65 Ind. App. 552 | Ind. Ct. App. | 1917
On January 22, 1915, appellees appeared specially in this cause and moved to dismiss the appeal as to the Wabash Railroad Company. The motion to dismiss contains seven grounds presenting in different form the question of the jurisdiction of the court over appellees as to any matter presented by the appeal between appellees and the.said appellant Wabash
The facts on which the motion is based, as disclosed both by the motion and the record, are substantially as follows: The finding below was in favor of the appellees against the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company and Wabash Railroad Company, and against appellees as to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company. The motion to dismiss the appeal is against the Wabash Railroad Company alone, and for the purposes of its consideration, the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company and the Wabash Railroad Company alone will be treated and referred to as the appellants, and when the word “appellant” is used herein in the singular it will refer to the Wabash Railroad Company, unless otherwise designated. On June 17, 1914, after such trial and finding by the court below, the appellants each filed a separate motion for new trial, and they also filed a joint motion for new trial. On the same day each of these motions was overruled and judgment rendered in favor of appellees against appellants. From this judgment the appellant Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company prayed an appeal. The usual order granting the appeal was made, in which time for filing bill of exceptions and the amount of the bond were fixed, and the sureties named and approved all in accord with the statute providing for a term-time appeal. On July 14, 1914, and within the time given by the court, the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company filed its appeal bond. This bond is set out in the record, and in all respects complies with the court’s order, except that it is the bond of such company alone, and by its terms neither the principal nor sureties therein are held and bound to the payment of any judgment ex
It is insisted, however, in effect that the enforcement of Rule 36 is, in a measure, discretionary with the court, and that the ends of justice are not met by its rigid enforcement, where the failure of its observance is duo
No excuse for appellant’s failure to observe such rule appears from the record, or is offered in this case, which would not appear from the record in any case where a term-time appeal had been perfected by one of several coparties against whom a judgment had been rendered in the court below, and another coparty who had not perfected such an appeal assigned error on the transcript filed in this court.
As affecting this question appellant insists that his appeal was perfected when the transcript and assignment of errors were filed in this court. On the question of when a vacation appeal is perfected there is
Whether a vacation appeal is perfected when the transcript and assignment of errors are filed in this court is not of controlling importance in the instant case, because it is conceded in effect by appellant that it took none of the steps necessary to perfect a vacation appeal; that all it did was to assign error on a transcript filed by a coparty who perfected a term-time appeal, and that its appeal is controlled by §675 Burns 1914, Acts 1895 p. 179; that its assignment of error appearing on the transcript filed by its coappellant who perfected an appeal under such section was all that was necessary to perfect its appeal, and that the case of Cincinnati, etc., R. Co. v. Acrea, supra, in so far as it announces a different rule should be overruled. This contention is based on the last provision of said section which reads: “After any such appeal has been perfected any coparty not j oining therein may, at any time while such appeal is pending, and within one year from the date of the final judgment, assign errors for himself upon the record and have all questions, properly presented decided by the court, and he shall have all
In so far as the section purports to relieve an appealing party from the giving of the usual notice of appeal, its provisions apply to those only who perfect an appeal in the manner prescribed by the act. As an incident to the main purpose of the act, and to save the right of a vacation appeal to other coparties who may later make up their minds to take such an appeal, the latter clause of the section was added. ' It seems manifest that the legislature did not intend by such clause to give to the coparty who only assigns error, and who does not file a bond or take any of the steps required by the act to perfect a term-time appeal, the same rights against appellees which is given to the appealing party who complied with the statute. As before indicated, the only purpose of the latter clause, when read in the light of
It follows that the appeal of appellant Wabash Railroad Company should be dismissed, and such appeal is dismissed.
Opinion On Meeits.
— This is a second appeal in an action for damages alleged to have been sustained by appellees in connection with the shipment of a carload of mules from Shelbyville, Tennessee, to Huntington, Indiana. The former appeal was from a judgment in appellees’ favor based on a single paragraph of corfiplaint, the substance of which is set out in the opinion rendered in that case and reported in 179 Ind. 483, 101 N. E. 724, under the title, “Wabash R. Co. v. Priddy.”
An examination of that opinion will disclose that the reversal of the former judgment was based on two grounds, viz.: (1) A failure in the proof and finding of facts to show the partnership between the initial and several connecting carriers, and the joint liability based thereon alleged in the complaint upon which such judgment was predicated. (2) The refusal of the trial court to admit in evidence the special contract of shipment under • which appellants claimed the stock was shipped.
It will appear from that opinion that the initial carrier, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Company, hereinafter referred to as the “N. C. & St. L. Co.,” was not sued in the action, and there was a finding and judgment by the trial court upon the former trial in favor of the first connecting carrier, the Louisville
After the rendition of said opinion, the appellees filed an amended complaint in two paragraphs against the three original defendants, the first paragraph of which is based on a common-law liability, its averments being substantially the same as indicated in the former opinion herein, except that there are no averments of partnership. The second paragraph contains substantially the same averments, but is predicated on a special contract which is filed as an exhibit with said paragraph. The C. I. & L. Co. and the W. Co. each answered by a general denial, and the L. & N. Co. filed a general denial and an answer setting up the former judgment in its favor. There was a trial by the court, and at the request of the parties, it returned a special finding of facts, with its conclusions of law thereon. By its conclusions of law, the court found the law to be with appellees that they were damaged in the sum of $1,575, which amount they were entitled to recover from the C. I. & L. Co. and the W. Co., together with their costs, and that the L. & N. Co. should have judgment in its favor against appellees for costs. Exceptions to said conclusions of law were properly saved by the C. I. & L. Co. and the W. Co. Each of said companies filed a separate motion for new trial, and they also filed a joint motion for new trial, each of which motions was overruled, and exceptions saved.
A motion to dismiss the appeal of the W. Co. was sustained by this court, March 25, 1915. Chicago, etc., R. Co. v. Priddy, ante 552, 108 N. E. 238.
It is very earnestly contended by appellees that, on account of its failure to comply with the rules of the court in the preparation of its brief, appellant has presented no question for the consideration of the court. The brief is open to criticism in that it consists in the main of general propositions of law without any attempt to apply them to the particular error relied on. However, the first eleven propositions appear under the heading “Error in Conclusions of Law” and are in the main general principles which are of more or less controlling influence in determining whether the facts found warrant the conclusions of law stated thereon, and hence are sufficient, we think, to advise the court at least as to the main ground upon which such conclusions are challenged. To this extent, the propositions set out in the brief will be considered and the questions presented thereby determined. Indiana Mfg. Co. v. Coughlin (1917), 65 Ind. App. 268, 115 N. E. 260.
The complaint and findings of fact are lengthy, and their substance will be indicated only in so far as we think necessary to an understanding of our disposition of the questions to be considered. To avoid repetition, we shall first state certain general facts substantially as they are shown by each paragraph of the complaint, the finding, and the evidence.
At about 4 o’clock p. m., on January 31, 1907, appellees delivered to the N. C. & St. L. Co., at Shelbyville, Tennessee, twenty-eight mules in good condition, to be shipped to Huntington, Indiana. Said mules were
Other facts found by the court and authorized by the evidence, affecting appellant and the questions which it seeks to have determined by its appeal, are in substance as follows: Said carload of mules was delivered by the L. & N. Co. to the C. I. & L. Co. at New Albany,'Indiana, at 1:30 p. m. February 2, 1907, in good condition. They arrived at Bloomington, Indiana, between 10 and 11 p. m. of said day. They were unloaded about midnight of same day, given hay and water, and reloaded about 7:30 a. m. on February 3, at which time they were in good condition. They arrived at Lafayette about 5 p. m. of the same day, where
The special contract of shipment, made part of the second paragraph of complaint, contains many limitations and conditions of liability, important among which, as affecting appellant’s contention that the facts
“8. The said party of the second part further agrees that he or his agent will load and unload said stock at his own risk, and feed, water and attend the same at his own expense and risk while it is in the stockyards of the party of the first part awaiting shipment or delivery, or at feeding or transfer points en route, or where it may be unloaded for any purpose, and it is agreed that any expense so incurred by the party of the first part, in behalf of the party of the second part or his agents or assigns, for feeding, watering, loading, unloading, or detention and care of such stock, shall be assessed against such stock and collected from connecting carrier and consignee, upon delivery.
“6. It is further agreed that, in case of accident to or delay of trains from any cause whatever, the owner and shipper is to feed, water and take proper care of stock at his expense.
“10. The party of the second part, for the consideration above mentioned, further agrees that, in the event of damage, injury or loss occurring to said stock, for which the party of the first part may be liable, before said stock is removed from the possession or premises of the party of the first part, or is rpingled with other stock, he will give notice of his claim, in writing, to the carrier’s station freight agent at the point of destination, if for a station on the line of the party of the first part, and to its station freight agent at the terminus or junction point at which it is to be delivered to the connecting carrier, if for a destination beyond the line of the carrier of the first part, and if the stock is unloaded before reaching destination or point of delivery to the connecting carrier, the said party of the second part agrees to give said notice in manner and form as herein above specified, to the station freight agent at such point of unloading or the nearest agency station thereto; in all of which cases, the said station freight agent shall be given opportunity to inspect said stock.”
Appellant’s contention, and the general propositions
The contract in the instant case apparently recognizes the principle announced in the case just quoted, because the stipulation in question does not purport to exempt the carrier from liability for a negligent failure on its part to discharge the duties which such stipulation imposes upon appellees, but simply provides that any expense incurred by the carrier in the performance of such imposed duty may be “assessed against such stock and collected from * •* * consignee upon delivery.”
It is true that some of the cases cited by appellant— notably, Williams v. Central of Georgia R. Co. (1903), 117 Ga. 830, 43 S. E. 980; Central of Georgia R. Co. v. James (1903), 117 Ga. 832, 45 S. E. 223; Ragsdale v. Southern R. Co. (1903), 119 Ga. 627, 46 S. E. 832; Southern R. Co. v. Tollerson (1910), 135 Ga. 74, 68 S. E. 798; Kent v. Central of Georgia R. Co. (1915), 144 Ga. 7, 89 S. E. 1017 — seem to lend some support to its contention, but the facts in those cases, and the reasons given for the holding, distinguish them from the instant case as is evidenced by the following language of the court in the case of Southern R. Co. v. Tollerson, supra, 78: “If by a valid contract the shipper undertakes to accompany the stock himself or have some person accompany them as his agent, and to feed and water them, and the railroad company furnishes him with facilities and opportunity for that purpose, he cannot violate his contract, and yet claim not to be in default. 4 Elliott, Railroads (2d ed.) 1554; Missouri Pac. Ry. Co. v. Texas & Pac. Ry. Co., 41 Fed. 913; Fort Worth, etc., Ry. Co. v. Daggett, 87 Tex. 322 (28 S. W. 525). This shipment was prior to the act of Congress of 1906, commonly called the Hepburn Act; and it is therefore unnecessary to consider the effect of that act.”
The finding above set out clearly shows a negligent failure to perform this duty and a damage to the stock resulting therefrom, and hence a liability from which appellant could not be relieved.
Finding no reversible error in the record, the judgment below is affirmed.
Note. — Reported in 108 N. E. 238, 115 N. E. 266. Carriers: limitation of liabilities of carriers of live stopk, 63 Am. St. 565;