Burnsides v. Blythe

50 Ky. 6, 11 B. Mon. 6, 1850 Ky. LEXIS 3
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedDecember 6, 1850
StatusPublished

This text of 50 Ky. 6 (Burnsides v. Blythe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burnsides v. Blythe, 50 Ky. 6, 11 B. Mon. 6, 1850 Ky. LEXIS 3 (Ky. Ct. App. 1850).

Opinion

Chief Justice Marshall

delivered the opinion of the Court.

In March, 1850, Blythe filed his bill, charging that in 1842, he had obtained a judgment against Burnsides for $183 71 due of the 1st day of February, 1841, and costs, subject to a credit of $100, paid on the 1st day of April, 1841, on which an execution had issued and been returned “no property found,” and that the judgment remains wholly unpaid. The bill further charges that Burnsides “is now fraudulently removing from the State of Kentucky, and removing his family and effects, including money and property sufficient to pay your orator’s debt aforesaid, and will do so unless restrained by your Honor's interposition, without having-satisfied your orator’s demand aforesaid, and with the fraudulent intent to cheat, hinder and delay your orator and his creditors in the collection of their just debts,” and that he avows the purpose of leaving the State of Kentucky permanently. In consideration whereof, he prays process and an answer, and a writ of ne exeat against said Burnsides, restraining him from leaving the State of Kentucky, and for general relief. Upon this bill, an order was made by a Police Judge, directing the Clerk to issue such process and writ, upon the execution of bond, &c. ■ by Blythe, and permitting Burnsides to give bail to said Blythe, in the sum. of $150, conditioned that he will not go or attempt to go into parts beyond the Commonwealth, and satisfy said debt, interest and costs, &c. This writ was executed on the 19th of March, 1850, by taking the body of Burnsides, and delivering him to the jailer, and on the next day Burnsides gave bail, conditioned not to go or [7]*7attempt to go into parts beyond the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Decree of the Circuit Court. The statute of J 800: (Slat. Law 1226) in relation to bonds in cases of writs of ne exeat, which requires the Judge to endorse the name of the surety therein, is in effect repealed by the act of 1827: (Slat. Law 815) which requires the clerk to approve the surety.

At the succeeding June term of the Circuit Court, •Burnsides moved to quash the writ of ne exeat, and the proceedings under it, on the grounds—

1st, That the bill did not make out a case to authorize the writ.

2d-, That the order for the writ did not name any person to be taken as surety, (for the complainant.)

3d, That the surety taken was not approved, &c. by any Judge or Justice, &c. And

4th, That the order directed, and the writ required a bond to be taken from Burnsides, and a bond was in fact taken, stipulating more than Was required by law.

The motion to quash was overruled, as was also a demurrer to the bill, and the cause having been submitted without further answer, the Court decreedjihat Burnsides be enjoined and restrained from departing from the limits of the State of Kentucky, until he pays complainant’s debt, &c., set up in his bill, andi'thatjhe pay complainant’s costs herein; and the complainant is allowed to proceed at law upon defendant’s bond herein, for any breach, &c. Burnsides assigns for error, that the Court erred in not quashing the writ — in not sustaining the demurrer — in not dismissing the bill — and in the decree rendered.

Before entering upon the main question as to the sufficiency of the bill to authorize the writ of ne exeat, we shall notice the other grounds of the motion to quash. The requisition of the act of 1800, (Statute Law, 1226,) that the Judge or Judges granting the writ of ne exeat, shall indorse on the order therefor the.name or names of the security or securities to be taken in the bond (from the complainant,) is in effect repealed by the second section of the act of 1827, regulating injunctions, &c.: (Statute Law, 815.) It is there enacted that in writs of ne exeat, and other restraining orders in Chancery, granted by Justices of the Peace or Circuit Judges, in vacation, it shall be the duty of the Clerk of [8]*8the Circuit Court of the county wherein the suit is to be prosecuted, to approve of and accept good and sufficient security in the injunction bond or other bond required by the order, &c., which being applicable to the case of ne exeat, &c., ordered by a Police Judge, to whom authority has been given since the enactment of the statutes above referred to, furnishes a sufficient answer to the second and third grounds of the motion to quash.

The condition ••of the bond of the defendant in 'Cases of ne exeat ¡is that the defendant “ shall not < depart from the Commonwealth” • any change of 'terms, however, which do not change the legal -obligation-of the ''•bond, would not •render it invalid; “but no additional obligation should *be imposed, but. that which the flaw requires.

With regard to the fourth ground: it was said by this Court in Basket vs. Scott, (5 Littell's Rep. 208,) that the act of 1800 plainly implies that on a writ of ne exeat the bond should be taken with the condition only, that the defendant should not depart from the Commonwealth, which the- Court also considered as being the only proper bond under the writ. In this case the writ requires the bond to be conditioned that the defendant “shall not go or attempt to go” out of the Commonwealth, and the bond is taken accordingly. The order of the Judge requires as a further condition that the defendant shall pay the debt. But this requisition having been disregarded in the writ and bond, can not affect their validity. Between the bond actually taken and that required by the writ, there is no discrepancy,' and the only question in this part of the case is, whether the condition as expressed in the writ and bond is such as the law does not require or authorize, and whether on that ground they should have been quashed.

We concur in the construction given to the act of 1800 in the case just referred to, so far as that construction prohibits the imposing of any further condition or burthen upon the defendant than that he shall not depart from the Commonwealth. But this condition is necessarily subject to limitation. It is not in law absolute- or perpetual. It is imposed for a special purpose, and is subject not only to be discharged by the accomplishment of that purpose, but also to be modified or discharged by the tribunal to which it is to be returned. The expression 'of these implied limitations in the bond, [9]*9as “that the party should not depart from the Commonwealth but under leave or order of the Court, unless the debt should be paid;” would not violate but would rather express the law.

But this though an addition to the words, would be no addition to the stipulations of the bond, but would be a restriction or limitation upon them, which would be implied if the bond expressed the condition in the peremptory form, “ that the party should not depart” &c. The additional words in the present case, certainly do not limit or restrict the condition as it would stand without them, but apparently add to the restraint by prohibiting not only an actual departure, but an attempt to depart from the Commonwealth.

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Bluebook (online)
50 Ky. 6, 11 B. Mon. 6, 1850 Ky. LEXIS 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burnsides-v-blythe-kyctapp-1850.