Asher v. Louisville & Nashville R. R.
Asher v. Louisville & Nashville R. R.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the court by
Reversing.
In the year 1887 the appellee began condemnai ion proceedings to condemn a right of way over appellant Asher’s farm in Bell county. A jury awarded appellant in that •action $3,000 in damages. On appeal to this court that .judgment was reversed, the opinion of this court in that •case being delivered in February, 1891, and reported in 13 S. W., 517, 12 Ky. Law Rep., 815. It appears that the appellee paid appellant this $3,000 in the year 188S. Notwithstanding this payment and the reversal of that judgment in 1891, there is nothing in the record showing any •effort made for the further hearing of the condemnation proceedings, or to obtain another trial before a jury in that case, until at the May term, 1899 — over eight years after the reversal. At that term the appellee produced and filed
Appellee contends that this proceeding is binding upon the appellant because his attorney, a day or two before this judgment was rendered, had stated to the counsel for the appellee that he did not regard this proceeding as regular, and did not intend to pay any attention to it until the time arrived for him to make defense, and then he would do so; and, in addition to this, on the day of the trial, and after the case had been called for trial, the court stopped the proceedings, and sent a special messenger to inform the appellant of the fact that they were about to enter into the trial of his case. Appellant was informed in person by this messenger, and he declined to make his appearance in court.
We are of the opinion that when a case has been stricken from the docket, and especially after it had remained off the docket as long as this one, before it could be reinstated upon the docket by either party a notice should have been served upon the opposite party of the intention to have an order made to that effect. The record does not show, nor is it claimed by the appellee, that any such notice was ever served upon the appellant, except the one referred to, which was lost by the failure to have the court to act upon it. The court erred in rendering judgment against appellant for the $2,100 and its interest, the difference between the two judgments. The court had not the power to render this judgment of restitution on the state of the record. Even if the proceeding was regular with reference to the second assessment of damages by the jury, and the appellant was before the court on that branch of the case, he still was not before the court on this branch of it but would have to be brought before it by rule or direct action
Wherefore the judgment of the lower court is reversed, and the cause remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion, and, appellant having entered his appearance by this appeal, on the return of the case no notice will be necessary for further proceedings on the condemnation proceedings.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.