Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

15 Ind. 211

Short v. Bridwell

Indiana Supreme Court

Decided December 6, 1860

Indiana Supreme Court · decided 1860-12-06

<p>Justices of the peace have jurisdiction in actions to recover the possession of real estate, only where the relation of landlord and tenant exists; or, where there has been an unlawful or forcible entry into lands, and either a peaceable or forcible detainer thereof; or, where having peaceably obtained possession, one unlawfully and forcibly keeps the same.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1860-12-06

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently June 1899

3 state decisions

101860187018801890decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Worden, J.

¶1This was an action by the appellants, against the appellee, to recover the possession of certain real estate, commenced before á justice of the peace, and taken by appeal to the Circuit Court. The action was dismissed in the Circuit Court, for want of jurisdiction in the justice. The plaintiffs excepted, and appeal to this Court.

¶2The appellants contend that the justice had jurisdiction under the provisions of 2 R. S. 1852, chap. 4, p. 490. Under this statute, the relation of landlord and tenant must exist between the parties; or the defendant must have made unlawful or forcible entry into the land, and either peaceably or forcibly detain the same; or, having peaceably obtained the *212possession, he must unlawfully and forcibly keep the same; otherwise the justice has no jurisdiction.

8. W. Short, for appellants.A. B. Carlton, for appellee.

¶3In the case before us, it does not appear that the relation of landlord and tenant exists, whereby the defendant woiild be estopped from denying the plaintiff’s title; nor does it appear that the original entry was either forcible or unlawful; nor that the defendant unlawfully and forcibly detains the land. Hence the justice had no jurisdiction, and the action was correctly dismissed.

Per Curiam.

¶4The judgment is affirmed, with costs.

/15/ind/211 · .json · Public domain