33 Tex. 661 | Tex. | 1871
The judgment in this cause is sought to he reversed on the grounds that no sufficient citation to authorize a judgment by default was issued to the defendants below, and that the record fails to show that any service was had on all the defendants against whom the judgment was rendered. Suit was brought against several defendants, residents of Kaufman county, and at least two Who were not residents of the county; and the citations issued for the plaintiffs in error, and which citations are now complained of, contained only the names of those defendants who were residents of the county.
Article 1431, Paschal’s Digest, requires, among other things, that the writ or citation shall state the names of the parties to the suit. This clause of the statute has frequently been the subject of decision by this court, and it has uniformly been held that the citation must state the names of all the parties to a suit, to authorize a judgment by default against any. (See Burleson v. Henderson, 4 Texas, 51; Anderson v. Brown, 16 Texas, 554, and Battle v. Eddy, 31 Texas, 369.) Upon the authority of these decisions we are of the opinion that the citations were all defective and insufficient to support a judgment against any one of the defendants, by default.
It is further contended by the plaintiffs in error, that the records in this cause fails to show any service on G. P. Arthur, one of the defendants below, against whom judgment was rendered. It appears from the record that citation was issued for G. P. Arthur, the same as for the other defendants, which contained the names of some six defendants. One of these citations was directed by the clerk to be served on G. P. Arthur, and on this citation the sheriff made the following endorsement: “ Came to hand July 7, 1868, and executed by delivering to the within named defendant a certified copy of plaintiff’s petition, together with this writ.” It is claimed for plaintiffs in error that this return is no evidence that the writ was served on G. P. Arthur; that although the clerk had
For the reasons given herein, this cause is reversed and remanded.
Reversed and remanded.