Piquero Smith v. Carlin
Piquero Smith v. Carlin
Opinion of the Court
This case was brought, originally, by appellee against appellants in the justice court, on April 28, 1916, to recover a carload of bones of the agreed value of $198; the property being sequestrated by appellee. The case was tried on the 18th day of January, 1917, resulting in a judgment against appellee and his bondsmen in sequestration and in favor of appellants in the sum of $198, with interest and costs of suit. Appellee duly gave notice of appeal to the county court and filed some kind of a bond within 10 days. On the 4th day of December, 1917, being the fifth term of the county court after the rendition of the judgment in the justice court, there were filed in the county court of the original papers, the citation, writ, affidavit, and bond in sequestration, but no appeal bond, copy of the judgment, or transcript from the justice court.
On the 16th day of January, 1918, appellants filed their first motion in the county court to dismiss the appeal, on the ground of failure to send up transcript, or copy of judgment, or appeal bond. The motion was overruled, and appellants excepted. At the March term of the county court, 1918, neither transcript nor appeal bond having been sent up from the justice court, appellants filed their second motion to dismiss the appeal on the ground that no appeal bond, transcript, or copy of the judgment from the justice court having been sent up in the time and manner prescribed by law, the county court was without jurisdiction. On the day following the filing of the second motion to dismiss and before motion heard, appellee had the transcript filed, including the judgment, avsd an appeal bond dated and marked filed and approved, by the justice of the peace, of date March 8, 1918, with the notation:
“This bond is filed in lieu of the one which was lost, the original bond being filed January 25, 1918” — and signed by the justice.
The said second motion to dismiss was thereafter at that term heard and overruled, and appellants excepted. At the May term of the county court, the case was tried without the aid of a jury and judgment rendered for appellee.
Appellants urge as the two grounds of error the overruling of their two motions to dismiss' appellee’s appeal from the justice court to the county court. It is insisted that the duty to send up the transcript and appeal bond rests upon the party appealing and the justice of the peace, and that the failure to have the transcript and appeal bond filed in the county court within the time prescribed by article 2897, Yernon’s Sayles’, deprived the county court of jurisdiction over the case. In the second assignment, the appellants stress the point that the appeal bond sent up in lieu of the first bond lost was not filed as a substituted bond in place of the lost one.
• Appellee cites and stresses Patty v. Miller, • 5 Tex. Civ. App. 308, 24 S. W. 330, as being in point and most cited, and as sustaining his contention. In that case, the required appeal bond was given in due 'time; but the transcript, though prepared, was not filed as required. In that case, after the appeal had been dismissed, it was reinstated upon appellant’s motion and affidavit that he had filed a proper appeal bond and made request to the justice of the peace to file the transcript in the court to which the appeal was taken, but that, for reason stated, the justice had refused to do so. After the case had been reinstated, it was thereafter on motion of appellee dismissed, because the transcript had not been filed within the time required.
The Fourth Court of Appeals held the dismissal error, as jurisdiction attached by the filing of a proper appeal bond, and that appellant ought not to be deprived of his appeal through the default of the officer. It will be seen that in that case, not only had,a sufficient appeal bond been duly filed and approved, but the party appealing had requested the justice to prepare and transmit the transcript. The "justice had prepared the transcript, but a controversy arose as to payment of cost resulting in the delay of sending the original papers and transcript to the upper court. We think there is enough difference between the facts in that case and this to destroy the analogy. After reviewing many cases not altogether harmonious as to what is essential to perfect an appeal, we have concluded that the record shows such condition of facts as to justify a holding that the appeal should have been dismissed.
For reasons stated, the case is remanded, with instruction to the county court at law that the case be dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Piquero & Smith v. Carlin
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published