44 S.E.2d 454 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1947
In an action brought by the State of Georgia, represented by the solicitor-general, against the City of Vidalia and its officers to validate certain water and sewer revenue anticipation certificates, certain taxpayers and citizens of the municipality intervened and filed objections to the validation of the certificates. On appeal by such intervenors from a judgment of the superior court overruling their objections and validating the certificates, the State of Georgia is a necessary and indispensable party and, it appearing that the State of Georgia had not been made a party to the bill of exceptions or served with a copy of the same, the motion of the defendants in error to dismiss the writ of error must be sustained and the writ or error dismissed.
The bill of exceptions stated that the case was "The State ofGeorgia v. The City of Vidalia, and J. F. Darby Sr., Dr. C. W. Findley, George L. Johnson and Lonnie McBride, intervenors" and service was duly acknowledged by the attorneys for the City of Vidalia. In the certificate to the bill of exceptions, the trial judge certified that the bill of exceptions was true and contained all evidence and specified all the record material to a clear understanding of the errors complained of, "except evidence submitted by plaintiff and City of Vidalia."
The City of Vidalia filed a written motion to dismiss the writ of error, one ground of which is: That the State of Georgia, which was the plaintiff in the court below and interested in sustaining the judgment, was not made a party to the bill of exceptions or served with a copy of the same. Service on the motion to dismiss was acknowledged by counsel for the plaintiffs in error.
While the case was pending in the Supreme Court the plaintiffs in error filed an amendment to the bill of exceptions wherein they designated by name each of the officers and governing authorities of the City of Vidalia as defendants in error, but they did not attempt to make the State of Georgia a party to said proceedings.
It is wellsettled law that all parties to a cause who are interested in sustaining the judgment of the court below are indispensable parties in the Court of Appeals, and must be made parties to the bill of *806
exceptions or the writ of error will be dismissed. Pritchard v.Kraft Cheese Company,
In the present case, the City of Vidalia notified the solicitor-general of the judicial circuit in which it was situated of its desire to issue certain revenue-anticipation certificates, as required by the Code (Ann.), § 87-815; whereupon, the solicitor-general, in the name of the State of Georgia, filed a petition in the superior court directed against the City of Vidalia and its officers requiring them to show cause why the certificates and the security for the payment therefor should not be confirmed and validated, as provided for by the Code (Ann.), § 87-816. This petition was served upon the City of Vidalia and its officers and notice of the hearing was published as required by law. Code (Ann.), § 87-817. The plaintiffs in error, who were citizens and taxpayers of the City of Vidalia, filed objections to the validation of the certificates and were made parties to the said action. Being dissatisfied with the judgment of the superior court overruling their objections and validating the certificates, they excepted to such judgment. Code (Ann.), § 87-818. The only parties designated as defendants in error in the bill of exceptions are the City of Vidalia and its officers. The State of Georgia was not made a party to the bill of exceptions or served with a copy of the same. The plaintiffs in error treat the action as one between them on the one side and the City of Vidalia and its officers on the other and contend that the State of Georgia has no interest in the outcome of the case and for that reason is not a necessary party to the bill of exceptions.
The present action was not one between the intervenors and the City of Vidalia, but was a civil case between the State of Georgia, represented by the solicitor-general, and the City of Vidalia, *807
and its officers, with the intervenors taking the case as they found it. In this connection, see Ray v. Lavonia,
Writ of error dismissed. Felton and Parker, JJ., concur.