Rowell v. Mulligan
Rowell v. Mulligan
Opinion of the Court
The first question is, whether, upon suggestion filed, issue joined, trial and verdict, after recovery upon the sheriff’s official bond,-tax costs are recoverable by the officers of court*
In such proceeding, to which the case before us conforms, issues, by regular steps of pleading, are made np'as matter of right, and a trial follows in regular form. In such case, according to Todd v. Stroud, the party prevailing is.entitled to costs. It was considered in the case cited, that a suggestion well supplied the place of a declaration in an ordinary case, nor is any good reason now perceived to dispute that proposition. Undoubtedly every other step in the litigation is, eo nomine, known to our fee bills of 1827 and 1839. This view leaves entirely untouched the position, that costs are the creatures of statute, except only in cases where the court may require in advance that a parly shall agree to become bound for the costs on a contingency stipulated. We cannot avoid this conclusion, although it was set down as a recommendation of the rule of practice prescribed in the Treasurers v. Bates, that a multiplicity of suits might be avoided. It is something if the number can be reduced, or the expense of any diminished. If, for this end, a resort to equity may appear more efficacious, those interested will act accordingly. It follows that it was proper to tax costs in the case before us.
The other question relates to the legality of the several items that appear upon the brief.
By a careful examination of the fee bill of 1839, the clerk appears to be entitled to each of the items embraced in the charges made in this case on his behalf, except “ notice, 50 cents.” Each item taxed for the attorney is legitimate, according to the Act of 1827, except the said item- set down as “ notice, $4.” A rule is required to be served, as we have seen. For that, by the Act of 1827, the attorney is entitled to only $2, and for the clerk there does not appear to be any item of costs for the rule required in this case. Indeed it is supposed that is to be issued by the attorney for the complainant, and served by the sheriff. The taxation is ordered to be reformed by reducing the item allowed to the attorney
They may not be applicable to the particular case before us. The Circuit Judge determined only that costs were to be taxed, as of right, and holding him to be correct in this, the motion is dismissed.
The whole Court concurred.
Motion refused.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.