STATE, EX REL. JACKSONVILLE ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY, A CORPORATION, ALSO KNOWN AS JAX ICE AND COLD STORAGE COMPANY,
v.
HON. DEWITT T. GRAY, A. D. MCNEILL AND BAYARD B. SHIELDS, AS CIRCUIT JUDGES OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND MILES W. LEWIS, AS JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA; AND SAM YOUNG

Fla. | 1937-12-14
Ellis, C. J., and Whitfield, Terrell, Brown and Buford, J. J., concur.
130 Fla. 359 Florida Supreme Court (1937) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 177 So. 849
Cited by 12 cases

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Synopsis

This case concerns whether a circuit court judge exceeded their jurisdiction by reinstating an ejectment suit that had been dismissed for lack of prosecution. The Supreme Court held that the judge acted within their lawful authority, as the relevant statute allowed for reinstatement upon a showing of good cause.


Holding

No, the circuit court judges did not exceed their lawful jurisdiction. The statute in question grants circuit courts the authority to reinstate actions dismissed for want of prosecution upon a petition showing good cause.


Key Quotes

“The cause was sounded by the lower court upon, the trial docket on November 29, 1934. On June 12, 1935, the defendant filed its motion for dismissal and same granted, without notice, under Chapter 14554, Laws of Florida, 1929.”

Establishes the initial dismissal of the ejectment suit under the relevant statute.

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Facts & Procedural History

An ejectment suit was filed in 1931 and continued until 1934. The defendant moved for dismissal due to lack of prosecution under a 1929 statute, and t…

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Opinion of the Court
Chapman, J.

Chapman, J.

The parties will be referred to in this opinion as they appeared in the court below as plaintiff and defendant. On June 16, 1936, relator filed in this Court a suggestion for a writ of prohibition against, viz.: Hon. DeVVitt T. Gray, A. D. McNeill and Bayard B. Shields, as Circuit Judges of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in and for Duval County, Florida, and Miles W. Lewis, as Judge of the Circuit Court of Duval County, Florida; the petition made it to appear, among other things, that on May 1, 1931, *361Sam Young, plaintiff, filed an ejectment suit in the Circuit Court of Duval County against Jacksonville Ice and Cold Storage Company, a corporation, the defendant. A declaration and plea of not guilty were filed and the issues settled and the cause appeared upon the Circuit Court docket and was continued by the court from time to time. The cause was sounded by the lower court upon, the trial docket on November 29, 1934. On June 12, 1935, the defendant filed its motion for dismissal and same granted, without notice, under Chapter 14554, Laws of Florida, 1929. On August 17, 1935, plaintiff filed a petition for reinstatement of the cause, and a demurrer was directed h> said petition.for reinstatement and upon hearing was overruled. Defendant filed an amended answer to said petition and plaintiff directed a demurrer thereto and upon hearing before the court below, the answer was sustained and the cause reinstated and placed upon the docket by an order dated December 20, 1935. The petition further relates that the respondents are exceeding the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court by proceeding to try the above ejectment suit and prays for issuance of a writ of prohibition against the respondents, supra.

On, June 18, 1936, a rule nisi in prohibition issued out of this Court directed to each of the respondents, requiring each to show cause on or before July 1, 1936, why a writ of prohibition should not be issued as prayed. On June 30, 1936, the respondents, supra, filed a demurrer to the suggestion for a writ of prohibition on the grounds, viz.: (a) The Circuit Court had trial jurisdiction of the ejectment suit; (b) relator’s remedy is reviewable by a writ of error; (c) the suggestion of relator states no cause of action; (d) conclusions of relator, and other grounds unnecessary to recite for a decision of this cause. .

*362The cause is before this Court on demurrer to the suggestion for a writ of prohibition and the question for decision here is: From the facts appearing in the suggestion for a writ of prohibition did the respondents, as Judges, supra, exceed their lawful jurisdiction in entering the order dated December 20, 1935, reinstating the said ejectment suit? If respondents had authority to reinstate the cause, it was conferred by Chapter 14554, Acts of 1929, viz.:

“Section 1. All actions at law or suits in equity pending in the several Courts of the State of Florida in which there shall not affirmatively appear from some action taken by the filing of pleadings, order of court, or otherwise, that the same is being prosecuted, for a period of three (3) years, shall be deemed abated for want of prosecution and the same shall be dismissed by the Court having jurisdiction of the cause, upon motion of any person, firm or corporation interested, whether a party to the action or suit or not, without revivor or notice; provided this Act shall not become effective in respect to actions or suits now pending until the first day of January, A. D. 1930. Provided, further, that actions or suits dismissed under the provisions hereof may be reinstated by petition upon good cause shown to the Court filed by any party in interest within six months after such order of dismissal.”

It will be observed that Circuit Courts have authority to reinstate actions or suit previously dismissed when. it is made to appear by petition for good cause or substantial reasons why the same should be reinstated. The statute clothes the court with judgment, discretion and prudence in its effort to do justice as between litigants and the court below saw and heard the parties, considered the facts alleged for reinstatement made and entered the order in question. The discretion was exercised when the order of reinstatement was entered.

*363Let us next determine if the order has as its basis a question of law or a question of law and fact The record shows the facts were set up in a petition and presented and a demurrer thereto was overruled, when an amended answer to the facts set up in the petition was presented and a demurrer thereto sustained, and from these proceedings it certainly appears that fact and law were involved that invoked the judicial discretion of the court below.

If it is a question of law and no1 discretion involved, and the ruling was one affecting the exercise of jurisdiction, then relator has a standing in this Court. Section 11 of Article V of the Constitution of Florida gives the Circuit Courts of Florida original jurisdiction of “action- of ejectment and all other actions involving the title or boundaries of real estate.” Sections 5040, 5041, 5042, 5043, 5044, 5045 and 5046, C. G. L. 1927. We therefore hold the lower court had jurisdiction to try the ejectment suit. This Court held in Crill, et al., v. State Road Department, 96 Fla. 110, text p. 115, 117 Sou. Rep. 795:

“The writ of prohibition is that process by which a superior court prevents an inferior court or tribunal from usurping or exercising a jurisdiction with which it has not been vested by law. It is an extraordinary writ, because it only issues when the party seeking it is without other adequate means of redress for the wrong about tO' be inflicted by the act of the .inferior tribunal. * * *”

We fail to see or observe wherein the respondent Judges of the Circuit Court of Duval County in the reinstatement of the ejectment action of Sam Young v. Jacksonville Ice and Cold Storage Company, or in proceeding to try the same, are usurping or exercising a jurisdiction with which it has not been vested by law. See Crill, et al., v. State Road Department, supra. The demurrer to the suggestion for the writ of prohibition is sustained and the rule to *364show cause herein is discharged and the peremptory writ denied.

Ellis, C. J., and Whitfield, Terrell, Brown and Buford, J. J., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Carey English v. McCRARY, 348 So. 2d 293 (Fla. 1977)
    …asis supplied.) Abuse of discretion by the inferior tribunal acting within its jurisdiction is not a matter to be determined by prohibition. State v. Hunt, 70 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 1954), State ex rel. Jacksonville Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Gray et al., 130 Fla. 359, 177 So. 849 (1937). If the existence of jurisdiction depends on controverted facts which the inferior court has the jurisdiction to determine, and the court errs in the exercise thereof, prohibition is not available. State ex rel. Park v. H. T. Poi…
  • Adams Eng'g Co., Inc. v. Constr. Prods. Corp., 156 So. 2d 497 (Fla. 1963)
    …63, and Green v. Panama City Housing Authority, Fla.1959, 115 So. 2d 560. . Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. Hoagland, Fla.1952, 62 So. 2d 756; Allen v. Gaither, Fla.App., 112 So. 2d 855. . State ex rel. Jacksonville Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Gray, 130 Fla. 359, 177 So. 849; Gulf Appliance Distributors, Inc. v. Long, Fla.1951, 53 So. 2d 708; Moore v. Fletcher, 159 Fla. 478, 32 So. 2d 12; United Life Insurance Co. v. Jowers, Fla.App.1960, 118 So. 2d 85. For a consideration of the limits of appellate review…
  • …of jurisdiction. Abuse of discretion by the inferior tribunal acting within its jurisdiction is not a matter to be determined by prohibition. State v. Hunt, 70 So. 2d 301 (Fla.1954), State ex rel. Jacksonville Ice & Cold Storage Co. v. Gray et al., 130 Fla. 359, 177 So. 849 (1937). If the existence of jurisdiction depends on controverted facts which the inferior court has the jurisdiction to determine, and the court errs in the exercise thereof, prohibition is not available. State ex rel. Park v. H. T. Poi…

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