Butler v. Breckinridge

1967 OK 177, 442 P.2d 313
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 12, 1967
Docket42359
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1967 OK 177 (Butler v. Breckinridge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Butler v. Breckinridge, 1967 OK 177, 442 P.2d 313 (Okla. 1967).

Opinion

DAVISON, Justice.

This is an original proceeding in this court by William J. Butler for a writ prohibiting Phillips Breckinridge, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Division No. 3, of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, from vacating a garnishment in case No. 73976, William J. Butler v. Mortgage Clearing Corporation (defendant) and Farmers & Merchants Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa (garnish ee), and to further prohibit said Judge from preventing collection of a judgment recovered by Butler in the case.

*315 Jimmy K. Jones and Mortgage Clearing Corporation are defendants herein because of their interest in the outcome of this original action.

The pertinent facts giving rise to the present action are as follows:

On May 17, 1966, Butler filed suit (No. 73976) in Division No. 3 of the Common Pleas Court against Mortgage Clearing Corporation for $1442.60, with “Attorney’s Lien Claim” endorsed on the petition. On September 27, 1966, Butler secured a judgment against Mortgage Clearing Corporation for the above amount with interest and costs. The fee and lien of Butler’s attorney was 50% of the recovery. We will refer to this case as the “Butler Case.”

On November 22, 1966, Jimmy K. Jones (who is president and chief executive officer of Mortgage Clearing Corporation) sued Butler and his wife in Division No. 1 of said Common Pleas Court, wherein Jones sought a judgment for $650.00 plus interest and attorney’s fees upon a promissory note dated May 10, 1962, payable to one A. M. Brown and allegedly assigned by endorsement to Jones. Jones filed a garnishment affidavit and bond and had garnishment summons served upon Mortgage Clearing Corporation. In response to the garnishment summons Mortgage Clearing paid $1,000.00 to the court clerk on November 29, 1966. Butler filed a special appearance and motion to quash the garnishment. We will refer to this case as the “Jones Case.” Mortgage Clearing also paid $500.00 into the court in the Butler case and this was later drawn down by Butler.

On December 13, 1966, after judgment became final in the Butler Case, Butler caused garnishment summons to be served upon the Farmers & Merchants Bank and Trust Company, and that concern filed its garnishee answer reflecting it held $1,022.-19 of funds belonging to Mortgage Clearing. Mortgage Clearing moved to discharge this garnishment on the ground that it had deposited $1000 in the Jones Case. Later, Butler applied for an order directing the Farmers & Merchants Bank to pay the money it held into court.

On December 29, 1966, in the Jones Case, Butler’s motion to quash the garnishment summons served on Mortgage Clearing was sustained on the ground that the garnishment bond was defective. Jones filed a new garnishment bond and had a new garnishment summons served on Mortgage Clearing, and that concern filed answer that it had previously paid $1000 into the court pursuant to the first garnishment.

Upon presentation of the above described motions, in the Butler Case, Judge Breck-inridge announced that he would, unless prohibited, sustain the motion of Mortgage Clearing to discharge the garnishee (Farmers & Merchants Bank) and deny the application of Butler to require such garnishee to pay into court the sum it admitted owing to Mortgage Clearing. Butler then instituted the present action in this court.

Admittedly, the first effort to effect a charge or lien upon the judgment debt owed by Mortgage Clearing was by the garnishment issued in the Jones Case. However, this garnishment was quashed because of a defect in the garnishment bond. Jones did not seek to perfect the bond by amending the same (St. Monica’s Hospital v. Kirkpatrick, 199 Okl. 187, 185 P.2d 179), and filed a new garnishment bond and caused a new garnishment summons to be issued and served upon Mortgage Clearing.

In this State a garnishment is a species of attachment. Public Finance Co. v. Jump, 192 Okl. 368, 136 P.2d 706.

In First Nat. Bank of Duncan v. Wallace, 191 Okl. 105, 127 P.2d 156, we held that, as to attachment, the general rule is that an order dissolving the attachment is a final adjudication of all questions arising in the attachment proceedings unless an appeal therefrom is taken in due time.

An order quashing a garnishment proceeding terminates the proceeding and effectually and conclusively destroys the *316 right secured by the garnishment, and releases the property garnisheed, discharges the garnishment lien thereon, and entitles the garnishee to possession thereof, or, in the case of money paid into court, to a return thereof. 38 C.J.S. Garnishment, § 273, and 6 Am.Jur.2d, Attachment and Garnishment, §§ 443 and 444.

Under these rules of law the first garnishment in the Jones Case was terminated and the lien Jones had procured by virtue thereof was discharged, and Mortgage Clearing was entitled to a return of the money it had paid into court.

As reflected above, the garnishment in the Butler Case was issued, served and was effective to impress a lien upon the account of Mortgage Clearing in the Farmers & Merchants Bank prior to the new garnishment in the Jones Case. Mortgage Clearing was then presented with a situation where it was liable to forced payment of its judgment debt in the Butler Case and also a potential liability to pay the same judgment debt as garnishee in the Jones Case. Clearly it should not be required to pay the debt more than once.

We point out that both cases are in the same Common Pleas Court and the fact that they are in different divisions of that court does not alter that fact. Consequently, we are not faced with those questions or problems arising from courts of different jurisdictions or even of courts with coordinate jurisdiction.

As between the two existing garnishments the one in the Butler Case was first in point of time. Furthermore, the judgment was rendered in the Butler case. It is the case in which the plaintiff’s attorney earned his attorney fee and right to share in the ¡proceeds of the judgment, and in which the court will determine whether all court costs, interest and the principal amount of the judgment have been paid, to the end that the interests of all parties will be protected and Mortgage Clearing receive a release from its liability by reason of such judgment.

We are cited to no case or authority presenting all of the circumstances involved in the present case. In 38 C.J.S. Garnishment § 190, p. 421, it is stated:

“Where a judgment is garnished, the court must exercise its powers and so proceed that the garnishee may be finally acquitted. The garnishee may resort to the court which rendered the judgment garnished and, when he does so, it should protect the interests of all the parties.”

Cited in support of the above statement is Bumgardner v. Halverstadt, 115 Kan. 124, 222 P. 762, in which a judgment debt- or was garnished in another district court of coequal authority with the district court in which judgment was rendered against him. He applied to the latter court for instructions and protection against double liability on the judgment and garnishment. The court directed that the money be paid to its clerk, which was done. The judgment creditor prayed that the money be applied on the judgment and the garnishor appeared and objected to such application.

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Bluebook (online)
1967 OK 177, 442 P.2d 313, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/butler-v-breckinridge-okla-1967.