Hillsman v. Cline
Hillsman v. Cline
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a decree perpetuating an injunction. There Is no statement of facts, and the errors claimed to exist in the record depend solely upon what appears in the petition.
The allegations are in substance: That on August 31, 1908, appellants recovered a judgment in a justice’s court in Lee county against J. M. Tigner in a suit styled J. O. Hillsman & Sons v. E. A. Sterling et al. for $61 on a verified- account. That Tigner duly filed in that court his plea of privilege upon the ground that his residence was in Wharton county about August 30, 1908. That the citation was directed to the sheriff of Lee county, but was served on him in Wharton county by the sheriff of Wharton county. That on August 31, 1908, the justice entered upon his docket “Plea of privilege overruled, this August 31, 1908. C. D. Hurst, J. P. Prec. No. 1, Lee county, Texas,” from which order the said Tigner prosecuted an appeal to the county court of Lee county, and filed an appeal bond as follows: “J. C. Hillsman & Sons, vs. E. A. Sterling & J. M. Tigner. No. 1,707. In the Justice Court of Precinct No. 1, Lee County, Texas. Whereas, on the 31st day of August, A. D. 1908, before C. D. Hurst, justice of the peace in the county of Lee, state of Texas, wherein the defendant, J. M. Tigner, filed in said court on the 31st day of August, A. D. 1908, his plea of privilege in writing duly verified by defendant to be sued in the county of Wharton, in which the residence of said defendant, J. M. Tigner, was therein alleged to be; and whereas, on the said 31st day of August, A. D. 1908, the said C. D. Hurst, justice of the peace, entered upon the docket of said court substantially as follows: ‘Plea of privilege overruled, this August 31st, 1908. C. D. Hurst, J. P. Prec. No. 1, Lee Co., Texas,’ whereby said justice of the peace by said order overruled the said plea of privilege so filed by said defendant, J. M'. Tigner, from which judgment of the court overruling said plea of privilege the said defendant, J. M. Tigner, appealed to the county court of Lee county, Texas. Now, therefore, we, J. M. Tigner, as principal and H. A. Cline, and Tom Brooks, as sureties, acknowledge ourselves bound to pay unto the said J. C. Hillsman & Sons the sum of $15.00, conditioned that the said J. M. Tig-ner shall prosecute his said appeal to effect and shall pay off and satisfy the judgment which may be rendered against him on such appeal. Witness our hands, this 7th day of September, A. D. 1908. J. M. Tigner. H. A. Cline. Tom Brooks. Examined and approved this-day of September, A. D. 1908. -, Justice of the Peace of Precinct No. 1, Lee County, Texas.” That on October 6, 1908, the county court of Lee county rendered a judgment in said cause in favor of the Hillsman against Tigner as principal and Cline and Brooks as sureties in the sum of $57.61, with interest. That said E. A. Sterling was not served with process in said cause, and was not disposed of either in said judgment nor in the judgment of the justice’s court. That Tigner’s plea of privilege was not disposed of by the county court, and no action was taken thereon, but that same was wholly ignored by the court. That the judgment of the county court ordered execution to be levied on the property of Tigner before levying on the property of the sureties, Tom Brooks and H. A. Cline. That on November 19, 1908, an alias execution was issued to Wharton county, and the sheriff of that county, Robert Koehl, levied same on and advertised for sale certain lots of the H. A. Cline addition to Wharton, but the notices of sale do not show upon their face that the officer had first attempted to levy upon property of Tigner. That, unless restrained, said officer will sell said property under said execution on the next sale day. That said justice’s court and said county court were without jurisdiction over the person of Tig-ner ; that the citation served on Tigner in Wharton county conferred no authority on said court to render any judgment against Tigner, which rendered the judgment void; that it does not appear from the face of the judgment or the execution that the facts existed which render the judgment void, but that such facts will have to be shown by extraneous evidence; that the amount involved is insufficient to authorize an appeal from the judgment of the county court, and plaintiffs have no adequate remedy at law; and that from the face of the record, independent-of the testimony to be introduced herein on the trial hereof, said judgment and execution would convey a title to the purchaser at the sale, wherefore petitioners prayed for an injunction to restrain the sale, and that on final hearing it be perpetuated, and said judgment be declared void.
The writ was granted by the county judge of Wharton county, and the case docketed in that court and defendants cited. Defendant on April 5,1909, demurred to the petition as insufficient, and as disclosing that the court had no jurisdiction over the subject-matter. On January 20, 1910, the court rendered judgment perpetuating the injunc *728 tion, declaring the Judgment of the county-court of Lee county void as to Tigner for want of service, and the execution based thereon also void. From this decree J. C. Hillsman et al. have appealed.
Hence we conclude the judgment should be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HILLSMAN Et Al. v. CLINE Et Al.
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published