Pendleton v. Com. ex rel. Rawlins

Decision Date29 September 1961
Citation349 S.W.2d 832
PartiesCornelius PENDLETON, Appellant, v. COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky, ex rel. Bethel RAWLINS, Appellee.
CourtUnited States State Supreme Court — District of Kentucky

Charles A. Thornton, Lexington, for appellant.

Armand Angelucci, County Atty., Thomas R. Underwood, Jr., Sp. Asst. County Atty., for appellee.

MONTGOMERY, Judge.

Judgment was rendered in the Fayette County Court against Cornelius Pendleton in a bastardy proceeding. KRS Chapter 406, Bastardy. He sought to appeal to the Fayette Circuit Court, wherein his attempted appeal was held to be fatally defective for failure to file in proper time a certified copy of the judgment.

The judgment was entered in the Criminal Order Book in the Fayette County Court on August 5, 1959. On August 15, 1959, counsel for appellant requested the clerk of the Fayette County Court to prepare the necessary papers for appeal. On August 21, 1959, a photostatic copy of the judgment and warrant in the case was filed in the Fayette Circuit Court. Neither the copy of the judgment nor the amount of the costs was certified. The appropriate bond was executed. At a hearing on December 7, 1959, the circuit court held that it had no jurisdiction because of the failure to perfect the appeal. On December 10, 1959, the Fayette County Court clerk certified the judgment and costs, and by motion appellant asked the circuit court to assume jurisdiction of the case.

Bastardy is a civil proceeding. Chandler v. Commonwealth, 4 Metcalfe 66, 61 Ky. 66; Francis v. Commonwealth, 3 Bush 4, 66 Ky. 4; Commonwealth ex rel. Baker v. Bondie, 277 Ky. 207, 126 S.W.2d 148; Goldy v. Commonwealth, 289 Ky. 613, 159 S.W.2d 989. The Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure govern such a proceeding. CR 1; White v. Commonwealth, Ky., 299 S.W.2d 618.

The method of taking an appeal in a civil proceeding from a judgment of the county court is set forth in CR 72. A certified copy of the judgment and amount of costs is required to be filed with the clerk of the court to which the appeal is taken within thirty days from the date judgment was rendered. CR 72.01 and 72.02. It is the duty of the appellant, action through his counsel, and the clerk to see that a record on appeal is properly prepared and transmitted. Belk-Simpson Co. v. Hill, Ky., 288 S.W.2d 369. It is necessary to perfect an appeal in order to vest the circuit court with jurisdiction. Commonwealth ex rel. Curlin v. Taylor, Ky., 279 S.W.2d 813; Coyle v. Capital Engineering Services, Inc., Ky., 314...

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6 cases
  • Pendleton v. Centre College of Kentucky
    • United States
    • Kentucky Court of Appeals
    • December 14, 1990
    ...the Fayette Circuit Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals--then our highest court. It was affirmed in Pendleton v. Commonwealth, ex rel. Rawlins, Ky., 349 S.W.2d 832 (1961), for reason the record was not timely filed in the circuit On March 24, 1966, Cornelius died a single man. Cecil, th......
  • Perry v. Com., ex rel. Kessinger
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court — District of Kentucky
    • June 15, 1983
    ...by the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws have been fully accepted by this Court or its predecessor. In Pendleton v. Commonwealth ex rel. Rawlins, Ky., 349 S.W.2d 832 (1961), it was held that a paternity proceeding was a civil action and in Sweat v. Turner, Ky., 547 S.W.2d 435 (1977), this......
  • Duff v. Com. for Use and Benefit of Duff
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court — District of Kentucky
    • March 23, 1962
    ...v. Smalling, 146 Ky. 197, 142 S.W. 372; Commonwealth ex rel. Baker v. Bondie, 277 Ky. 207, 126 S.W.2d 148; and Pendleton v. Commonwealth ex rel. Rawlins, Ky., 349 S.W.2d 832, to the effect that a bastardy proceeding is a civil action and is governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure. The issu......
  • White v. Com.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court — District of Kentucky
    • June 9, 1972
    ...procedure adopted since that time it has been consistently held that a certified copy of the judgment is mandatory. Pendleton v. Commonwealth, Ky., 349 S.W.2d 832 (1961); Bullitt County v. Stout, Ky., 422 S.W.2d 133 (1967). It is our conclusion that the purported appeals from the police cou......
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