Court Opinion

ID: 9864899
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 16:16:09.786783+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:32:31.335199
License: Public Domain

Mr. Chief Justice Denison ,
dissenting.
I cannot concur with the majority opinion.
The people had a decree against Gaskins which held her house to be a nuisance and closed it for one year without service on her in any manner and without notice to her of any kind. She was a resident of California. She had no opportunity to defend.
1. Section 45, Code of 1921, seems to me to govern an action of this sort. It is a proceeding in equity, the whole *589Code obviously and necessarily applies to all bills in equity; certainly, then, the section on service of summons applies here, and service by publication should have been had and without that service the decree is void.
2. But even if the statute provided that there need be no service, the decree without service would still be void, because due process of law requires' a notice with opportunity to defend. The decisions are too numerous to cite, but here are some of them. Windsor v. McVeigh, 93 U. S. 274; McVeigh v. U. S., 11 Wall. 259, 267; People v. Lee, 72 Colo. 598, 213 Pac. 583, 587; Londoner v. Denver, 210 U. S. 373; Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U. S. 714; Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 4 Wheat. 518; Brown v. Denver, 7 Colo. 305, 311; Jenks v. Stump, 41 Colo. 281, 286, 288, 93 Pac. 317; Archuleta v. Archuleta, 52 Colo. 601, 608, 123 Pac. 821.
The point is made that this was an action in rem and therefore no notice was necessary, but the. case of Londoner v. Denver, supra, was an action to condemn land for park purposes and it was held the condemnation could not be had without service of summons upon owner. The final and conclusive authority on this point, however, is Windsor v. McVeigh, 93 U. S. 274, 277-279, which was a case which involved the forfeiture by the court of land belonging to ope in rebellion against the United States. The forfeiture was held void because, although the owner of the land had notice, he was denied a hearing.
On page 277 the opinion, referring to McVeigh v. U. S., supra, says “Mr. Justice Swayne said: ‘The order in effect denied the respondent a hearing. It is alleged he was in the position of an alien enemy, and could have no locus standi in that forum. If assailed there, he could defend there. The liability and right are inseparable. A different result would be a blot upon our jurisprudence and civilization. We cannot hesitate or doubt on the subject. It would be contrary to the first principles of the social compact and of the right administration of justice.’ * * *”
*590‘‘ The principle stated in this terse language lies at the foundation of all well-ordered systems of jurisprudence. Wherever one is assailed in his person or his property, there he may defend, for the liability and the right are inseparable. This is a principle of natural justice, recognized as such by the common intelligence and conscience of all nations. A sentence of a court pronounced against a party without hearing him, or giving him an opportunity to be heard, is not a judicial determination of his rights, and is not entitled to respect in any other tribunal. ’ ’
And again on page 279. “ The jurisdiction acquired by the seizure is not to pass upon the question of forfeiture absolutely, but to pass upon that question after opportunity has been afforded to its owner and parties interested to appear and be heard upon the charges. To this end some notification of the proceedings, beyond that arising from the seizure, prescribing the time within which the appearance must be made, is essential. Such notification is usually given by monition, public proclamation, or publication in some other form. The manner of the notification is immaterial, but the notification itself is indispensable.” So here: let us concede that the people had a right to seize-Gaskins’ property and hold it, restraining the nuisance till proper service, yet there could be no valid judgment against her without notice and opportunity to answer.
The only cases strictly in rem, that I have been able to find, where actual notice to owner is not required, are admiralty cases where the ship is the defendant; but such cases are sui generis, not analogous to the present situation, but rest on reasoning and principles that have no application here.
Cases in the IT. S. District Court and the Circuit Court of Appeals seem to sustain this judgment, but we are not willing to follow them. They seem to violate the Fourteenth Amendment as construed in Windsor v. McVeigh. The case of Grosfield v. U. S., 48 Sup. Ct. Rep. 329, 72 *591L. Ed. 392, seems to us not to sustain the judgment. The case was brought against the owner and against the tenant. It was dismissed as against the tenant and prosecuted as against the owner. The owner answered. The opinion says “the only question for our consideration is whether the evidence submitted to the district court is sufficient to justify the decree.” The opinion then considers the evidence and answer and concludes that the owners were guilty and not in good faith. There was no question of taking property without notice to the owners.
It is said that the right of the owner to give a bond as provided in C. L. §§ 6238 and 6239, gives him sufficient protection, but since that right is conditioned upon the payment of costs and allowances that have been adjudged in the action without notice to the owner, it is hard to see how his rights are protected. He is obliged to pay part of the judgment against somebody else, rendered without notice to him, in order to gain possession of his property which has been taken from him without any opportunity to be heard.
The judgment against Gaskins should be reversed with direction to proceed to get service according to the Code or to dismiss the case.
Mr. Justice Butler and Mr. Justice Walker agree with this dissent.