Hillman v. Chester
Hillman v. Chester
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
In December, 1867, Chester instituted an action of ejectment in the Obion County Law Court against Jos. Corden and Jas. Glasscock, to recover a tract of land' of which they were in possession. A writ and a copy of the declaration were issued, and served upon the defendants, — the writ being returnable to the February term, 1868, of the court.
At the May term, the defendants appeared and 'moved the court to set aside the judgment by default, reinstate the cause, and permit them to enter their plea and make defense.
This motion was denied by the court. At the same term (May, 1869), on a subsequent day, the record shows that the Hillmans and Hansbro presented their affidavits, and made application to set aside the judgment by default, which motion being overruled, they excepted to the action of the court and tendered their bill of exceptions, making their affidavits a part of the record.
The affidavits state that the affiants are the owners in fee of the land sued for, and that the tenants in possession held from and under them, and failed to notify them that they had been sued in the action of ejectment.
No further steps were taken in the ejectment suit. No appeal was prayed or writ of error applied for. Abandoning any further defense in the action of ejectment, to which Corden and Glascock alone were defendants, the Hillmans and Hansbro, on May 14, 1869, filed their petition for a writ of error coram nobis.
In the case of Cown v. Whiteside, 6 Hum., 47, it was held a proper exercise of discretion in the Circuit
The action was properly brought against the actual occupants of the land, and the judgment is, until reversed, conclusive against them.
The writ of error coram nobis, is confined, as a remedy to errors of fact, and does not reach errors of law.
The defendant, after the assignment of errors, entered a motion to dismiss the petition, which was overruled : a demurrer which was put in was also overruled; and issue having been taken on the assignment of errors, the case was submitted to a jury, who rendered a verdict in favor of the defendant, from which, and the judgment thereon, the plaintiffs appealed to this court. .
The first and second errors assigned are, that Chester had no legal title to the • land, and that the plaintiffs had. These facts were directly passed upon by the judgment, and cannot be again inquired into. Code, section 3116.
The remaining errors are, in substance, that the plaintiffs had no notice of pendency of the suit. But,
Upon the record of that case, there is no error; nor do the errors assigned entitle the plaintiffs in this •proceeding to have that judgment revoked and annulled.
Such a judgment, however, is conclusive in its effect only upon the party against whom it was recovered (not under disability) and all persons claiming under him by title accruing after the commencement of the suit. Code, section 3252; Holes v. Smith, 5 ■Sneed, 105.
The judgment of the circuit court will be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.