Barton v. Shull

87 N.W. 322, 62 Neb. 570, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 239
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 18, 1901
DocketNo. 11,901
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 87 N.W. 322 (Barton v. Shull) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barton v. Shull, 87 N.W. 322, 62 Neb. 570, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 239 (Neb. 1901).

Opinion

Holcomb, J.

The plaintiffs in error, also plaintiffs below, began an action against the defendant, Henry B.' Shull, as coroner, and the sureties on his official bond, for having negligently' approved an insufficient undertaking in replevin in an ac-[572]*572lion begun against John Barton as sheriff. The sheriff, defendant in the replevin action, had attached a certain stock of drugs and other merchandise kept therewith at the instance of the other plaintiffs in this action, who were creditors of a certain firm or copartnership doing business under the firm name and style of Foster & Ayres. The property was attached as belonging to the said copartnership or firm of Foster & Ayres. Thereafter the plaintiffs in the replevin action who were the father and mother, and father-in-law and mother-in-law respectively of the individual members of the said firm of Foster & Ayres, replevied the attached property as belonging to them, the coroner serving the replevin writ on the sheriff, taking the property by virtue thereof and delivering it to the said plaintiffs after taking and approving a bond in replevin to which objections were made and exceptions taken, as to the sufficiency of the sureties, by the sheriff,' the defendant in this action.

The cause by proceedings in error has once before been brought to this court for consideration, the opinions disposing of the case being found in Shull v. Barton, 56 Nebr., 716, and on rehearing in 58 Nebr., 742. In the two opinions referred to will be found an extended discussion of the case and a decision on several points raised in the trial thereof. We will not undertake again to consider matters therein disposed of. The questions therein determined having once been decided will be followed as the law of the case.

It will be observed that the specific cause of action on which a right of recovery is based is the alleged failure of the coroner to have the sureties on the replevin bond justify as bail on arrest, after the defendant in the replevin action, and within the time pro Added by statute, had duly objected and excepted to the sufficiency of such sureties, they being, as alleged, of insufficient financial responsibility to respond to the obligations assumed by entering into the replevin undertaking. No attempt was made by the coroner to have the sureties justify, in the manner [573]*573pointed out by statute, alter objections had been made to their sufficiency, unless the taking by the coroner of an affidavit by each of the two sureties in the most general terms as to the value of the property of each above debts and exemptions and subject to execution can be regarded as an attempt at justification. Certainly it was no such justification as the statute requires, as has heretofore in this case been decided. The court instructed the jury, and we think properly, that under the evidence no legal justification as required by statute had been exacted by the coroner from the sureties after he was notified that they were objected to as insufficient, and that his liability to the plaintiffs in this action must be determined from the" standpoint that no justification of the sureties had been required after due notice of exceptions to their sufficiency, On this point the jury were instructed as follows:

“13. It appears from the undisputed evidence that the replevin action alleged by plaintiffs was commenced by Foster & Co., that property was taken and an undertaking with Killer and Sarah Jane Custer taken by defendant Shull, that he was coroner and the other defendants his sureties on his official bond, that objection was made to the sufficiency of the sureties within twenty-four hours by plaintiff, and it does not appear that the sureties have ever justified as required by law; it also appears by undisputed evidence that plaintiff Barton recovered judgment against Foster and Co., as stated, that an execution was issued and returned by H. B. Shull coroner, unsatisfied.

“11. The statute as before stated, having provided that the coroner should be responsible for the sufficiency of the sureties until they justify in the manner stated, and it not appearing that they have ever done so, the only remaining questions are: first, were these sureties insufficient when this action was begun August 19th, 1893? 2nd, If they were at that time insufficient had sheriff Barton received the property back in such a way as to discharge the liability upon the bond?

[574]*574“15. These two questions, gentlemen, are all that is left for your consideration. With regard to the first, if you believe from the evidence that the amount of the replevin judgment could not have been made by legal process in the state of Nebraska on August 19th, 1893, against Sarah Jane Ouster and Henry Killer, then they were insufficient at that time. With regard to the second, if you believe from the evidence that the property was taken back, but immediately taken away by the same parties, or their grantees on another replevin action, and has not been returned nor paid for, nor in any manner recovered to the jise of the plaintiffs, or any of them, that constitutes no defense to defendant’s liability.”

The jury having returned a verdict for the defendants upon which, after a motion for a new trial was overruled, judgment was rendered in their favor, it is assigned, as the principal ground of error calling for a i*eversal of the judgment, that the verdict is contrary to and unsupported by the evidence and is contrary to the instructions of the court. Without at the present time discussing the correctness of the instructions, the rule is, that it is the duty of the jury in all cases to follow the instructions given them by the court, whether correct or not; and if they fail to- do so the verdict will be deemed to be contrary to law and should be set aside and a new trial ordered. The reasons for the rule are obvious; and any other would lead to endless confusion, sanction an utter disregard of the court’s opinion of the laAV applicable to the pleadings and the evidence, and render its instructions entirely impotent except Avhen Avilled otherAvise hy the jury. A refusal or failure to folloAV the instructions of the court is sufficient ground for setting aside a verdict and granting a new trial. Standiford v. Green, 54 Nebr., 10; Esterly Harvesting Machine Co. v. Berg, 52 Nebr., 147; Omaha & R. V. R. Co. v. Hall, 33 Nebr., 229; Aultman v. Reams, 9 Nebr., 487.

Assuming, then, that the instructions heretofore quoted correctly presented to the jury the only question to be by [575]*575them considered, and determined, a brief examination and consideration of the evidence is required of us in ascertaining whether the verdict returned can be sustained under the evidence and the court’s instructions. The evidence on the first trial, which we assume was quite similar to that submitted in the subsequent case, was reviewed at some length by Mr.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Horse Shoe Lake Drainage District v. Fred M. Crane Co.
199 N.W. 526 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1924)
Lynch v. Snead Architectural Iron Works
116 S.W. 693 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1909)
Barton v. Shull
97 N.W. 292 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1903)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
87 N.W. 322, 62 Neb. 570, 1901 Neb. LEXIS 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barton-v-shull-neb-1901.