CITIZENS BANK OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA,
v.
OPPERMAN

U.S. | 1919-04-14
No. 234
249 U.S. 448 Supreme Court of the United States (1919) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 63 L. Ed. 701 · 39 S. Ct. 330 · 1919 U.S. LEXIS 2101 · SCDB 1918-132
Cited by 36 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

Citizens Bank of Michigan City sought to review a state court judgment requiring it to return stock certificates to a married woman who had pledged them as security for her husband's debt, claiming the transaction constituted an invalid contract of suretyship under Indiana law. The Supreme Court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, finding that the bank's petition for certiorari was filed outside the three-month deadline imposed by the 1916 Act and that the case did not present a federal constitutional question necessary for the Court's review.


© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.

Opinion of the Court
Mr. Justice McReynolds

Mr. Justice McReynolds delivered the opinion of the court.

Section 7855, Bums’ Anno. Indiana Statutes, 1914, provides: "A married woman shall not enter into any contract of suretyship, whether as indorser, guarantor, or in any other manner; and such contract, as to her, shall be void.” Relying upon this, defendant, in error sued to recover a certificate of National Bank stock issued in her ñame and held by plaintiff in error bank as security for .her husband’s indebtedness. The bank defended upon the theory that exercising rights given by § 12 of the National Bank Act (13 Stat. 102; Rev. Stats., § 5139) she transferred the stock to her husband and in turn he had hypothecated it to secure ids personal note. Being of the opinion that the National Bams: 'Act did not inhibit an inquiry concerning all the circumstances, the trial court permitted introduction of proof to tnat end; the jury found the bank had knowledge of facts sufficient to charge it with notice that the transaction amounted to a contract of suretyship by the wife; and judgment, in her favor was affirmed by .the State Supreme Court. A petition to rehear was overruled May 18, 1917, and at that time the judgment below became final for purposes of review here. Andrews v. Virginian Ry. Co., 248 U. S. 272; Chicago Great Western R. R. Co. v. Basham, ante, 164. This writ of error was applied for July 13, 1917— within three months.

The Act of September 6, 1916, c. 448, 39 Stat. 726, 727, 728, limited our power to review judgments or dé-., crees in state courts which became final subsequent to date when it went into effect (October 6, 1916), upon writs of error, ,to those cases "where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute of, or an authority exercised under the United States, and the decision is against their validity; or where is drawn in question the validity of a statute of,. or an authority exercised under any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity.” It also authorized this court to bring up for review and determination by certiorari “any cause wherein a final judgment or decree has been rendered or passed by the highest court of a State in which a decision could be had, where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute of, or an authority exercised under the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity; or where is drawn in question the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States, and the decision is against their validity.” And it further distinctly directed .that except as to wits of certiorari addressed to the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands “no wit of error, appeal, or wit of certiorari intended to bring up any cause for review by the Supreme Court shall be allowed or entertained unless duly applied for within three months after entry of the judgment or decree complained of.” Where a petition for rehearing is entertained the judgment does not become final for purposes of our review until such petition has been deified or otherwise-disposed of and the three months’ limitation begins to run' from date of such denial or other disposition.

, Plaintiff in error presented its petition here for a wit of certiorari touring up the present cause April 15, 1918; this was denied April 22, 1918. Manifestly, the ápplication was not within the prescribed time.

An examination of the record shows that in the courts below there was not really drawn in question (Wilson v. North Carolina, 169 U. S. 586, 595) “the validity of a treaty or statute of, or an authority exercised under the United States” or “the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under any State, on the ground of their being repugnant to the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States.” .Consequently, we are without jurisdiction to entertain the writ of error and it must be

Dismissed.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (13 total)

  • …. In re Stearns & White Co., 295 Fed. 833; Bonner v. Potterf, 47 F. (2d) 852, 855; United States v. East, 80 F. (2d) 134, 135. Compare Aspen Mining Co. v. Billings, supra, p. 37; Voorhees v. Noye Mfg. Co., supra, p. 137; Citizens Bank v. Opperman, 249 U. S. 448, 450; Morse v. United States, supra, p. 154.…
  • Schacht v. United States, 398 U.S. 58 (U.S. 1970)
    …atute provide for limited extensions of time. There was, however, no extension in the case before us. E. g., Matton Steamboat Co., Inc. v. Murphy, 319 U. S. 412 (1943); Department of Banking v. Pink, 317 U. S. 264 (1942); Citizens Bank v. Opperman, 249 U. S. 448 (1919). The Government relies on language in United States ex rel. Coy v. United States, 316 U. S. 342 (1942), a case not cited by the Court, as support for its claim that the 30-day limit established by rule was “jurisdictional.” The issue in that…
  • Leishman v. Associated Wholesale Elec. Co., 318 U.S. 203 (U.S. 1943)
    …, 153-54, and cases cited. Compare Joplin Ice Co. v. United States, 87 F. 2d 174; Suggs v. Mutual Benefit Assn., 115 F. 2d 80; Neely v. Merchants Trust Co., 110 F. 2d 525; United States v. Steinberg, 100 F. 2d 124. See also Citizens Bank v. Oppermm, 249 U. S. 448; Gypsy Oil Co. v. Escoe, 275 U. S. 498; Pfister v. Northern Illinois Finance Corp., 317 U. S. 144. The 10 day limit for filing fixed in Rule 59 cannot be enlarged under Rule 6 (b) except as provided in subsection (c) of Rule 59.…

Previewing 3 of 13 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw