Court Opinion

ID: 9856401
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:46:45.219012+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:38:43.319488
License: Public Domain

Felton, Chief Judge,
dissenting. Since the passage of the Declaratory Judgments Act relief may be sought at law to avoid a multiplicity of suits where there was no provision therefor even in equity where an insufficient “nexus” was alleged to avoid a multiplicity of suits. If the cross action in this case had been filed by the defendant as an original declaratory judgment action it would have been a good action, with all parties made by the original suit. Here, the only obstacle at law is the inability of the defendant to make new parties. Since the Lumbermens’ cross action would have been a good original action, one of the purposes of which would have been to avoid a multiplicity of suits, and since the litigation is pending in a court exercising full equitable powers, under the circumstances the cross action sufficiently alleges and prays for the exercise of sufficient equitable powers to give the equity side of the court jurisdiction. I think the case should be transferred to the Supreme Court.