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4 Greene 345

Hodges v. Brett

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided July 1, 1854

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1854-07-01

<p> Appeal from Mills District Court. </p>

Decided 1854-07-01

¶1Opinion by

Greene, J.

¶2Suit commenced, before a justice of the peace. The original notice required the defendant to appear on “ Thursday, the 15th day of December, at 11 o’clock, M.” A motion made to dismiss the proceedings, on the ground of defective notice, was overruled, and judgment was thereupon rendered against the defendant. The case was taken to the district court, by writ of error, and the decision of the justice affirmed. The defendant only appeared specially to object to the defective notice, and therefore, the defect was not cured by appearance. The notice should designate the hour of appearance, Code, § § 2279, 2520. The notice in this particular, is ambiguous, and uncertain. It specifies no given hour. The term, 11 o’clock, M.,” does not express any known period of time. It is the same, as if no hour of appearance had been named in the notice.

¶3The objection is claimed to he trifling and technical. But the rule resulting from the decision is important. Defendants are entitled to a specific and definite notice of proceedings against them. If the notice may omit the hour, may it not on the same principle omit the day or *346the month ? The only safe rule, in caseswhere jurisdiction depends upon the process, is to require a strict observance of the statute.

JEL. P. Bennett and W? Penn Clarke, for appellant.D. M. Solomon, for appellee.

¶4Judgment reversed.

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