Smola v. City of West St. Paul
Smola v. City of West St. Paul
Opinion of the Court
Appeal from an order sustaining a demurrer to a third amended complaint.
The complaint alleges that plaintiff is an owner in possession of a certain lot in West St. Paul; that defendants claim some right, title, interest, estate, and/or lien in the premises; and that defendants have no right, title, interest, estate, and/or lien in and to said premises. Plaintiff prays judgment that defendants and each of them have no right, title, interest, estate, and/or lien in said prem
This is the fourth demurrer to be sustained to complaints in this matter. Defendant city and the trial court practically admit that a cause of action to determine adverse claims has been adequately pleaded, but contend that the other specific allegations in the complaint offset the pleadings of such cause of action. Misjoinder of causes of action is not involved, as the demurrer which has been interposed is based on the ground that the facts stated do not constitute a cause of action.
An amended complaint completely supersedes the original complaint and for the purpose of determining a cause of action is to be construed as the only one interposed in the case. Hastay v. Bon
In the Pleins case we said (108 Minn. 345, 122 N. W. 168):
“While plaintiff, in his amended complaint, apparently shifted his position as to the facts, * * * the amended pleading is the only one before us, and its sufficiency must be determined in the light of the facts therein set forth, without reference to the allegations of the original complaint. Hanscom v. Herrick, 21 Minn. 9.”
Whatever may have been the allegations in the original and the first two amended complaints, which the court held insufficient to state a cause of action, the third amended complaint is the only one before us. Its sufficiency must be determined from its own allegations.
As already stated, the complaint before us is a sufficient pleading of a cause of action to determine adverse claims. The other allegations are not of such a character as to cancel it out. They are not inconsistent with the allegations setting up a cause of action to determine adverse claims and may be considered mere surplusage. Probably plaintiff is trying to say that the city brought proceedings in condemnation which for some unspecified reason are void. It is apparent that by the procedure he has adopted plaintiff is only postponing the day when he must face the real facts in the case and have the matter determined on its merits.
In a case such as this, where there have been three amendments to the original complaint and the case finally reaches us with a complaint which sets out an entirely new cause of action, it is apparent that there should be some remedy against the abuse of the right to amend. A motion to strike the amended complaint is such
On at least two occasions this court has said that if a party to whose pleading a demurrer is sustained again proposes the same pleading, or one with additions which are clearly immaterial, and so makes improper and unfair use of the leave to amend, his amended pleadings, if the ends of justice be promoted thereby, may be stricken. Clark v. Wilder, 157 Minn. 449, 196 N. W. 563; Supornick v. National Council, 141 Minn. 306, 308, 170 N. W. 507, 508.
Even though in our opinion we are compelled to reverse the lower court, it is with a feeling of great reluctance that we do so.
Order reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JOHN A. SMOLA, JR. v. CITY OF WEST ST. PAUL AND ANOTHER
- Status
- Published