17 Wis. 52 | Wis. | 1863
By the Court,
This suit has once been before this court. 15 Wis., 355. And we then held that the trustees of the Eox & Wisconsin River Improvement Company were not personally liable for services rendered for the company under
The first question to be disposed of is, whether the statute which provides that the court may at- any time, within one year after notice, relieve a party from a judgment which has been taken against him through his mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect,, presents an insuperable obstacle to furnishing this relief after the expiration of the year, upon the facts which this ease presents.
We agree with the counsel for the respondent that a written notice is not necessary, but that if -the party allows the year to expire after knowledge of- such judgment without applying for relief, it is then too late. It is true that in matters of practice where notice is required, it must generally be a written notice. But the very nature of the provision in section 88, chapter 125, R. S., shows conclusively that no written notice was intended there, but the party was required to act upon any reasonable knowledge of the fact, in order to entitle himself to the relief.
But here the appellant moved within a month after the judgment was entered, upon an affidavit showing that until a short time before the motion he had supposed that the suit was brought against thfe trustees in their official capacity only, and without any design to charge them personally. We considered this a very natural, misapprehension, and one which fully entitled the appellant to the relief authorized by the statute, either on the ground of mistake or excusable neglect, provided he had a good defense. The motion was decided against him, and he appealed to this court. The judgment
But it is claimed that this motion should have been denied on account of the appellant’s laches in making it. The same position was taken on the former appeal. But it seemed to us to have so little foundation that we said nothing about it in the opinion. For that reason the point has been strenuously urged
Nor do we think the delay in renewing the application, after the cause was remitted from this court, ought to bar the relief. It was remitted in September, 1862. There was a term of the county court in November, at which it was not noticed, but it was noticed in November for the December term. It must be admitted that this was not renewing it at the earliest possible moment, yet it cannot be regarded as such unreasonable delay as ought to defeat the right. The appellant’s counsel had a right to regard the merits of the litigation as substantially disposed of by the decision of this court, which had been already made, and to assume that his right to the relief asked would not be further contested. This being so, the mere delay at the November term, when there was to be another term in December, was not sufficient to prevent his obtaining what this court had already decided he was entitled to.
We regard the affidavit of merits as sufficient.
The order is reversed, with costs, and the cause remanded with directions to the county court to grant the relief asked by the motion.