Clark v. Hopkins
Clark v. Hopkins
Opinion of the Court
This suit" was instituted in a" justice’s court in Red River county, in the name of E. West for the use of James H. -Clark, and, against R. M.. Hopkins, the appellant. A judgment was rendered against the defendant for the sum of ¡$88, who sued •out a writ of certiorari from the district court, to correct what Was claimed to be an erroneous judgment. At a subsequent term of the district court, on motion of the plaintiff the writ of certiorari was quashed and the cause dismissed. And from that judg- • ment the-defendant below has appealed, and now assigns as error the-ruling of the court below.
The reasons for the rulings of the court in quashing the writ and dismissing the cause are not specifically disclosed, but the motion to dismiss is based upon two grounds. The first is, that the petition for the certiorari does not properly describe the title to the suit it seeks’ to correct. There is some obscurity in the record in ’ this respect, but it clearly appears that the suit was
In the district court the statute makes it necessary, on the death of the nominal party, that his death should be suggested on the' record. But in the justice’s court, where the records are, as in this case, exceedingly imperfect, and often quite, uncertain, it may well be doubted whether that mere formality should in all cases . be- strictly adhered to, and more, especially when the cause is attempted to be brought into the district court for correction. Clark was the real party to the record and judgment, and the justice swears to the identity of the parties and the suit; and we are of the opinion, the description of the suit, as set out in the petition, . is not so variant with the suit before the justice’s court, as would authorize a dismissal of the same. '
: . The only, remaining question raised by the motion to quash, that need now be noticed, is, that the record fails tó show that dé
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- J. H. Clark v. R. M. Hopkins
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Under our statute, when suit is brought in the name of one person for the use oi another, the person in whoso name the suit is brought is a mere nominal party, and the usee is the real party. 2. On the death of the nominal party the suit will notábate, nor need it be revived in the name of his representatives, but it will proceed in the name of the usee. In the district court, however, the statute makes it necessary that the death of the nominal party be suggested on the record, 3. A defendant, against whom judgment by default had been rendered by a justice of the peace, sued out a certiorari, showing in his petition that no case against him was made out in the justice’s court, and that he had a good defense to the action as proved against him by the plaintiff, and fortifying his petition by an affidavit of the justice of the peace that the judgment was rendered under a mistake of the facts, and was erroneous. Held, that notwithstanding no excuse for suffering the default was-alleged, the petition was sufficient, and it was error to quash the certiorari on the ground that the petition failed to show diligence. (Ward v. McRimmond, 12 Texas, 319, cited by the court.)