ATTAWAY MCKINNON, PLAINTIFF IN ERROR,
v.
AMOS E. LEWIS ET AL., DEFENDANTS IN ERROR
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In this ejectment action, the Florida Supreme Court reversed the lower court's decision sustaining the defendant's exceptions to plaintiff's interrogatories. The court held that under Section 1969 of the General Statutes of 1906, a party in ejectment may compel disclosure of the opposing party's title and the chain of ownership through interrogatories.
A party to an ejectment suit may compel the other party to answer interrogatories seeking disclosure of title and every link thereof under Section 1969 of the General Statutes of 1906. The lower court erred in sustaining the defendant's exceptions to the interrogatories.
“either party to a suit in ejectment may avail himself of the proceedings by interrogatories provided by Sections 1971 and 1972, to obtain a disclosure from the other party of the title and every link thereof, upon which such other party sues or defends.”
States the statutory authority permitting interrogatories in ejectment actions to compel disclosure of title and chain of ownership.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceMcKinnon brought an ejectment action against Lewis and others. The case was tried on a plea of not guilty. McKinnon filed interrogatories requiring Le…
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Per Curiam.
A former writ of error herein was dismissed, no final judgment being shown. McKinnon v. Lewis, 72 Fla. 25, 72 South. Rep. 370. Subsequently a final judgment for the defendants was rendered and the plaintiff took writ of error to such final judgment.
The action is in ejectment and trial was had on a plea of not guilty.
Section 1969 of the General Statutes of 1906, provides that “either party to a suit in ejectment may avail himself of the proceedings by interrogatories provided by Sections 1971 and 1972, to obtain a disclosure from the other party of the title and every link thereof, upon which such other party sues or defends.”
The sections “1971 and 1972” mentioned, should be sections “1534 and 1535” of the'General Statutes of 1906. Investment Co. v. Trueman, 63 Fla. 184, 57 South. Rep. 663.
Under this statute the plaintiff filed the following interrogatories :
“The defendant Amos E. Lewis'is hereby required to file in this court within ten days, written answers, under oath, to the following interrogatories, to-wit:
“1st. State fully and in detail all the evidence you depend upon as your defense in this suit, state what kind of title you rely upon.1 If you claim-under deed, attach a copy of each and every one with indorsements on same that you claim under to your answer. “2nd. State whether you deeded this landyto J. R. Lewis and hfe deeded it to W. A. & E. C. Lewis. State who was in possession of this land in the year 1909 and if you say W. H. Barton state whom he was claiming under. “3rd. If in answer to your first interrogatory you say that you claim under deed, state with certainty and in detail, who took possession for you, when, and who was in the house at the time and prior and under whom did he claim title.
“4th. If you state that you claim title through deed from the Citizens State Bank of Marianna, Fla., state the date of consideration if any, the date of the deed, the date when deed was delivered to you, and the date that you had same recorded, and did you not know that at the time that plaintiff had a deed to this land and same was recorded and that he was claiming under same.”
To these interrogatories the defendant filed exceptions as follows:
“1st. That said interrogatories and each of them are concerning matters that pertain entirely to the defense of this defendant and in no wise are material to the plaintiff in making out this cause of action, if any he has.
. “2nd. That said interrogatories and each of them are not of such nature or character as to which a .bill for discovery would lie upon the chancery side of the dockef.
“3rd. That said interrogatories and each of them are not necessary in order to establish plaintiff’s cause of action, but are merely inquiries to ascertain the defendant’s ground of defense to the suit brought against him.
“Wherefore, this defendant prays the judgment.of the court as to whether or'not he shall be required to make other or further answer to said interrogatories or ány of them.”
These exceptions were sustained. This ruling might have been proper under section 1534; but under section 1969, the plaintiff was entitled to propound the interrogatories.
Reversed.
Browne, C. J-., and Taylor, Shackleford, Whitfield and Ellis, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Barnard Kilgore v. Bird, 150 Fla. 702 (Fla. 1942)…hin the knowledge of the defendant. See Knight v. Empire Land Co., 55 Fla. 301, 45 So. 1025; May v. Whitehurst, 107 Fla. 174, 144 So. 326; Mutual Benefit Health & Accident Ass’n. v. Bunting, 133 Fla. 646, text p. 662, 183 So. 321; McKinnon v. Lewis, 73 Fla. 817, 74 So. 877; Crandall’s Common Law Practice 1940 Supp. pp. 178, 180. It does not appear that answers by the defendant to the interrogatories are necessary to the plaintiff’s case, or that the evidence of material facts sought cannot readily be obta…
Authorities Cited
- Inv. Co. v. Trueman, 63 Fla. 184 (Fla. 1912)
- Attaway McKinnon v. Amos E. Lewis, 72 Fla. 25 (Fla. 1916)