Critchfield v. Robinson

• Decision Date: 18 May 1909
• Docket Number: 1089810899
• Citation: 88 N.E. 792,80 Ohio St. 364
• Parties: Critchfield v. Robinson. Critchfield v. Minier Et Al.
• Court: Ohio Supreme Court

88 N.E. 792

80 Ohio St. 364

Critchfield v. Robinson. Critchfield v. Minier Et Al.

Nos. 1089810899

Supreme Court of Ohio

May 18, 1909

Proceedings when judgment of justice reversed - Common pleas court retains case as on appeal, when - Section 6733, Revised Statutes.

When the court of common pleas reverses a judgment of a justice of the peace upon a ground other than a want of jurisdiction, it properly, under Section 6733, Revised Statutes, retains the case for trial as upon appeal, and until judgment is rendered upon such trial a proceeding in error in the circuit court is premature.

The defendants in error brought separate actions before a justice of the peace against the plaintiff in error to recover possession of quantities of wheat described in their bills of particulars. Critchfield interposed an objection to the jurisdiction of the justice which was overruled. The causes proceeded to trial and Critchfield interposed objections to the competency of evidence offered by the plaintiffs and these were overruled. The trials resulted in judgments for the plaintiffs. Critchfield thereupon filed petitions in error in the court of common pleas to obtain a reversal of the judgments of the justice. In the court of common pleas those judgments were reversed for error in the admission of evidence, the common pleas court then ordering that the causes be there retained for retrial according to law. Without awaiting a retrial of the causes in the court of common pleas, the original plaintiffs filed petitions in error in the circuit court where judgments were entered reversing the judgments of the court of common pleas and affirming those of the justice of the peace.

Mr Wade H. Ellis; Mr. W. H. Miller and Mr. Smith W. Bennett, for plaintiff in error.

Mr William Gordon, for defendants in error.

The cases were argued orally on behalf of the plaintiff in error by Mr. Clarence D. Laylin.

BY THE COURT.

The jurisdiction in error of the circuit court is conferred by Section 6709, Revised Statutes. The section defines and limits that jurisdiction by the provision that "A judgment rendered or final order made by any court of common pleas, or a judge thereof, may be reversed, vacated or modified by the circuit court," etc. The court of common pleas in these cases had not rendered judgments because it had not determined the rights of the parties. Nor had it made a final order in the cases. The orders which it...