Albers v. Bramberg

32 N.E.2d 362, 308 Ill. App. 463, 1941 Ill. App. LEXIS 1131
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 26, 1941
DocketGen. No. 40,831
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 32 N.E.2d 362 (Albers v. Bramberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Albers v. Bramberg, 32 N.E.2d 362, 308 Ill. App. 463, 1941 Ill. App. LEXIS 1131 (Ill. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

Mr. Justice John J. Sullivan

delivered the opinion of the court.

A complaint at law was filed by plaintiff, Charles H. Albers, successor receiver of the Service State Bank, against defendants, Gustav Bramberg, Daniel V. Harkin, Laurance H. Mills, William F. Siewart, Albert F. Keeney and Hjordis Krabol, administratrix of the estate of Claus Krabol, deceased, predicated upon an instrument in writing dated December 9, 1929, wherein said defendants guarantied the payment of certain obligations of the Service Investment Trust to the Service State Bank. The case was tried by the court without a jury and a judgment for $20,413.85 was entered January 16, 1939, in favor of plaintiff and against all the defendants except Laurance H. Mills, who had theretofore been adjudicated bankrupt. Defendant Gustav Bramberg appeals.

Plaintiff’s complaint alleged substantially that on December 9, 1929, the defendants executed a written guaranty in and by which they unconditionally guarantied the payment of any and all loans which had been theretofore made or might thereafter be made during the life of such guaranty by the Service State Bank to the Service Investment Trust to the extent of $30,000; that relying upon defendants’ guaranty, the Service State Bank lent the Service Investment Trust $9,000 on September 18, 1931, $6,000 on October 3, 1931, and $6,000 on December 9, 1931, and that only $617.31 had been paid on said loans; that each of the loans was evidenced by a note payable to the Service State Bank and signed by the “Union Bank of Chicago, as trustee under the provisions of a Trust Agreement dated the 5th day of February, 1924, and known as Trust No. 411, to bind the trust estate and not individually, by Francis H. Hayes, Vice President”; and that the Service State Bank was closed by the auditor of public accounts of the State of Illinois on January 20, 1932. Plaintiff asked judgment for the balance due on the notes, together with interest thereon, and for attorney fees.

Summons was issued May 20,1937, and the sheriff’s return thereon shows that personal service was had upon all the defendants except Grustav Bramberg (hereinafter for convenience sometimes referred to as defendant) and as to him the sheriff certified that he was “not found in my county.”

An alias summons was issued October 4, 1937, and this summons was returned by the sheriff as having been served upon Grustav Bramberg by leaving a copy of same 11 at his usual place of abode in my County with Lucille Haverstuhl (maid), a person of his family of the age of ten years or upwards and informing such person of the contents thereof, on the 11th day of November, 1937, and also by sending through the United States Post Office, on the 11th day of November, 1937, a copy of the within writ in a sealed envelope, with postage fully prepaid, addressed to the said defendant at such usual place of abode.”

Bramberg filed a special appearance on December 3, 1937, for the sole purpose of filing a motion to quash the service of summons.

On December 8, 1937, Bramberg filed his motion to quash the service of summons, supported by the affidavits of Lucille Haverstuhl and Rudolph W. Bramberg.

Lucille Haverstuhl’s affidavit is as follows:

“Lucille Haverstuhl, being first duly sworn, on oath, deposes and says that she is the same Lucille Haverstuhl who was served with a summons in the above entitled cause for Grustav Bramberg, defendant therein, on November 11, 1937.
“Affiant further says that she is a maid employed by Rudolph Bramberg at the said Rudolph Bramberg’s home at 1201 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois.
“Affiant further says that Grustav Bramberg, during the period in which she had been employed at said address, has never lived at said address.
“Affiant further says that the last time she saw the said Gustav Bramberg at that address was during the month of April in 1937, at which time the said Gustav Bramberg was a visitor at said address.
“Affiant further says that she is not a member of the family of Gustav Bramberg, and further, was never employed by Gustav Bramberg, in any capacity.”

Rudolph Bramberg’s affidavit is as follows:

“Rudolph Bramberg, being first duly sworn, on oath, deposes and says that he is the son of Gustav Bramberg the defendant in the above entitled cause.
“Affiant further says that he resides, and for the past eight years has resided, at 1201 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois; that said address is not now, nor ever has been, the usual abode of Gustav Bramberg.
“Affiant further says that during the past eight years, the said Gustav Bramberg has never resided at said address, and that the last time affiant saw Gustav Bramberg was in the month of April, 1937, at which time the said Gustav Bramberg was a visitor at affiant’s home.
“Affiant further says that Lucille Haverstuhl is a maid employed by affiant at the above address.”

Plaintiff filed no counter affidavits and defendant’s motion to quash the service of summons was summarily denied.

Thereafter defendant filed an answer and a trial was had with the result heretofore stated.

Several reasons are urged by the defendant for the reversal of the judgment but we deem it necessary to consider only his contention that the court had no jurisdiction of his person because no summons had been served upon him in accordance with the statute.

Section 13 of the Civil Practice Act (par. 137, ch. 110, Ill. Rev. Stat. 1937 [Jones Ill. Stats. Ann. 104.013]) provides as follows:

“Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, service of summons upon an individual defendant in any civil action shall be made (1) by leaving a copy thereof with the defendant personally or (2) by leaving such copy at his usual place of abode, with some person of the family, of the age of ten years or upwards, and informing such person of the contents thereof, provided that the officer making such service shall also send a copy of the summons in a sealed envelope with postage fully prepaid, addressed to the defendant at such usual place of abode; the certificate of such officer that he has sent such copy in pursuance of this section shall be evidence that he has done so.”

Section 48 of the Civil Practice Act (par. 172, ch. 110, Ill. Rev. Stat. 1937 [Jones Ill. Stats. Ann. 104.048]) contains the following provisions:

“Defendant may, within the time for pleading, file a motion to dismiss the action or suit, where any of the following defects appear on the face of the complaint, and he may within the same time, file a similar motion supported by affidavits where any of the said following defects exist but do not appear upon the face of the complaint:
“ (a) That the court has not jurisdiction of the person of the defendant.” (Italics ours.)

Rule 21 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Supreme Court is as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
32 N.E.2d 362, 308 Ill. App. 463, 1941 Ill. App. LEXIS 1131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/albers-v-bramberg-illappct-1941.