Collection Corp. v. Anami

34 Haw. 202
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedMay 12, 1937
DocketNo. 2290.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 34 Haw. 202 (Collection Corp. v. Anami) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Collection Corp. v. Anami, 34 Haw. 202 (haw 1937).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

BANKS, J.

This is a suit iu equity in the nature of a creditor’s bill, the purpose of which is to subject certain property held in the name of the respondent, Jue Anami, the wife of the corespondent, Hango Anami, to the payment of a judgment obtained against Hango Anami. The original petition was filed on June 26,1934. It is alleged in this petition that for the purpose of obtaining satisfaction of the judgment the petitioner had an execution issued against the respondent, Hango Anami, on the 19th day of June, 1934, and that the execution was returned nulla bona.

*203 On September 18, 1934, the respondents filed a plea challenging the jurisdiction of the court on the alleged ground that the allegation regarding the issuance and return of execution was not factually true. The plea was supported by the certificate of the clerk of the court in which the case was pending.

The petitioner, no doubt realizing that the plea was good (although it does not appear from the record what disposition was made of it) and that he had no provable cause of action under his bill of complaint, filed a supplementál petition. In this petition all of the allegations contained in the original petition were reasserted and in addition thereto the following allegations were made: “That on the 1st day of August, 1933 in an action entitled Tn The Circuit Court of The First Judicial Circuit, Territory of Hawaii, Collection Corporation, Limited, an Hawaiian corporation, Plaintiff, vs. H. Anami, Defendant’ a judgment was rendered in favor of the petitioner herein and against the respondent H. Anami in the sum of One Thousand Twenty-two Dollars and Fifty Cents ($1022.50) ; a copy of said judgment is attached hereto marked Exhibit ‘A’ and incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. II. That on the 19th day of September, 1934, the petitioner for the purpose of obtaining satisfaction of the said judgment sued and prosecuted out of the above entitled Court a Writ of Execution directed to the proper officers of the Territory of Hawaii by which said Writ said officers were commanded to levy on the personal and real property of respondent H. Anami for the purpose of satisfying the judgment aforesaid. That thereafter the Deputy High Sheriff of the Territory of Hawaii returned bn the said Writ that after due search he had been unable to find within the Territory of Hawaii any goods, chattels, lands or tenements of the said H. Anami from which the amount of said judgment could be made and the judgment satis *204 fled. Wherefore, petitioner renews its prayer for relief as fully set forth in its petition herein.”

The only new matter alleged in the supplemental petition is that which relates, to the issuance of an execution and the officer’s return of nulla bona. In the original petition these occurrences were alleged to have taken place on the 19th day of June, 1934, whereas in the supplemental petition it is alleged that they occurred on the 19th day of September, 1934, which was subsequent to the filing of the original petition.

It does not appear from the record that the respondents made any objection whatever to the filing of the supplemental petition. On the contrary they voluntarily filed an answer in which they denied certain allegations contained in the original petition which by adoption became an integral part of the supplemental petition, admitted others and to still others asserted that they did not have sufficient knowledge or information upon which to form a belief.

Among the allegations of the original petition which were denied was that which referred to the issuance of execution and the return of nulla bona. They also denied the allegations contained in the supplemental petition regarding the issuance of execution on the 19th day of September, 1934, and the return of nulla bona.

Upon these pleadings the issues were formed and the case proceeded to trial. The two facts which it is claimed by the respondents were necessary to the jurisdiction of the court and which are alleged in the supplemental petition, namely, the entry of a judgment in favor of the petitioner and against the respondent, H. Anami, and the issuance of execution on this judgment and an official return of nulla bona on September 19, 1934, were duly proven.

If the respondents had objected to the allowance of the supplemental petition on the ground that it sought to *205 inject into the petitioner’s case a jurisdictional fact that did not exist at the time the original bill was brought but arose subsequent thereto and the objection had been overruled, a different question would be presented. Having, however, consented to what was done in this regard and having permitted the trial of the case to proceed to judgment without timely objection they are in no position to now complain of the allowance of the supplemental petition.

At the conclusion of the petitioner’s case respondents moved to dismiss the action, one of the grounds being that there was no execution issued and returned unsatisfied on the judgment secured at the time the original bill was brought. This motion obviously came too late to be of any avail to the respondents.

In Miller v. Akin, 350 Ill. 186, Miller, one of the complainants, brought a bill in equity to remove a cloud from the title to certain land of which he claimed to be the owner. Miller’s possession of the land at the time of the commencement of his suit was a necessary prerequisite to his right to maintain the bill. It appeared that he was not in possession of the land at that time. After filing his original bill Miller obtained possession. He then died and his devisees were substituted as complainants and were given leave without objection by the respondents to file an amended and supplemental bill. It was alleged in this bill that the complainant and his devisees acquired possession of the land on a day subsequent to the filing of the original bill. The trial court granted the relief prayed for and removed all cloud from the complainants’ title. This decree was affirmed on appeal. In its opinion the court, speaking of the supplemental bill, said (p. 194) : “The first point made by appellants is, that at the time the original bill was filed by Peter Miller the property was in the possession of Akin, and therefore Miller was not in a position to main *206 tain a bill to remove clouds from the title to the property and that appellees might not rely on possession, gained after the original bill was filed, to maintain their supplemental bill. A bill to remove clouds from the title to real estate which does not show other grounds for equitable relief is subject to demurrer if it does not contain an allegation that the complainant is in possession of the property or that the property is unoccupied, (Hooper v. Traver, 336 Ill.

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Related

Achiles v. Cajigals.
39 Haw. 493 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1952)
Anami v. Torres and Espinosa
39 Haw. 378 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 Haw. 202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collection-corp-v-anami-haw-1937.