberg, 22 Fla. 114, text 152; Sammis v. Wightman, 31 Fla. 10, text 31, 12 South. Rep. 526, text 532; First National Bank of Fla. v. Savannah, F. & W. Ry. Co., 36 Fla. 183, text 192, 18 South. Rep. 345, text 347; Martyn v. Arnold, 36 Fla. 446, text 449, 18 South. Rep. 791, text 792; Langley v. Owens, 52 Fla. 302, text 308, 42 South. Rep. 457, text 459; Milligan v. Keyser, 52 Fla, 331, 42 South. Rep. 367; Royal Phosphate Co. v. Van Ness, 53 Fla. 135, 43 South. Rep. 916. The demurrer, then, must be considered as being addressed to the entire declaration, of which such “judgment and order” of the commissioners, a copy of which is attached hereto, forms a part. As was held in Florida Cent. & P. Ry. Co. v. Ashmore, 43 Fla. 272, 32 South. Rep. 832: “Where the allegations of a declaration containing only one count are-repugnant to and inconsistent with each other, such allegations neutralize each other, and the declaration will be held bad on demurrer.” A like result must necessarily follow if the allegations or statements contained in the cause of action, which is made a part of the declaration by apt words, as was done in the instant case, are repugnant to and inconsistent with the allegations in the decla
If the failure of the order in that case to show jurisdiction could have been cured by an allegation in the declaration, could not the failure of the order in this case to show the point of destination be cured by an allegation in the declaration? The answer is so obvious that no comment is necessary.
We would further call attention to the fact that a number of the grounds of the demurrer are directed solely against the attached copy of the cause of action. This will not do'. As we have already seen, the only way the cause of action could become a part of the declaration at all was by apt words making it so, otherwise it could not be reached by demurrer at all. The declaration contains only one count, therefore the demurrer must be considered as directed against and applying to the declaration as an entirety, not to fragmentary portions of it, or to the attached copy of the cause of action alone. Muller v. Ocala Foundry and Machine Works, 49 Fla. 189, 38 South. Rep. 64; Hooker v. Forrester, 53 Fla. 392, 43 South. Rep. 241; Griffing Brothers Company v. Winfield, 53 Fla. 589, 43 South. Rep. 687; Atlantic Coast Line R. R. Co. v. Beazley, 54 Fla. 311, 45 South. Rep. 761.
We have given the matter our most careful consideration and, after so doing, have reached the conclusion that the declaration is not so defective a pleading as to be open to the attack made on it by the demurrer.
In view of the extended discussion in the opinion in the case of the State of Florida v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, filed this day, and the conclusion therein announced, it becomes unnecessary for us to consider the question of the constitutionality of the Railroad
It follows that the judgment must be reversed, and it is so ordered with directions to overrule the demurrer.
Dissenting Opinion
(Dissenting.) — I am unable to agree to the conclusion reached in the opinion prepared by the Chief Justice in this -case for the following reasons, briefly stated:
Our constitution clothes our railroad commission with judicial powers, and the statute under which this proceeding was initiated authorizes such commission in such judicial capacity-to impose a fine when a case is properly presented to it of such misfeasance on the part of a railroad company as -calls down upon it the imposition of a penalty. The same statute makes the fine thus imposed by the judgment of the commission the basis of the civil suit no-w under review, and if there is a recovery against the railway company in such civil suit the amount of such recovery is irrevocably limited to the amount of the fine adjudged -and imposed by such commission. The law in effect gives to the defendant railway company the- right to have the complaint against it investigated and adjudged by two- tribunals — .(i) the initial tribunal being the railroad commission; (2) the tribunal entering the authoritative and enforceable judgment in the case being
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The State of Florida, in Error v. Seaboard Air Line Railway, a Corporation, in Error
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- 21 cases
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- Syllabus
- 1. The object of Section 1449 of the General Statutes of 1906 and Rule 14 of Circuit Court Rules in Common Law Actions in requiring the cause of action, or a copy thereof, in the class of instruments designated therein, to be filed with the declaration, is to have the plaintiff apprise the defendant of the nature and extent of the cause of action alleged against him, in order that he may plead thereto with greater certainty. Ordinarily such cause of action forms no part of the declaration and cannot be reached by demurrer, and neither can the failure of the plaintiff to file the same be taken advantage of by demurrer. 2. By apt words the cause of action, or a copy thereof, filed with the declaration can be made a part of the same, and, when both parties to the action, as well as the court below, have treated the cause of action as being properly a part of the declaration which can be reached by demurrer, an appellate court may likewise so treat it, but, in such a case, a demurrer interposed to the declaration must be considered as being addressed to the entire declaration, of which such cause of action forms a part. 3. Where allegations of a declaration containing only one count are repugnant to and inconsistent with each other, such aliégations neutralize each other, and the declaration will be held bad on demurrer. A like result must necessarily follow if the allegations or statements contained in the cause of action, which is made a part of the declaration by apt words, are repugnant to and inconsistent with the allegations'in the declaration. 4. Neither Section 1449 of the General Statutes of 1906 nor Rule 14 of Circuit Court Rules in Common Law Actions require the cause of action attached to a declaration to be full and complete within itself, independent of the declaration. If, however, the defendant conceives that the cause of action so filed is not sufficiently full, certain and complete to enable it to plead with greater certainty to the declaration, it should move the court for an order requiring a more definite cause of action or bill of particulars. By failing to take this step before pleading and by interposing a demurrer to the declaration the defendant will be deerped to have waived any such defect, even if the same existed. 5. The proof offered by the plaintiff must be confined to the bill of particulars or cause of action and it would not be permitted to introduce evidence which varied or contradicted the same, but this principle relates to matters of proof — not of pleading— and is not available in support of a demurrer. 6. Even if a finding, order, judgment, quasi-judgment, or by whatsoever name it may be designated, of the Railroad Commissioners imposing a penalty upon a railroad company for violation of one of the rules adopted by such commissioners, should be held to properly fall within the class of instruments designated by the statute and rule as being required to be filed with the declaration as a cause of action, yet such an 'order, being at least in the nature of a judgment, may be construed and aided by the entire record in the case, though it would be more convenient as well as better in other respects that such an order should be so complete within itself that there would be no necessity for resorting to the record in the case in order to determine its validity, meaning and effect. 7. In an action instituted by the State against a railroad company to recover a penalty imposed by the Railroad Commissioners against such company for the violation of one of the rules governing the transportation of freight, adopted by such commissioners, a declaration which distinctly, clearly and positively alleges that the defendant company operates a railway from a certain designated point in Florida to another designated point in such State and refused to transport certain freight which was offered it at such first designated point to the second point so designated, in violation of a certain designated rule so adopted by such commissioners, is not demurrable by reason of the fact that the order of the commissioners imposing such penalty, a copy of which is attached to and by apt words made a part of the declaration, fails to designate the point of destination to which the offered freight was to be transported. The failure of such order to show the point of destination is cured by a proper allegation in the declaration. 8. A demurrer to a declaration containing only one count must be considered as applying to the declaration as an entirety, not to fragmentary portions of it, or to the attached copy of the cause of action alone, even though the same by apt words has been made a part of the declaration.