H. S. POTTER AND B. S. POTTER, PLAINTIFFS IN ERROR,
v.
REALTY SECURITIES CORPORATION, A CORPORATION, DEFENDANT IN ERROR

Fla. | 1919-05-30
Beowne, C. J., and Tayloe, Whitfield, Ellis and West, JJ., concur.
77 Fla. 768 Florida Supreme Court (1919) Caution
Cited by 10 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

The court reversed a judgment because the record did not affirmatively show that a special judge was properly appointed according to statute. The court also addressed issues regarding the completeness of a contract and improper judgment entry, indicating these would need to be resolved on retrial.


Holding

The court held that the judgment must be reversed because the record failed to show the agreement for the special judge was entered as required by statute. The court also indicated that the contract was not fully pleaded and that the judgment against only one defendant was erroneous.


Key Quotes

“The record wholly fails to show any agreement that Honorable J. Emmet Wolfe should try the cause as judge ad Mtem.”

Establishes the primary reason for reversal related to the improper appointment of the special judge.

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Facts & Procedural History

The parties agreed to have an attorney preside as judge ad litem due to the disqualification of the circuit judge. However, the record did not contain…

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Opinion of the Court
Reaves, Circuit Judge Per Curiam.

Reaves, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts). — Inasmuch as the judgment must be reversed for a reason apparently due to the oversight of both parties, it seems unnecessary to discuss at length the numerous assignments of error, — twenty-three in number. The first clause of Section 13M, General Statutes of 1906, reads as follows:

“When from any cause, the Judge of a Circuit or County Court is disqualified from presiding in any civil case, the parties may agree upon an attorney at law, which agreement shall be entered upon the record of said cause, who shall be judge ad litem and shall preside over the trial of and make orders in said case as if he were the judge of the court.” The record wholly fails to show any agreement that Honorable J. Emmet Wolfe should try the cause as judge ad Mtem. In fact, the only information we have as to how he happened to so act is a recital in the bill of exceptions certified by him, stating that Judge Branning being disqualified, and Mr. Price, who had been appointed judge ad litem being absent, “the said parties agreed in open court that said cause should be tried before me as judge ad litem.” This recital in the bill of exceptions is manifestly not a compliance with the provision of the statute that the “agreement shall be entered upon the record of said cause.”

“Generally speaking the authority of a special or substitute judge must appear from the record of the case in which he acts.” 23 Cyc. 608. And “The transcript on appeal from the decision of a special judge should contain all facts required to be entered on the record in the court below.” 23 Cyc. 611.

This record failing to show affirmatively that the parties agreed upon the Honorable J. Emmet Wolfe as judge ad litem the cause must be reversed.

We might rest this opinion here, but since the case must be tried again, we may say that the letter from plaintiff to defendants reading as follows:

“We beg to advise that pursuant to your listing with us we have sold your property described as lots 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Block 39, according to the Rhodes Plat of New Biscayne in Dade County, Florida, for $6600.00 on the following terms:
“$3000 cash, balance one and two years 8% interest.

“This price is subject to the usual commission of 10% payable to us. Please furnish us abstract brought up to date for delivery to the purchaser,” upon which the special count in the declaration is based, does not appear to be a complete contract within itself and it can hardly be said, as the jury was cahrged, that “any previous contract of listing or otherwise is merged in this contract of March 18th” for the reason that this letter reports that a sale had been made “pursuant to your listing.” Pursuant means conformable to, agreeable to, or in accordance with. Hence defendants were informed that the property had been sold in accordance with their listing and they endorsed their approval of a sale of that character. The terms of the listing, therefore, became a part of the terms of sale as reported and accepted and plaintiff should have pleaded the entire contract, not the letter and acceptance only, but a demurrer to the amended declaration as a whole was properly overruled inasmuch as it contained the common counts together with the special count. Plaintiff having failed to plead the entire contract, defendants should have been allowed to plead any material part omitted in the declaration. Their second plea sets up such material omitted portion and should not have been stricken.

If the property was listed to be sold and the money paid over by April 1st, or not at all as defendants contend,. the letter of March 18th was a representation that a scale of that character had been made. Whether the property was so listed, and if so, whether it was so sold, seems to be the real issue between the parties and the pleadings should be made up and the cause tried accordingly.

It was also error to enter the judgment against but one of two defendants jointly sued and against whom a joint verdict had been rendered.

The cause should be remanded for further proceedings agreeable to this opinion. Per Curiam.

— The record in this cause having been considered by this court, and-the foregoing opinion prepared under Chapter — , Acts of 1919, adopted by the court as its opinion, it is considered, ordered and adjudged by the court that the judgment herein be and the same is hereby reversed.

Beowne, C. J., and Tayloe, Whitfield, Ellis and West, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Sewell v. Huffstetler, 83 Fla. 629 (Fla. 1922)
    …may be submitted to him. There is nothing in the statutes requiring the parties to agree upon a judge to try the cause nor that it shall be transferred to the circuit next adjoining on any side. The case of Potter v. Realty Securities Corporation, 77 Fla. 768, 82 South. Rep. 298, does not so hold. The case is one relating to the trial of an action at law by an attorney-at-law upon whom the parties under Section 1344 General Statutes may agree as judge ad litem when the judge of the court is disqualified…
  • Seaboard Air Line Ry. Co. v. Ebert, 102 Fla. 641 (Fla. 1931)
    …708; Baker & Holmes Co. v. Indian River State Bank, 61 Fla. 106, 55 South. Rep. 836; Paul v. Commercial Bank of Ocala, 66 Fla. 83, 63 South. Rep. 265; Hancock v. State Exchange Bank, 70 Fla. 243, 70 South. Rep. 211; Potter v. Realty Securities Co., 77 Fla. 768, 82 South. Rep. 298; 33 C. J. 1124-1127. When an improper judgment is entered upon a proper verdict the appellate court will reverse the judgment with directions for entry of a proper one. Geiger v. Henry, 44 Fla. 208, 32 South. Rep. 874. The rule…
  • Fotinos v. The Romack Co., Inc., 101 Fla. 497 (Fla. 1931)
    …issue is untrue, or not one of the grounds enumerated which, nlust exist before it can be obtained.” If a declaration contains one of more good counts, a demurrer to the declaration as a whole should be overruled. Potter vs. Realty Security Corp., 77 Fla. 768, 82 So. 298. One of the dictionary meanings of the word “improper” is, “not accordant with fact, truth or right procedure.” See Webster’s New International Dictionary. The Judgment of the court below therefore should be reversed and the cause rema…

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