Metropolitan Life Insurance v. Ethier
Metropolitan Life Insurance v. Ethier
Opinion of the Court
Two verdicts have been recovered by defendant in error in this case, the first of which we set aside and ordered a new trial. The second, with the judgment upon it, is now before us. It is alleged for error that the circuit court erred in proceeding to a second trial in the case, because before doing so a petition had been filed for the removal of the ease to the circuit court of the United States, whereby the jurisdiction of the State court was superseded. On th$ other hand, it is insisted that there were fatal defects in the proceedings to remove the case to the Federal court, which required and compelled the court helow to overrule the petition. No other question but this is now before us.
An inspection of the record shows that the order of this court, setting aside the first verdict and judgment, was made June 13, 1876. The remittitur was applied for and issued August 29, 1876, but for some unexplained reason was not filed in the court below until September 1, 1877. The petition for the removal of the cause is dated September 7, 1876, and the affidavit on which it was based, was made on that day. Ila d it been immediately presented, it must have been denied without an examination of its merits. This is settled by Vannevar v. Bryant 21 Wall. 41 and Railroad Co. v. MocKinley 99 U. S. 147, in which it was decided that a party cannot move for the transfer of his case to the Federal court for a second trial until his right to have a second trial has been perfected, and this is not done until remittitur is filed.
The petition, however, was not presented to the State court for its consideration until September 21, 1877, more than a year after its date, and the bond was not perfected until September 15, 1877. And the question now is, whether a showing made at a time when the case is not in condition for moving can he retained in the office of counsel and made use of a year or any indefinite time afterwards when the necessary steps shall have been taken to put the case in the proper condition.
The ground on which the transfer was demanded was that “from prejudice and local influence the said Metropolitan Life Insurance Company of New York, the defendant in said
As this is the sole error relied upon, the judgment must be affirmed with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company v. Melissa Ethier
- Status
- Published