Allen v. Smillie

1 Abb. Pr. 354, 12 How. Pr. 156
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1855
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1 Abb. Pr. 354 (Allen v. Smillie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. Smillie, 1 Abb. Pr. 354, 12 How. Pr. 156 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1855).

Opinion

Mitchell, J.

On the 16th of November, 1843, Smillie executed his bond to Allen, in the penalty of $10,000, conditioned for the payment of S3,000, and interest on demand; and on the .same day also, executed a warrant of attorney to an attorney to confess judgment for him on that bond. On the 13th November, 1854, affidavits were made by the subscribing witness to these instruments, proving them, and on the 3d of November, the plaintiff made affidavit that the consideration for the warrant of attorney, was land sold by him to one Peter Raw, who gave to him a bond and mortgage for the payment of part of the purchase money; that Smillie bought subject to .that mortgage ; that the plaintiff commenced a' foreclosure of the mortgage; and that the bond and warrant of attorney were given in settlement of a balance due on said ~bond cmd mortgage', that the $3000 and interest, from 16th November, 1843, were still due, and no part of it paid; that the plaintiff bad, on that day seen and conversed with the defendant; and that he was alive at 10 A. M. of that day.

On these papers the plaintiff made an exporte application to the court, without any notice to the defendant, and obtained an order to enter up judgment, pursuant to the direction contained in the warrant of attorney, for the sum of $3000, and interest from 16th November, 1843. The plaintiff’s attorney also made affidavit that the amount of the indebtedness, by the condition of the bond, was $5,309.

The plaintiff on these papers entered up judgment on 16th November, 1854, precisely in the old form of a judgment on a bond and warrant of attorney to confess judgment, filing a declaration in debt for $10,000, a covenant signed by an attorney admitting that the defendant owed the $10,000, and a judgment for the plaintiff to recover the said debt. The judgment was signed by the judge on the 22d November.

It now appears that the bond and warrant of attorney were not given on settlement of a balance due on said bond and mortgage, but that that mortgage was reduced to $8000, and a suit for foreclosure of a subsequent mortgage by defendant came [356]*356on to a decree and sale, and that the plaintiff bought at such sale the land above mentioned, subject to the $8,000 mortgage, andsasatisfied that mortgage; and the plaintiff in reply to the moving papers, makes his affidavit that according to his recollection and belief, a judgment was entered in his favor against the defendant, for the balance due to him, and that on the-16th November, 1854, this was arranged, and the judgment-against the defendant released, and the bond and warrant of attorney for the $3,000 and interest, given by the defendant, and that the $10,000 mortgage was never foreclosed, .but was merged in the'plaintiff’s purchase.

It appears also that the plaintiff was advised by his counsel-that it was necessary before entering judgment on the warrant of attorney, to show that the defendant was alive; that he called to ascertain that fact, and then, instead of stating his object or demanding payment, or giving any potice of his intention, he told the defendant that happening, in passing, while looking for another person, to see defendant’s name on the door, he had looked in to see how defendant was; also, that an execution was issued and delivered to the sheriff, who never called on the defendant with it, and that thereupon summary proceedings were taken against the defendant.

The plaintiff argued that the judgment was regular, as it conformed to provisions of the Bevised Statutes, and that those provisions were still in force.

A declaration or complaint, plea or answer, and the judgment thereon, belong to the class of pleadings rather than of practice ; the term practice, relates principally to the time and manner in which the pleadings and process are to be served or entered. A book of pleadings is complete which does not mention the latter subject, and a book of practice is complete which does not speak of the form in which a pleading or judgment is to be drawn. The Code (§ 140), abolished all form of pleading heretofore existing, and declared that thereafter the forms of pleadings in civil actions in courts of record, and the rules by which the sufficiency of the pleadings were to be determined, were those prescribed by that act. The old system of pleading was therefore repealed, when it differed from the-Code. An old declaration in debt for the penalty, a cognovit [357]*357for that debt-and a judgment for the penalty of "the debt, are now all unauthorized.

It was said that section 469 saves the old rules and practice of the court where consistent with the act. It does; but the pleadings are neither parts of the rules nor of the practice.

There are two forms of judgment allowed under the Code; one when the action is by summons, and the other when it is by confession without action. Sections 382,383,384, apply to the last, if the confession is made since the Code took effect; but the Codifiers also provided for the present case, where the bond and warrant of attorney were given before the 1st of July, 1848, when the Code first took effect, and prescribed the manner in which judgment should be entered in that case: namely, in the manner provided by sections 382, 383, 384, upon the plaintiff’s filing such bond and warrant of attorney, and the statement signed and verified by himself in the form prescribed by section 382. (Code, §429). They have thus expressly provided for the pleadings and the manner of entering judgment in this case, and made that express provision the rule, and so abolished any not conformable to it.

Those sections form chapter third of title 12, and the first allows a judgment by confession in the manner prescribed by that chapter; then § 383 requires a statement in writing to be signed by the defendant and verified by his oath:—1st, stating the amount for which judgment may be entered, and authorizing the entry of judgment therefor. 2d, stating concisely the facts out of which it arose, and that the sum confessed, is justly due or to become due. Section 384 requires this statement to be filed with the clerk of the court, whose duty it becomes to indorse upon it, and enter in the judgment book a judgment for the amount confessed, with $5 costs and disbursements, and it declares that this statement and affidavit, with the judgment indorsed, shall thereupon become the judgment roll, and execution may issue thereon.

Assuming that section 424 means to substitute the plaintiff in place of the defendant, in making the statement, and not to require his statement in addition to that of the defendant; there could not well be conceived a greater departure from the requirements of this chapter than this case presents.

[358]*358, This chapter, with § 434, abrogates in effect the old declaration in debt for a penalty, and the judgment for the penalty, and the power of any attorney to appear on an old bond and warrant of attorney to confess suit or judgment. It substitutes as the judgment roll the original bond and warrant of attorney, and the statement required by the above chapter, and theindorsement by the clerk upon the statement of a judgment for the amount confessed with costs; and that amount by subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 383, is the amount “justly due,” not the penalty.

The statement thus required, should show “ concisely the facts-out of which it (the amount due), arose.” This requires a tone statement of those facts.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 Abb. Pr. 354, 12 How. Pr. 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-smillie-nysupct-1855.