History
  • No items yet
midpage
Evans v. Phelps
77 Iowa 526
Iowa
1889
Check Treatment
Rothrock, J.

The action was upon an account for money received. The amount in controversy was fifty dollars, and the appeal comes to us upon a certificate of the trial judge, in which the question for determination is, in substance, whether the agreement to transfer the cause to the district court for trial was binding on the defendant, and whether the stipulation invested the court with jurisdiction of the cause. It is provided by section 3575 of the Code, that any person aggrieved by the final judgment of a justice of the peace may appeal therefrom. The jurisdiction of our courts is prescribed by statute, and there is no provision made for the transfer of actions of this kind from a justice of the peace to the district court. On the contrary, the statute contemplates that a cause of this character, once commenced before a justice of the peace, shall proceed to a final determination, and the only provision made for transferring it to the district court is by appeal. The plaintiff may, of course, dismiss his action and commence it anew in any other court having jurisdiction. The question presented in this case has not been heretofore determined by this court. We reach the conclusion that the district court did not have jurisdiction of the cause, for the reason that the transfer does not appear to be authorized by any provision of the statute. It is not allowable under the practice act prescribed for justices of the peace, nor by any provision of the statute for change of place of trial from one court to another. The disposition of the case renders it unnecessary to determine the questions presented by appellee upon motions to dismiss the appeal.

Affirmed.

Case Details

Case Name: Evans v. Phelps
Court Name: Supreme Court of Iowa
Date Published: May 18, 1889
Citation: 77 Iowa 526
Court Abbreviation: Iowa
AI-generated responses must be verified and are not legal advice.
Your Notebook is empty. To add cases, bookmark them from your search, or select Add Cases to extract citations from a PDF or a block of text.