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20 Tex. 661

Smith v. Ryan

Texas Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1858

Texas Supreme Court · decided 1858-07-01

<p>The want of jurisdiction, (of a Justice’s Court, in an action of forcible entry and detainer,) would be as available defence in that Court as in any other; and if it failed, the appellant (defendant) had his remedy by certiorari; (and was therefore not entitled to an injunction. But it was held the Justice had jurisdiction.)</p> <p>The action of forcible entry and detainer in a Justice’s Court, is brought to recover the naked possession; is dependent upon the right of possession, and not upon the ultimate superiority of title ;* and it is therefore no objection to the jurisdiction of the Justice’s Court, nor ground for injunction, that the defendant claims to be the owner of the land, or that the land is worth more than one hundred dollars.</p> <p>It is not erroneous to entertain a motion to dissolve an injunction pending a motion by plaintiff to continue for the purpose of obtaining testimony.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1858-07-01

How this case has been cited

Cited by 13 later decisions — most recently June 1984

13 state decisions

5018581860187018801890190019101920193019401950196019701980decided

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.

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Roberts, J.

¶1This is a proceeding by injunction, in the District Court, to restrain appellees from prosecuting a suit of “ forcible entry and detainer,” pending in a Justice’s Court.- The grounds upon which this remedy is sought are, 1st. That the land, the possession of which is in controversy, is of the value of fourteen thousand dollars, and the party, in whose right it is claimed in the Justice’s Court, has no valid title to it. 2d. That Ryan, who is the Justice, and the other two appellees, who are the agents of Walter Henry, for whom the suit in the Justice’s Court is prosecuted, are confederating and combining to dispossess the tenant of appellant, by the suit before the said Justice. 3d. Irreparable injury will be inflicted on the tenant’s improvements and crop, the appellees being insolvent.

¶2Upon motion of appellees, the injunction was dissolved for want of equity in the petition, which ruling of the Court was excepted to, and constitutes the principal question in the case.

¶3The appellant, to entitle himself to the equitable interposition of the District Court, must have shown such facts to have existed, as prevented him from making his defence at law in the Justice’s Court. (2 Story, Eq. Jur. Sec. 875.)

¶41st. The want of jurisdiction would be as available a defence *665in that Court as in any other; and if it failed, the appellant had his remedy by certiorari, through his tenant in possession.

¶52d. The mere allegation that Ryan was combining to give the Justice’s Court jurisdiction, merely indicates that he had entertained jurisdiction of the case by issuing process, preparatory to the trial of it. It is not shown that he refused to receive or entertain a plea to the jurisdiction, or in any way obstructed any legitimate defence to the action.

¶63d. Admitting the appellees to be insolvent, it does not follow that they are thereby prevented from pursuing, as agents of Walter Henry, a remedy prescribed by law, to obtain possession of the land, if it be true that he has the right to it as against appellant. Such a conclusion would shut the door of justice against those who happened to be poor, and therefore most need the protection of the law.

¶7The injunction was therefore properly dissolved even upon the supposition that the petition showed that the Justice’s Court had no jurisdiction of the case.

¶8But the action being for the possession of the land, dependent upon the right of possession, and not upon the ultimate superiority of title, the value of the land being greater than one hundred dollars could not oust the Court of its jurisdiction to try the case. (Hart. Dig. Art. 1431.)

¶9It is contended that the Court erred in determining the motion to dissolve the injunction for want of equity, before entertaining an application for continuance. An order dissolving an injunction is interlocutory, and a motion for such order may be entertained at any time the cause is reached in calling the motion docket, or at the calling of the cause for trial. (Hart. Dig. Art. 1604; Id. Art. 712.)

¶10We think there is no error, and the judgment below is affirmed.

¶11Judgment affirmed.

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