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Gorman v. Havird

141 U.S. 206 Court SCOTUS Decision date 1891-05-25 Docket No. 1296 English

Delivered by Brown J.

Contents

Majority — Brown J.

p. 206
GORMAN v. HAVIRD.

Syllabus

APPEAL FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF THE TERRITORY OF IDAHO.
No. 1296.
Submitted March 23, 1891.
Decided May 25, 1891.
Although.it is true as a general rule that where judgment goes for the defendant, the amount'of the plaintiffs claim is the test of'jurisdiction, this rule is subject to the qualification that the demand shall appear to have been made in good faith for such amount; and if it appear clearly from the whole record that under no aspect of the case the plaintiff could recover ,th,e full amount of his 'claim, this court will decline to assume • jurisdiction of the case.
This was a petition for a mandamus filed in the Supreme Court of the Territory of Idaho by the appellee Havird, who was sheriff defacto, and also claimed to be sheriff .¿fe jure, of Boisé County, to compel the county commissioners to issue warrants upon the treasury for the sum of $5595.47, for(his sdtvices and expenses as sheriff for the years 1887 and 1888. His claim consisted of a salary fixed by law at the sum of $2798, and of expenses incurred as sheriff in the sum of $2797.-47, making the aggregate of .$5595.47. The items of his claim for expenses were $692.25 for boarding prisoners; $1302 for jailor’s feés; $595.22 for collecting a license'tax; $156.15 for, transportation of prisoners; and'$51.85 for collecting a Territorial license tax.
The answer of. the- county commissioners averred in excuse of their non-payment of the claim, that an action in' the nature of quo warranto had been begun against petitioner, and was still pending in the District'Court for, the county of Boisé,upon the relation of the appellant John Gorman, to test the title to the office of sheriff, arid that under the laws of Idaho, Bey. Stats. § 380, “ when the title of the incumbent of any . officé in this Territory is contested by proceedings instituted in any court for that purpose, ño warrant can thereafter be drawn' or paid for any part of his salary until such proceedings have bepn finally determined,” By leave of the court; Gorman, the contestant, intervened in the case, claiming to have
p. 207
been duly elected sheriff, setting forth the pendency of the proceedings in the quo warranto case, and demanding that'.the writ of mandamus bé denied.
The suit in reality turned upon the question whether the proceedings in quo warra/nto were still pending, or had been dismissed, and resulted in a judgment that the quo warranto case then pending in the District Court should be dismissed, and that a writ of mandamus forthwith issue, directing the defendants, the county commissioners of Boise County to order the issuing of a warrant for the amount theretofore allowed by the board.for the time specified on account of fees and expenses; and that immediately upon the dismissal of the action in quo warranto a writ of mandate issue, “ commanding said commissioners to qrder the issuing of a warrant or warrants in the name of plaintiff herein, for the amount due him as salary for the time specified, and that a copy hereof be certified to said District Court.” From this judgment Gorman appealed, but the County Commissioners did not. Petitioner thereupon made this motion to dismiss upon the ground that the requisite jurisdictional amount was not involved.
Mr. Jolm Goode for the motion.
Mr. Samuel Shdlaba/rqer and Mr. Jeremiah M. Wilson, opposing.

delivered the opinion of the court.

While the whole amount of Havird’s claim was $5595.47 — more than enough to give this court jurisdiction — the sum of $1994.25 was for disbursements in boarding prisoners and in jailor’s fees, le*aving but $3601.22 as representing the salary, fees and other perquisites of the office. As Havird was sheriff de-facto, Gorman, even if he had maintained his suit, could not in any case have recovered' of him more than the salary and perquisites of the office, less Havird’s lawful disbursements, which, under any view which can be taken of this case, would have reduced his recovery below the sum of $5000. In entering its judgment in this case the Supreme Court evidently

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had this distinction between disbursements and salary in mind, as the order was that the County Commissioners should issue warrants at once for the amount of fees and expenses, but should not issue warrants for the amount due as salary until after the dismissal of the action of quo warranto in the District Court. It was evidently contemplated that Hav-ird should receive the amount of his disbursements in any event, but that-the salary should be withheld until the quo warranto proceedings had been dismissed. This was also a compliance with the Idaho statute, which inhibited only payment of the salary while the contest was pending;

It • is true as a general rule that where judgment goes for ..the defendant, the amount of the plaintiff’s claim is the test of jurisdiction; but this rule is subject to the qualification that the demand shall appear to have been made in good faith for ’such amount. If it appear clearly, from the whole record that under no aspect of the-case the plaintiff could recover the full amount of his claim, this court, will decline to assume jurisdiction of the case. If, for instance, a greater amount than .$5000 were claimed in the ad damnum 'clause of the declaration, and the bill of particulars showed the actual claim to be less, the latter would determine the jurisdiction. Examples of the distinction between the'sum demanded and the sum actually in dispute are frequent in the decisions of this court. Lee v. Watson, 1 Wall. 337 ; Schacker v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co., 93 U. S. 241 ; Gray v. Blanchard, 97 U. S. 564 ; Tintsman v. National Bank, 100 U. S. 6 ; Hilton v. Dickinson, 108 U. S. 165 ; Jenness v. Citizens' Bank of Rome, 110 U. S. 52 ; Wabash, St. Louis &c. Railway Co. v. Knox, 110 U. S. 304 .

Gauged by the rule laid down in these cases,

It is clear that we .have no. jurisdiction, and the motion to dismiss y)ill therefore be granted:

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