Cook v. Smith
Cook v. Smith
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
Rosanna Cook sued H. and F. J. Mathias in the district court of Pawnee county, asking a money judgment, and upon a first-trial failed to recover. On February 6, 1892, a new trial was granted. Plaintiff then dismissed without prejudice, and later in the same year began a new action for the same re
The objections urged to the petition are that it fails to allege facts showing'any injury to plaintiffs, and that it shows upon its face that action on the bond was barred by the statute of limitations. It will be noted that the petition does not attempt to allege that the judgment defendants were solvent when the stay order was made, or that the judgment would have been collectable if it had been rendered in the regular course of litigation without the delay occasioned by the stay order. But the plaintiff contends that the bond was in effect conditioned for the payment of such judgment as might be rendered. It is true that’ a supersedeas bond required by the federal statute, upon a writ of error brought to reverse a judgr ment for the payment of money, conditioned that
But plaintiff in error invokes the doctrine that any invasion of a legal right entitles the aggrieved person to nominal damages, even if no actual pecuniary damages are shown. In view of this contention the consideration of the statute of limitations becomes important. No doubt, in any case where the amount of recovery would depend on the final result of the proceedings in which the stay was had, the cause of
Moreover, another consideration would restrain this court from reversing a decision sustaining a demun-er to a petition, merely because the facts stated would entitle the plaintiff to nominal damages. In such case thei’e would be nothing substantial 'in the controversy here. It would fall within the rule under which proceedings in error and original actions have been dismissed where circumstances had limited the practical effect of a decision on the merits to a determination as to who should pay the costs, notwithstanding the fact that the costs alone amounted to a considerable sum. In Scott v. Marchant, 88 Ind. 349, a case having many features of similarity to the present one, being founded upon a stay bond, it was said :
"It does not appear of what sum of money she (the appellant) lost the use because of the appeal, or how, by reason of the execution of the bond, the appellant has been injured substantially. If the complaint showed a cause of- action for nominal damages, this court will not reverse a judgment for error which prevented the recovery of nominal damages only.”
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Rosanna Cook v. William B. Smith
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLIiABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Supersedeas Bond — Insufficient Petition. . In a petition on a bond conditioned for the payment of all damages occasioned by a stay of proceedings in an action for a money judgment, an allegation that the judgment debtors were insolvent when the judgment was finally rendered, nothing, being said as to their solvency prior to that time, affords no basis for the recovery of substantial damages. 2. -Limitation of Action. Where a petition on such bond alleges no element of damage other than the mere suspension of .the right to prosecute the case until the determination of a proceeding in error connected with it, the cause of action stated accrued upon such determination and was barred in five years from that time. 3. Practice, Supreme Court — Nominal Damages. Where a demurrer to a petition which states no ground for substantial damages is sustained, this court will not reverse the decision merely because the facts stated would entitle plaintiff to nominal damages.