Clement v. Dean
Clement v. Dean
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
When this case was called for trial on Circuit, the defendant demurred to the complaint on the grounds hereinafter stated. After argument of counsel, the
The following statement appears in the record: “On the
The appellant’s exceptions complain of error on the part of the Circuit Judge as follows: “I. In ruling and holding that the plaintiff now had the right to amend his complaint under the order of his Honor, Judge Watts. II. In ruling and holding that the cause should be continued, and that the executors of Fielding Cantrell should be made parties defendants. III. In not ruling and holding that the plaintiff, by refusing or declining to amend his complaint under the order of his Honor, Judge Watts, and by appealing therefrom, had elected not to amend, and could not now be allowed to do so. IV. In not rescinding the order continuing the cause, and ordering the executors of Fielding Cantrell to be made parties, and allowing the plaintiff to amend his complaint under the order of Judge Watts, after it was called to his Honor’s attention, that just after the term of Court at which Judge Watts had passed his order sustaining the demurrer and allowing the plaintiff to amend upon payment of costs, plaintiff had informed defendant’s counsel that he would not amend, but would appeal from said order. V. In holding that the fact that plaintiff had informed defendant’s counsel that he would not amend, but would appeal from the order of his Honor, Judge Watts, would make no difference, as he was bound under the decision of the Supreme Court to hold that plaintiff now had the right to
The exceptions will not be considered in detail, as the only practical question raised by them is whether the fact that plaintiff’s attorney informed the defendant that he would not amend his complaint, but would appeal from the order sustaining the demurrer, was a waiver of his right to amend. The fact that the plaintiff appealed from the order of his Honor, Judge Watts, did not alone have the effect of depriving" him of the right to amend. The plaintiff had the same time within which to amend after the remittitur was sent down when the former appeal was dismissed, as he would have had under the order of his Honor, Judge Watts, if the appeal had not been taken. Barnwell v. Marion, 56 S. C., 54. When the plaintiff heretofore appealed from the order of his Honor, Judge Watts, the defendant gave notice that he would ask that the order of the Circuit Court would be sustained, on the additional ground that by asking the Court to be allowed to amend his complaint, the plaintiff had waived his right to appeal. In disposing of the former appeal in this case, the Court said: “There is nothing in the record to show whether the plaintiff has or will accept or decline the privilege granted him to amend; and in the absence of any such showing, we are bound to assume that the plaintiff either has or will accept the privilege, which he himself asked for. If he has already done so, or will hereafter do so, then the question whether there was error in sustaining the demurrer to the complaint as originally framed becomes a purely speculative question, which this Court will not consider * * * We are of opinion, therefore, that the plaintiff by the course which he has taken has waived his right to appeal from the order sustaining the demurrer; and for this reason, without considering any of the questions which he has attempted to raise, by his exceptions, his appeal must be dismissed.” In the case of Bowen v. Stribbling, 47 S. C., 61, the Court uses this language: “The defendant’s
It is the judgment of this Court that the order of the Circuit Court be affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. Being unable to concur in the conclusion reached by Mr. Justice Gary, I desire to state, briefly, the grounds of my dissent. The facts upon which this controversy depends are so fully stated in the opinion of Mr. Justice Gary, as to supercede the necessity for any formal restatement of them here. It may, however, be conducive to a clearer view of the subject that these facts should be restated in connected form, stripped of all unnecessary verbiage found in the record from which the statement made in the leading opinion is correctly taken, as follows: The case first came before his Honor, Judge Watts, and was heard by him on a demurrer to the complaint based upon the ground that the facts stated therein were not sufficient to constitute a cause of action. After hearing argument, Judge Watts announced that he would sustain the demurrer, whereupon plaintiff moved for leave to amend his complaint; and after argument, Judge Watts granted the order set out in the leading opinion, which, it will be observed, after sustaining the demurrer, plaintiff was allowed to amend, “upon payment of the costs of this term.” Plaintiff gave notice of his intention to appeal from this order— counsel for plaintiff informing defendant’s counsel that they would not amend, but would appeal from the order of Judge Watts, which fact was not before the Supreme Court when such appeal was heard. That appeal was subsequently heard by the Supreme Court at November term, 1897, and was
I agree that the exceptions upon which the present appeal is based, practically raise but a single question, which, however, may be more precisely stated as follows: Whether the fact that the plaintiff declined to accept the privilege to allow him to. amend his complaint and so informed counsel for defendants, and declared his purpose to appeal from the order of Judge Watts, accompanied with the further fact that he carried out his declared purpose by prosecuting such appeal, was a waiver of his right to amend. It seems to me clear that such was the necessary effect of the plaintiff’s action. When Judge Watts granted his order, the plaintiff had two remedies: ist, to appeal from such order; 2d, to
I cannot, therefore, concur in the conclusion reached in the leading opinion, and on the contrary think that the action of the Circuit Court, both in granting the order to substitute the executors of the will of Fielding Cantrell, deceased, and in refusing to grant the order proposed by defendant’s counsel, should be reversed; for as long as the demurrer stands— and it has never been reversed — there was nothing left for the Circuit Court to do but dismiss the complaint.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CLEMENT v. DEAN
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Estoppel. — A respondent on former appeal moving to dismiss the appeal from an order sustaining demurrer, but permitting appellant to amend, on the ground that he had or would amend, is estopped from afterwards objecting to the amendment. Mr. Chief Justice McIver dissenting.