31 Fla. 541 | Fla. | 1893
Fraud, accident and mistake are principal grounds upon which courts of equity act in granting relief against legal proceedings, and in relieving parties against judgments at law. The party asking relief in a court of equity in such cases must show that he could not avail himself of such defense at law; or, if such defense could have been made there, he was deprived of an opportunity of presenting the same, without fault on his part, by the fraud or circumvention of the oppo-.
Although it is repeatedly alleged in the bill that the respondent, John Jackson, with a fraudulent design, •and in futherance of a fraudulent scheme on his part to* deprive complainant, Cordelia Hoey, of her lot of land, purchased a tax title to the same and resorted to the legal proceeding of ejectment to get possession thereof, yet there is nothing alleged to show that Jackson or his agents fraudulently prevented her, or her husband and tenant, from making any and all proper defense to the suit when instituted. In order to maintain a standing in a court of equity she must Rave been prevented from making her defense by fraud, accident or mistake, unmixed with negligence on her part. It does not appear that Jackson did
The allegations in reference to the failure of the attorney, to appear for defendants in the ejectment suit, are insufficient. In the first place, such a failure is in no way attributable to Jackson, and at most would be-the neglect of their own agent. Shepard vs. Akers, supra. But it'does not appear that any attorney was. consulted after suit was' instituted, and the mere fact that copy of summons was sent to the attorney who - had previously been consulte I, does not show sufficient-diligence. It is not even alleged that the attorney received the copy of summons, or knew that the suit had been instituted.
The allegations of the bill fail to show, we think, any sufficient reason in law why complainants did not. make their defense at law, and- for this reason, without examining the other objections made to the bill, we think the court was correct in dismissing the same. The decree of the Circuit C.'o-urt is. therefore affirmed,, and it is so ordered.