Affirming.
This is an appeal from a judgment of the Perry Circuit Court. Appellant is an ex-policeman of the city of Hazard, and he brought this suit on behalf of himself and other policemen and ex-policemen similarly situated. Duke v. Boyd County,
The appellee County filed an answer traversing the material allegations of the petition and also, in a separate paragraph, it pleaded that, under the provisions of sec. 3495 of the Kentucky Statutes, it is provided that the fees of policemen in cities of the fourth class (the class to which Hazard belongs) shall be paid into the city treasury. It is therefore asserted that the city of Hazard is the real party in interest and that appellant is without capacity to maintain this suit.
Appellant has not brought a complete record to this Court, but it appears from the partial record before us that a demurrer to the paragraph of the answer attacking appellant's right to maintain the action was overruled. The judgment recites that the case was referred to a commissioner for the purpose of ascertaining the amounts due to the different policemen, and that a report was made. The judgment also indicates that the case was submitted both on the demurrer to the answer and in chief. The trial court based its decision upon the lack of capacity of the appellant to maintain the suit, but it went ahead and dismissed the petition and gave judgment for costs. Whether or not there were any further pleadings, or whether or not the proof heard indicated any right of recovery, does not appear.
It is self-evident that this court is primarily concerned with the correctness of the decision of the trial court. Howsoever erroneous the reasons may be which lead to a decision, it is the decision and not the reasons for it that must be reviewed on appeal. So far as the record before us is concerned, we may concede for purposes of argument everything for which appellant contends, but we are still unable to say that the judgment is incorrect even if the reasons for it advanced by the trial court were erroneous. It is the duty of the appellant to bring here a transcript sufficient to show that the decision complained of is wrong. If he does not, we must presume that the omitted portions of the record sustained the judgment. Prewitt, Sr., v. Wilborn,
It is unnecessary for us to determine whether or not the trial court properly construed the provisions of sec. 3495 of the Kentucky Statutes.
Judgment affirmed.