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41 Wis. 355

Challoner v. Howard

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1877

Wisconsin Supreme Court · decided 1877-01-15

Action to enforce a mechanic’s lien upon a grist mill and tlie land upon wbicli it is situate. The original petition lor the lien, dated April 28,1871-, stated that it was for work done and materials furnished for Ira Howard and Asaph II. Ilow-ard/in making and repairing machinery for said mill, between July 1st and November 6, 1873; and that said Ira and Asaph II. were the owners and in possession of said mill, and the woi’k was done at their request.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1877-01-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently January 1916

4 state decisions

1018771880189019001910decided

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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Cole, J.

¶1More than a year had expired from the entry of judgment, when the defendant Hannah M. Howard moved, so far as she was concerned, to have the same set aside, and the motion was granted. The motion was not founded upon any affidavits whatever, nor even upon an answer showing a defense. It is a bare motion stating certain irregularities in the proceedings as grounds for setting aside the judgment. Hone of these alleged irregularities go to the jurisdiction of the court. It plainly appears that the county court had jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action, and acquired jurisdiction of the defendants by personal service of its process upon them. Manifestly the motion to vacate the judgment was too late, according to the repeated decisions of this court (Ætna Ins. Co. v. McCormick, 20 Wis., 265; Bonnell v. Gray, 36 id., 574; Quaw v. Lameraux, id., 626; Loomis v. Rice, 37 id., 262; and Fornette v. Carmichael, 38 id., 236), and ought not to have been granted. The county court had no power to vacate the judgment for any error in law or fact committed in rendering it or occurring before it was pronounced. The defects, if any existed in the proceedings, were only irregularities. It appears that the petition for a lien was amended after it was filed, by making Hannah a party. This was allowable. Witte v. Meyer, 11 Wis., 296; Brown v. The La Crosse Gas Light & Coke Co., 16 id., 556. Again, the record shows that the petition was addressed to the clerk of the county court instead of the clerk of the circuit court, and therefore it is claimed the petition was not properly filed. The clerk of the circuit court is ex officio clerk of the county court. Sec. 4, eh. 361, Laws of 1860. Beside, it is apparent that if the petition was wrongfully addressed, that would not affect the jurisdiction of the court.

¶2By the Oowrt. — The order of the county court vacating and setting aside the judgment in respect to Hamnah M. Howard is reversed, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings according to law.

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