Belmont v. Cornen

48 Conn. 338
CourtSupreme Court of Connecticut
DecidedOctober 26, 1880
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 48 Conn. 338 (Belmont v. Cornen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Belmont v. Cornen, 48 Conn. 338 (Colo. 1880).

Opinion

Loomis, J.

This suit is upon a bond to a citizen of the state of New York, secured by a mortgage of property there situated. Prior to this suit a bill for foreclosure had been brought in the courts of that state and a decree rendered thereon, and the mortgaged premises had been sold pursuant to such decree according to the laws of that state, and the net proceeds applied on the bond—leaving however a large amount unpaid, to recover which this suit was brought against the obligor of the bond and mortgagor residing in this state. The court below rendered judgment for the plaintiff.

The defendant’s motion for a new trial presents only two questions for the consideration of this court:—

1. Whether the statute of New York creates a bar to the maintenance of the suit.

2. Whether the defendant is liable for the entire amount of the deficiency shown by the foreclosure proceedings to be still due on the bond, or whether he may show that the market value of the premises was more than they sold for, for the purpose of deducting the excess of such value over the avails of the sale, from the deficiency.

The first question depends on the effect to be given to a statute law of the state of New York, which provides that “ after such bill” (that is, bill for foreclosure,) “ shall be filed, [342]*342while the same is pending, and after a decree rendered thereon, no proceedings whatever shall be had at law for the recovery of the debt secured by the mortgage or any part thereof, unless authorized by the Court of Chancery ” (now the Supreme Court of the state).

The defendant requested the court to charge the jury that, unless they should find that the plaintiff had obtained authority from the Supreme Court of the state of New York to bring the present suit, they must find for the defendant. The court charged the jury that the suit could be maintained in this state without authority from .the courts of New York.

Was this correct? We accept the claim of the defendant, that the nature, construction, and validity of the contract are to be governed by the laws of New York, and also concede that, according to the decisions of the courts of that state, this suit could not there be maintained. Scofield v. Doscher, 72 N. York, 491; S. C., 10 Hun, 582; Graham v. Scripture, 26 Howard Pr. R., 501; Equitable Life Ins. Society v. Stevens, 63 N. York, 341. But we do not accept the conclusion which the counsel reach as a result of these two propositions.

The argument is not advanced by the fact that the New York courts would not allow this action. They must of course follow the mandate of their own statute and deny a remedy where the statute denies one. The real question remains, whether the statute inheres in the contract itself as a part of it, following it into other jurisdictions, or whether it relates only to the remedy, and so parts company with the contract at the line of the state.

It seems to me the latter is the correct view. It is the only reasonable and natural construction of the statute, whether we consider its language or its purpose.

The language is—“after such bill shall be filed Ac., no proceeding whatever shall be had,” Ac. It is aimed, not at the contract or its obligation, but at the proceeding or remedy for its enforcement. And if the party would avoid the prohibition another proceeding is required as a pre-requisite—that is, he must first obtain the consent of the courts of New York, and both these proceedings obviously refer to New York courts.

[343]*343It would be a most extraordinary spectacle if the legislature of one state should pass a law authorizing its own courts to issue permits to parties to bring suits in the courts of another sovereign state.

But it is said that the decisions of the courts of New York indicate that they regard the statute in question as a part of the contract. A few isolated expressions may be found giving some color for this claim. For instance in Scofield v. Doscher, 10 Hun, 582, Folger, J., says of the provision in question, that “it is not restricted to actions against the mortgagor j it operates on the mortgage.” But this was said with reference to the particular facts of that case and the policy of the law—which will be found more fully explained in the opinion given in the same case in the Court of Appeals, 72 N. York, 491. In that case it was held that the owner of a debt secured by mortgage, who holds an independent obligation or covenant for its payment given by a person other than the mortgagor, cannot enforce his claim by action during the pendency or after judgment in foi’eclosure. All the New York cases in interpreting the law consider its effect solely within that state. We do not think there is a decision which can fairly be cited in favor of the position of the defendant.

The object and policy of the law as explained in Scofield v. Doscher, and in Equitable Life Insurance Society v. Stevens, 63 N. York, 341, show clearly that the statute can have no extra-territorial effect. Prior to the passage of the law a separate action on the bond or other instrument secured by the mortgage was necessary, and the creditor had an absolute right to his suit at law even during the pendency of the foreclosure proceedings, and the costs on all the suits that might be brought were very heavy. The statute in question and some others were passed as parts of one system to remedy the evil by compelling the creditor, seeking redress in the courts of that state, to confine his proceedings and the consequent expenses to one tribunal and to one action. It Was purely a matter of good policy and a regulation of judicial proceedings. The object was to compel the consolidation of actions, which of course could only be done in their [344]*344own courts, and yet, under the interpretation claimed by the defendant, the statute applies to cases where the consolidation would be impossible, which would work great injustice. All the authorities show that the New York courts apply the statute so as to prevent any action against other parties than the mortgagor, who may have given independent securities for the same debt. The mortgage in New York may be only a small part of the securities held for the same debt, and many other persons than the mortgagor and residents of other states may be holden to respond to the creditor until he has obtained the full amount of his debt. The actions against all could not be united in one proceeding in the state of New York. If then the creditor would appropi’iate the avails of his New York mortgage, he must, according to the claim made, sacrifice all his other securities, unless forsooth he applies to the New York courts to obtain liberty to sue persons that could not be sued in that state.

Again, in Suydam v. Bartle, 9 Paige, 294, it was held that where suit was first brought on bills of exchange, for payment of which a mortgage had been given, against one not an obligor in the bond, and after this foreclosure proceedings were instituted, the action first brought could not proceed without authority from the court.

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Bluebook (online)
48 Conn. 338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/belmont-v-cornen-conn-1880.