Board of Council v. Herndon's Adm'r
Board of Council v. Herndon's Adm'r
Opinion of the Court
Reversing.
On December 31, 1901, the board of couneilmen of the city of Frankfort instituted an action in the Franklin Circuit Court to enforce a lien of the City of Frankfort for taxes on a lot of ground owned by Miss Hallie Herndon for. the years 1897 anid 1898. This action was filed just ¡a¡ few days before the statute of limitations would have 'barred the claim of the city for the year 1897. No action was taken in the case until September 5, 1904, when the’ defendant filed a demurrer to the petition. The record was lost, and the defendant died in January, 1905. The record was supplied' under an order 'pf the court in the year 1906. Thereafter an 'attempt-was made to revive the action against the administrator, and after the expiration of 12 months from the appointment and qualification of the administrator an attempt was made to revive it against defendant’s real representatives.' On December 27, 1906, appellant filed in the clerk’s office of 'the Franklin Circuit Court an amended petition, setting up a lien for additional taxes for the year 1902. This amended petition was filed a short time before the statute of limitations would have barred the claim. Process was issued upon 'the amended petition and served upon the personal and'real representatives of the ‘original defendant, Hallie Herndon, but not ten days before the first day of the January term, 1907. At this term of the court 'appellees moved that the action abate for the want of revivor in proper time. At the same time appellant moved that its amended petition, filed on December 27, 1906, be considered as /an orignal petition. At its September term, 1908, the
The first question presented is whether or not the order appealed from is a final order. The order appealed from is as follows: “This cause having been heard upon 'the motion mlade by plaintiff that its amended petition be treated and considered as a petition, and that said action proceed on said petition as an orignal action, and the court, being sufficiently advised as to the matters of llaw arising thereon, overruled said motion; and, plaintiff declining to plead further, it is adjudged that the action be abated, to- all of which plaintiff excepted, and prays an appeal to the Court of Appeals, which is granted.” It is manifest that tliis order not only overrules the motion of plaintiff to have its amended petition treated and considered as a petition, but directs that the action itself be abated. The effect of the order is the same as if it directed that the amended petition,be dismissed. By this order appellant was out of court. It could take no further steps in the court below so far as the present action was concerned. We therefore conclude that the order ¡appealed from wias a final order.
As to the main question, it is the contention of counsel for appellees that the abatement of the original 'action carried with it the abatement of every a proceeding that was a part of that action. The amendment in question, however, was not made for the purpose of strengthening the original petition; in fact, it presented an entirely different cause of action. It attempted to set forth a lien for taxes for years other than those embraced ¡in the .original
Judgment reversed, and cause remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.