King v. Waite
King v. Waite
Opinion of the Court
This was an action upon a judgment alleged to have been recovered in the supreme court of the state of New York. Upon notice and an affidavit of plaintiff’s attorney, the answer was stricken out as sham, and judgment entered for,the plaintiff. From the order striking out the answer and the judgment so entered, the defendant has appealed, '
It is true the time fixed for hearing in the notice of motion for leave to file and serve an amended answer was ‘ ‘at the hearing of plaintiff’s motion for an order to strike out defendant’s answer as sham, and for judgment thereon,” but that did not make the proceedings for leave to file an amended answer any part of the proceedings in the order to show cause, and the trial court had no right to consider the former proceedings in
This brings us to a consideration of the case upon its merits. The complaint was, in substance, as follows: “(1) That, at the times herein mentioned, the supreme court of the state of New York, in and for the county of New York, was a court of general jurisdiction; (2j that on or about September 21, 1885, one George T. King, as plaintiff, commenced an action in said court against the defendant, by the issuance of a summons, in which action defendant duly appealed by attorney; (3) that such proceedings were had after issue joined that on June 16, 1886, said George T. King, as plaintiff, duly recovered judgment against said defendant in said action for $4,281.89; (4) that afterwards, and before the bringing of this action, said judgment was duly assigned by King to Charles S. Parsons, and by Parsons to the plaintiff, and the same is now her property; (5) that no part of said judgment has been paid, and there is due plaintiff from defendant thereon $4,281.89, with interest at 7 per cent, per annum from June 16, 1886. This was followed by a prayer for judgment, and the complaint was duly verified by the plaintiff in this action. * * * The defendant first answered by (1) admitting the facts alleged in paragraphs one and two; (2) denying any knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to matters alleged in- paragraph four; and (3) denying each and every allegation, matter and thing contained in paragraphs three and five, with prayer for judgment. This answer was verified by Charles Waite.” The errors complained of by the appellant are thus stated by
The defendant, on the hearing of the order, read his own affidavit. The respondent insists that this affidavit, in effect, admitted the allegations of the complaint denied by the answer. Appellant, however, insists that respondent, if her claim is correct, cannot avail herself of this admission in defendant’s affidavit. The appellant contends that, as the material allegations of the complaint were denied in the verified answer, the court had no jusisdiction to try the issue presented by the complaint and answer on motion, or in any other than the regular way; it being a law case the parties were entitled to a jury trial; that, under the constitution of this state, this right is guaranteed to every person, and he cannot be deprived of that right. This was the view taken by this court in Green v. School Twp. 5 S. D. 452, 59 N. W. 224, and Loranger v. Mining Co., 6 S. D. 478, 61 N. W. 686, following the decision of the late territorial supreme court in Woodenware Co. v. Jensen, 4 Dak. 149, 27 N. W. 206, and 28 N. W. 193; and, after a careful review of the question, we are satisfied that this view is sustained by the great weight of authority. Fay v. Cobb, 51 Cal. 315; Greenbaum v. Turrill, 56 Cal. 285; Fellows v. Muller, 38 N. Y. Super. Ct. 139; Thompson v. Railroad Co., 45 N. Y. 468; Way-
The learned counsel for the respondent insists that the decisions in New York are by no means uniform upon this question, and the courts that have followed the decision in Wayland v. Tysen, supra, have been inclined to make exceptions of cases where it clearly appeared that the answer was false; and he contends that the plaintiff's action, being founded upon a judgment, clearly comes within the exception. And counsel calls our attention to the language of the court in Loranger v. Mining Co. supra, in which this court seems to intimate that there might be cases in which the rule laid down in Wayland v. Tysen, supra, would not apply. But the learned judge who wrote the opinion in that case evidently overlooked the case of Green v. School Twp., supra, in which the rule laid down in the Way-land Case, and by the territorial supreme court, was fully adopted. We do not think there has been any want of uniformity in the New York cases since the decision in the Wayland Case. And such seems to be the view of the supreme court of Wisconsin—Pfister v. Wells, 65 N. W. 1041, in which that learned court reached the conclusion that an answer putting in issue material allegations in the complaint could not be stricken out on motion as sham. In its opinion that court says: “The question is presented of whether, in a case where an answer putting in issue material allegations of the complaint is verified in the form prescribed by statute, it can be struck out, under Rev. St. § 2682. This statute was borrowed from New York, where, in its original form, it has received judicial interpreta
The supreme court of California, has taken a similar view of their statute, which is, substantially, if not identically, the same as that in New York and our own, and has held in several cases cited that an answer which raises material issues, by a general or specific denial of the allegations in the complaint cannot be stricken out on motion. The Minnesota supreme court seems to have adopted the old rule laid down in New York in People v. McCumber, 18 N. Y. 315, by Mr. Justice Strong. But that rule does not seem to be sanctioned by our state constitution, and we do not feel inclined to follow it. Nor do we believe it would be wise to graft exceptions upon the rule adopted in this state, even if we felt at liberty to do so under the constitution.' It is'true, the falsity of the answer may be made more apparent by the evidence in certain classes of cases than in others; but this fact cannot change the rule, for, as said by Mr. Justice Hatch, in the late case of Humble v. McDonough (Super. Buff.) 25 N. Y. Supp. 965: “If an answer is shown to be false, it can make no difference how the fact appears- — whether by affidavits undenied, or from the record itself. • It is none the less the fact that it is false, and the effect is the same. If, when its falsity is established in one way, it cannot be stricken out, how can it when its falsity appears in any other way? The quoted language disposes of the power under the general issue, and the construction given the code is equally plain. * * * The result of the authorities and reasons therefor lead me to the conclusion that where the denial interposed raises a material issue, tendered by the complaint, such denial cannot be stricken out as sham, though it be false, and this without reference to how its falsity is made to appear. ”
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- 1. An appeal will not be dismissed for delay in filing the record, and serving abstract and briefs, except in an extreme case. 2. The mere fact that a notice of application for leave to file an amended answer fixed the hearing “at the hearing of plaintiff’s motion to strike out defendant’s answer” does not make the application to amend a proper part of the record on appeal from an order granting the motion to strike out where it was no part of either party’s case on such motion. . 3. A verified answer, unqualifiedly denying essential allegations of the complaint, cannot be stricken out as sham, defendant having a constitutional right to a trial on the issue. 4. The striking out of such an answer is not justified by the fact that defendant’s affidavit on the motion to strike out makes admissions which are inconsistent with the answer, and seem to support plaintiff’s case.