Charpentier v. Bresnahan

41 N.W. 856, 74 Mich. 48, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 606
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 8, 1889
StatusPublished

This text of 41 N.W. 856 (Charpentier v. Bresnahan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Charpentier v. Bresnahan, 41 N.W. 856, 74 Mich. 48, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 606 (Mich. 1889).

Opinion

Long, J.

This is an action of replevin brought in Muskegon circuit court. Plaintiffs are husband and wife. The defendant is sheriff of Muskegon county.

Mederic W. Oharpentier was engaged in the retail’ grocery business, on Pine street, in the city of Muskegon, carrying a stock of groceries, amounting in value to some-8700 or 8800. He became indebted to Hawkins & Perry, a firm doing business in Grand Rapids, for goods bought, of them, as well as to several other creditors. These-claims were put into judgments, and executions were issued and placed in the hands of William McLaughlin, under-sheriff, who, acting under the directions of the attorneys of Hawkins & Perry, seized all the goods and fixtures in the store of Oharpentier. Five other execu[49]*49tions were in the hands of this officer at the time of the levy, as well as the one in favor of Hawkins & Perry. These executions were levied on January 5, 1885, and amounted to about $650. The under-sheriff seized all the goods in the store, and Mr. Hawkins, of the firm of Hawkins & Perry, obtained from Mr. Charpentier, the execution debtor, a paper at the time of the levy of the executions, which reads as folloAvs:

“Muskegon, Michigan, Jan. 5, 1885.
“ For value received, I hereby Avaive, release, and relinquish to' LeAvis E. Hawkins and George E. Perry, plaintiffs named in the execution this day levied on my stock of goods, wares, and merchandise, store fixtures, etc., in the city of Muskegon, by the under-sheriff of Muskegon county, Michigan, all exemptions and rights to exemption which I have or' may be entitled to in and to said stock, under the laws of the State of Michigan.
“M. W. Charpentier.”

The seizure of the goods, and the obtaining of this paper, took place between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon of January 5, 1885. This action of replevin was brought on January 13, 1885, the affidavit and writ describing the property specifically. This writ was placed in the hands of the coroner of the county, who seized not only the goods described in the affidavit and writ, amounting in value to $313 as aftenvards found by the jury, but also took from the sheriff the entire stock, which he held under the execution levies, caused it to be appraised, and delivered all the property over to the plaintiffs in the Avrit. The sheriff, by reason, as it is claimed, of having the paper waiving the exemptions,, caused no appraisement of the property to be made, nor did he set out any exemptions to the execution debtor. The action of replevin was brought, as claimed, for the purpose of getting possession of the property exempt from levy on execution, the plaintiff in the writ claiming the $250 [50]*50exempt as stock in trade, as well as other exemptions, by way of provisions for his family for six months. On the trial the jury found that the defendant did not unlawfully detain the goods, and that he had a lien upon and special property in 'the goods to the amount of §63. The jury also found the value of the goods to be §313, and that plaintiffs were the general owners. Judgment was rendered in favor of defendant for the amount of §63. Defendant brings error. Five errors are assigned:

1. That the court erred in refusing to give defendant’s written request to charge as follows: “If you find that the plaintiff M. W. Oharpontier knew that the paper which he signed was a waiver of his exemptions, your verdict must be in favor of the defendant.”
2. That the court erred in instructing the jury: “But if, on the other hand, he signed this paper, believing it to be a receipt, as he says, for the goods he was then to take for his family use, or did not fully understand that it was a waiver of his exemption right, such paper would not amount to a waiver, and you are. to determine this qiiestion from all of the evidence put into the case.”
3. The court erred in instructing the jury: “In considering the question of the value of the property involved in this suit, you are not to consider any property not described in the writ and declaration, no matter whether it was taken from the defendant, by the coroner, under the writ, or not, but you are to look to the writ of replevin and declaration for your description.”
4. The court erred in instructing the jury: “They have given their version with reference to it, and it is for you to say, gentlemen, from all the evidence in the case and the circumstances, as to whether he understood what he was doing when he executed this paper.”
5. The court erred in instructing the jury: “ You have the paper here, and, if he was not deceived, the paper speaks for itself, — or misled. If he understood what he was doing, as claimed here on the part of the defendant, that will dispose of the exemption question; that is, of the exemption that he would have by reason of being engaged in the mercantile business.”

[51]*51It was claimed on the part of the plaintiffs, and Mederic W. Charpentier testified, that, when the officer came to his store with the executions, he was out, delivering goods; that he returned to the store about dark, and found the officer in possession under the executions; that Mr. Hawkins, one of the firm of Hawkins & Perry, was on the sidewalk as plaintiff came up, and told plaintiff if he wanted a few dollars’ worth of groceries to sign the receipt, and he might have six or seven dollars’ worth; that he took the paper right in, walked back to his desk at the back end of the store, and signed the paper;' that he never looked at it at all, and never read it; that he supposed it was a receipt for the groceries, and did not know he was waiving any right of his exemptions. Plaintiff Mederic testified further that he never had any talk with Hawkins, or with the sheriff or under-sheriff, agreeing to waive his exemptions; that, after signing the paper, he was permitted to take, and did take, six or seven dollars’ worth of groceries out of the store, and carried them up stairs, where his family lived.

Mr. Hawkins was sworn for the defendant, and gave his version of this transaction as follows :

“1 was present at Mr. Charpentier’s store when the paper was signed. Mr. McLaughlin and myself were there. Mr. McLaughlin had some talk with Charpentier in my presence in regard to exemptions. I was not on the sidewalk at all. I was inside of the store, near the desk, and I says to Mr. Charpentier, ‘Now, you say you want to pay me all the time; you want to secure me.’ He said, ‘Yes, sir;’ and I said, ‘Now, I want to know if you won’t waive your right of exemption to this stock.’ I said, ‘You are entitled to an exemption of §250 worth;’ -and he replied, ‘I don’t want any exemption. I want to be honest. I want to pay my debts as far as I can.’ I said, ‘ Very well, then. Here is a waiver of exemption. This will waive your exemption of §250.’ He said, ‘ All right.’ He said he was a good friend of ours; had had a good [52]*52deal of dealing with us; and finally I says, 'All right. You sign it/ After he had signed it I said, 'Now you want some stuff to live on, don't you?' and I said, 'You go at it and take what goods you think you want. Take what you are a mind to.' He took some §30 or §40 worth of groceries. I asked him if he had enough, and he said, ' Yes. I think I have enough.' Then Mr. McLaughlin said, ' I will take the balance.' I remember Mr.

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8 N.W. 556 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1881)

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Bluebook (online)
41 N.W. 856, 74 Mich. 48, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 606, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/charpentier-v-bresnahan-mich-1889.