Owens v. Cox
Owens v. Cox
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the Court by
This was a suit in equity to vacate a judgment rendered by default in the Pulaski Circuit Court in favor of the appellee, F. M. Cox, against Owens, on the 1st day of April, 1865, for the ■sum of $145 with interest from 16th of March, 1863, subject to a •credit of $30.
The petition alleges, in excuse of the failure of appellant to' appear and defend the action, that although served with a summons nearly two years prior to the judgment, he was in the military service of the United States, and part of the time a prisoner of war, till in February, 1865, when he returned home; that in the ■confusion of the times and the returning home after a long .absence, and settling his accounts as an officer in the Federal army, ■as he was compelled to do immediately under heavy penalties, he -overlooked and forgot for the time being that such an action was pending against him, or that process had been served on him; and he knew no better until after judgment was rendered and execution was issued. The petition further alleges that appellant at the time the process was served on him employed counsel to defend the action, who promised to attend to the case and file an answer, and he supposed the defense had been made, and knew no better until after the judgment had been rendered.
The Civil Code of Practice, section 579, prescribes the grounds -on which a judgment or final order may be vacated or modified in the court in which it was rendered, after the expiration of the term at which such judgment or order was rendered, and unless the averments of the petition of the appellant are sufficient to bring his case within the revisory power of the Circuit Court, as
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.