Buggeln v. Cameron

90 P. 324, 11 Ariz. 200, 1907 Ariz. LEXIS 89
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 25, 1907
DocketCivil No. 989
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 90 P. 324 (Buggeln v. Cameron) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buggeln v. Cameron, 90 P. 324, 11 Ariz. 200, 1907 Ariz. LEXIS 89 (Ark. 1907).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, J.

— Appellant Martin Buggeln was plaintiff in an action seeking to restrain appellees herein from collecting toll upon the Bright Angel toll road. An injunction was issued, and in pursuance of an order of the court a bond upon the injunction was given by the appellant Buggeln, as principal, with the appellants T. A. Riordan and M. J. Riordan, as sureties. Upon the final hearing of the case the injunction was dissolved and the petition dismissed. Thereafter the appellees herein brought this action upon the injunction bond to recover damages claimed to have been sustained by them by reason of the injunction. The complaint contains no allegation that Buggeln has failed to abide the decision in the injunction suit, or that any sum of money was adjudged against him in that or any other proceeding. Appellants entered a general demurrer to the complaint, which was overruled. A trial of the action resulted in a judgment for the appellees for $2,000, whereupon the case was brought here upon appeal.

Appellants’ assignment of érror that the court erred in overruling their demurrer to the complaint presents the principal question in the case. The first contention of appellants is that such damages as result from the issuance of an injunction should, under the practice, principles, and procedure of equity, be assessed and awarded in the injunction suit, and that an independent action will not lie upon an injunction bond to recover such damages. This broad contention is not sustained by authority. In the ease of Bein v. Heath, 12 How. (U. S.) 168, 13 L. Ed. 939, it was held that, independent of the statute, the court cannot, when it dissolves an injunction, give judgment at the same time against the obligors in the injunction bond; that it merely orders a dissolution, leaving the obligee to proceed at law against the sureties in the bond, if he sustains damage from the delay occasioned by the injunction. The holding in this case was criticised and virtually disapproved in Russell v. Farley, 105 [205]*205U. S. 433, 26 L. Ed. 1060, in which it and other cases were reviewed, and the court said: “But upon a careful examination we are not satisfied that they furnish any good authority for disaffirming the power of the court having possession of the case, in the absence of any statute to the contrary, to have the damages assessed under its own direction. This is the ordinary course in the court of chancery in England, by whose practice the courts of the United States are governed, and seems to be in accordance with sound principle. The imposition of terms and conditions upon the parties before the court is an incident to its jurisdiction over the case; and, having possession of the principal case, it is fitting that it should have power to dispose of the incidents arising therein, and thus do complete justice, and put an end to further litigation. We are inclined to think that the court has this power, and that it is an inherent power, which does not depend on any provision in the bond that the parties shall abide by such order as the court may make as to damages (which is the usual formula in England), nor on the existence of an express law or rule of court (as adopted in some of the states) that the damages may be ascertained by reference or otherwise, as the court may direct; this being a mere appendage to the principal provision requiring a bond to be taken, and not conferring the power to take one, or to deal with it after it has been taken. But whilst the court may have (we do not now undertake to decide that it has) the power to assess the damages, yet if it has that power, it is in its discretion to exercise it, or to leave the parties to an action at law. No doubt in many cases the latter course would be the more suitable and convenient one.” Since the case of Russell v. Farley it has been quite customary in the courts of the United States to assess the damages upon proper pleadings and notice to the sureties in the equity suit, and we have no doubt of the power of the courts of this territory to so assess damages. Upon the other hand, the supreme court of the United States has since, in at least two cases, recognized the rights of defendants in injunction suits to maintain independent actions on the bonds. Meyers v. Block, 120 U. S. 206, 7 Sup. Ct. 525, 30 L. Ed. 642; Tullock v. Mulvane, 184 U. S. 497, 22 Sup. Ct. 372, 46 L. Ed. 657. And there is no difficulty in perceiving that, where the bond is so conditioned as to permit, such actions may be maintained in this territory.

[206]*206This brings us to another contention of appellants, which is more difficult of determination. Paragraph 2751. Revised Statutes of 1901, provides: “Upon the filing of the complaint or affidavit and order of the judge hereinbefore provided for in the district court and before the issuance of the writ of injunction the complainant shall execute and file with the clerk a bond to the adverse party with two or more good and sufficient sureties, to be approved by such clerk in such sum as may be fixed in the order of the judge granting the writ, conditioned that the complainant will abide the decision that may be made therein, and that he will pay all sums of money and costs that may be adjudged against him, if the court finally decide that the plaintiff was not entitled thereto. The form of said bond shall be joint and several. If the territory be the plaintiff no bond shall be required. ’ ’ The recital and condition of the bond sued upon here is that: “Whereas, in the above-entitled action an order was issued granting a writ of injunction upon the filing of a' bond restraining said defendants, and each of them, from the commission of certain acts in accordance with the prayer of the complaint, now, therefore, in consideration of the premises and of the granting of said injunction, we, the undersigned, do jointly and severally undertake in said sum that the plaintiff will abide the decision which may be made in the above-entitled cause, and that he will pay all sums of money and costs that may be adjudged against him if the court finally decides that the plaintiff was not entitled to said injunction.” It is insisted by appellants that even .though, under the general principles governing recoveries on injunction bonds, independent actions may be maintained upon them, such an action will not lie upon a bond conditioned as is the one in this ease without an award of costs or damages being alleged. The usual conditions of such bonds are to pay all damages that defendants may sustain by reason of the injunction. Such was the condition prescribed by the statutes of this territory prior to 1887. Comp. Laws 1877, par. 2751. When so conditioned there is no difficulty in alleging a breach; but here, construing the terms of the bond strictly, there would seem to be no breach on the part of the sureties until the principal “fails to abide the decision,” or until he fails to pay some sum of money or costs “adjudged” against him.

Paragraph 2751, quoted above, was adopted from Texas in 1887. It is claimed by appellees that the supreme court [207]*207of that state had, prior to our adoption of the statute, in the cases of Hammonds v. Belcher, 10 Tex. 271, Texas & New Orleans R. R. Co. v. White, 57 Tex. 130, and Avery v. Stewart, 60 Tex.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 P. 324, 11 Ariz. 200, 1907 Ariz. LEXIS 89, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buggeln-v-cameron-ariz-1907.