This is а petition by Richard W. Jones and Mamie J. Jones wherein it is prayed that we order the issuance of a writ of certiorari to the Court of Civil Appeals for the purpose of enabling this court to
revise
a “judgment” rendered by the Court of Civil Appeals in the casе of Jones v. City of Huntsville,
The petitionеrs do not pray that we reverse the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals because petitioners were successful in having thаt court reverse the judgment of the Circuit Court of Madison County.
Petitioners actually want this court to revise certain statements сontained in the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals concerning
Although the petition will not be granted, we deem it unadvisable in this instance to deny the petition without oрinion lest the parties to this litigation, the trial court and the parties in several hundred similar cases presently pending in the Circuit Cоurt of Madison County conclude that we are in accord with all that is said in the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals.
The Court of Civil Appeals in its opinion points out that it did not have before it for decision the question whether the trial court erred in denying the motion filed by the City of Huntsville to dismiss the appeal of the property owners, yet it treats that question at length; expresses disapproval of our holding in Hill Realty Co. v. City of Mountain Brook,
“ . . . We think the failure of appellants to file written objections or dеfenses with the City of Huntsville after publication of notice of the filing of the assessment roll and the setting of a time and placе for hearing objections was a waiver of objections or protests and amounted to an estoppel under the statute (Section 535). Appellants were estopped from further attacks upon the final assessment either by direct apрeal or by collateral attack, absent a pleading and proof of fraud. ...”
Since the language just quoted is not in conformity with our holding in Hill Realty Co. v. City of Mountain Brook, supra, we deem it advisable to observe that this court has not departed from any holding in that case and to observe further that the Court of Civil Appeals is without authority to overrule the decisions of this court. On the contrary, it is provided in the act which created that court that: “The decisions of the supreme court shall govern the holdings and decisions of the courts of appeals, . . . ” — § 10 of Act 987, approved September 12, 1969, Acts of Alabama 1969-70, Vol. II, p. 1744, the provisiоns of which section are carried in the 1969 Cumulative Pocket Part to Vol. 4 of the 1958 Recompiled Code of Alabama as § 111(10), Title 13.
In City of Birmingham v. Wills,
supra,
the complainant, Wills, made a collateral attack upon a local pavement assessment by filing a bill for the purpose of preventing by injunction the enforcement of the assessment. The trial court overruled a demurrer to the bill. The City of Birmingham appealed to this court. We reversed the decree of the trial court on the ground that the general demurrеr interposed to the bill filed by Wills should have been sustained. In the opinion in
Wills
it is said: “Nor does it appear that complainant appeared
at any stage
of the proceeding for the purpose of interposing objections or defense.” (Emphasis supplied) (
Hill Realty Co. v. City of Mountain Brook,
supra,
was decided by this court on
The foregoing relates to the first three of petitioners’ so-called assignments of error which have been madе, as heretofore stated, because of the apparent disapproval by the Court of Civil Appeals of our hоlding in Hill Realty Co. v. City of Mountain Brook, supra.
We see no occasion or justification for responding to the other so-called аssignments of error made by petitioners other than to say that this court does not review the application of the doctrine of harmless error by a court of appeals unless authorized by statement of facts in the opinion, which is not the cаse here. Harris v. State,
We wish to point out that we do not have before us for review the rulings of the trial court which the Court of Civil Aрpeals indicated in its opinion that the City of Huntsville could have appealed to that court from the rulings of the trial court overruling the City’s motion to dismiss the property owners’ appeal to the circuit court. We do not agree. See Mabry v. Dickens,
Petition for writ of certiorari denied.
