Court Opinion

ID: 9833376
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 22:39:52.031295+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:44:02.107573
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
In our former opinion reversing and remanding this case it is stated that the record does not show when appellants were served with citation, and that such being the case, and the bill of exception to the action of the court in refusing to grant the continuance having stated that appellants had used due diligence by having citation duly published in September, 1909, there was a sufficient showing of diligence upon the part of appellants, and that they were entitled to a continuance in order to perfect service by publication, and thereby subject the mortgaged property to the payment of appellees’ debt, before requiring appellants to pay any portion of it.
In appellees’ motion for rehearing they have for the first time called our attention to the fact that in appellants’ motion for a new trial in the court below it is stated that citation was served on one of them on the 28th day of July, 1909, and on the other on the 6th day of August, 1909. That admission was not mentioned in the brief of either party, and we overlooked it in our former consideration of the case. If prompt steps had been taken immediately after appellants had been served with citation, they could have secured the publication of citation upon Crossland and Bright for four successive weeks before the court met, and thereby shortened the delay by six months which would have been necessary to perfect service by publication upon their cross-action. Any considerable delay which appellants could have prevented by the exercise of reasonable diligence would constitute an unreasonable delay. Hence we conclude that the trial court did not err in overruling the application for a continuance. Inasmuch as no exceptions were urged against the plaintiffs’ petition, we hold that it was sufficient to authorize the court to submit to the jury the issue that was submitted, and to support the judgment that was rendered.
The motion for rehearing is granted, the judgment of reversal formerly rendered by this court is set aside, and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Motion granted and judgment affirmed.