Estrada v. Municipal Court of Ciales
Estrada v. Municipal Court of Ciales
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of' the- Court.
On-March 22, 1934, José de Jesús Ortiz brought an action in a municipal court against Dolores Arvelo Colón for $100
“1. — The court erred in bolding that the municipal court should not have held the trial without previously deciding whether or not the intervention should have been allowed, it being manifest that the intervening party had sufficient time to get the court to hear and decide -upon the intervention, and, in case it decided in the affirmative, to hold a trial upon the intervention.
“2. — The court erred in holding, impliedly, that it was necessary to declare that the intervention had been, abandoned due to a lack of diligence on the part of the intervener and plaintiff, before a trial could be held upon the main action.
“3. — The court erred in annulling the proceedings had in the case number 2150, in the Municipal Court of dales, subsequent to the judgment, through which proceedings the judgment was made effective, the proceedings being such as the writ of execution, the fixing of a date for the execution sale, the execution sale, the order refusing leave to intervene and dismissing the intervention and the order refusing to suspend the execution sale.”
The district court did not disturb the judgment rendered by the municipal court. If the district judge erred, as alleged in the first two assignments, the errors were harmless. In support of the third assignment appellant relies on Section 72 of the Code of Civil Procedure which reads in part as follows (italics ours):
“Any person may, before the trial, intervene in an action or proceeding, who has an interest in the matter in litigation, in the success of either of the parties, or an interest against both. ...”
In the instant case the only question raised by the petition for leave to intervene or by the complaint in intervention was the question as to ownership of the attached property. That issue- had nothing to do with - any question involved in the judgment rendered by the municipal court. That judgment was rendered May 26. The petition was filed May 1. At the request of petitioner, May 10 was fixed as
The municipal judge should have granted petitioner’s leave to intervene and should have promptly disposed of the question of ownership before the date of the execution sale. Not having done this, the municipal court should have granted leave to intervene and should have suspended the execution sale pending determination of the question as to ownership. Cermak v. Schaaf, (Ill.) 139 N. E. 39, 37 A.L.R. 1398; Juilliard v. May, (Ill.) 22 N. E. 477; Simmons Clothing Co. v. Davis, (Ind.) 58 S.W. 655; Ebersbach v. Ringing Co., 131 So. 148. It follows that the district court did not err as claimed by appellant in the third assignment.
The order appealed from must be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.