Davis v. Shemper

49 So. 2d 253, 210 Miss. 201, 1950 Miss. LEXIS 338
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 4, 1950
DocketNo. 37705
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 49 So. 2d 253 (Davis v. Shemper) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Shemper, 49 So. 2d 253, 210 Miss. 201, 1950 Miss. LEXIS 338 (Mich. 1950).

Opinion

Roberds, P. J.

Shemper instituted this proceeding. It was twofold: first, to obtain a personal judgment against Charles H. Davis and his wife, Mrs. Katie Davis, for $1,650, and; second, to attach and subject to the payment of the debt property of defendants. The sheriff seized two vehicles, a White Tractor Truck and a Trailmobile Van. It is not clear from the record whether these constitute one unit or two units. We will simply use the word “truck”. Garnishments issued against First Bank and Peoples Bank of Biloxi. Both defendants denied they owed plaintiff and that any ground for attachment existed, or that their property was subject to attachment. Mrs. Davis claimed that she, and not Davis, was the owner of the truck. Both banks answered they owed Davis nothing. Peoples Bank said it was not indebted to Mrs. Davis, but First Bank answered it had on deposit to the credit of Mrs. Davis in its savings department the sum of $565.11.

The court directed the jury to find against Davis as to personal liability and upon the attachment issue of the truck. It directed the jury to find for Mrs. Davis upon the garnishment issue. Judgments were accordingly ren[205]*205clered. No personal judgment was entered ag'ainst Mrs. Davis. Pringle and Payare!, two of appellants, executed a forthcoming bond for the attached property and judgment was rendered against them, with the proviso they could deliver to the sheriff, within ten days after execution was placed in his hands, the two vehicles, which act would satisfy the judgment against them. Apparently that was not done. These sureties undertake to appeal here. They, with Mrs. Davis, constitute all the appellants. Davis did not appeal.

The court first tried the attachment issue and then the personal liability issue. We will deal with them in that order.

The questions involved on the attachment issue were, first, whether both, or either, of defendants were or was indebted to plaintiff; second, whether ground existed for the attachment; third, as between defendants, which was the owner of the property; and fourth, the question of damages.

On the first question, it was adjudicated Davis owed plaintiff in the sum of $1,650. It was also adjudicated Mrs. Davis did not owe plaintiff. Davis does not appeal and Mrs. Davis cannot appeal for him. However, the sureties do undertake to appeal. We do not decide whether they have the right to do that. We will dispose of the personal liability question as though properly presented. The proof is undisputed that Davis owed the debt. He traded to Shemper two stolen . automobiles he knew to be stolen property. Indeed, he plead guilty in the Federal Court to transporting these vehicles through interstate commerce knowing they had been stolen, in violation of Section 408 [now Sections 2311-2313] Title 18, U. S. C. A., and was sentenced to the Federal Penitentiary for that crime. The automobiles, so traded to Shemper, were repossessed by the original owners. The bill of sale by Davis expressly warranted the title to the property. Because of failure of title Shemper lost $1,650:

[206]*206As to ground of attachment against Davis, what has just been said is sufficient to establish that the obligation was fraudulently contracted, aside from whether this, and the other proof we might set out, also' establishes other grounds for attachment under our statute. Section 2679, Code 1942.

The question of ownership of the truck, as between Mr. and Mrs. Davis, presents a more serious question. We think the proof sustains the conclusion reached in the lower court that Davis was the owner. It is shown that Davis was dealing in stolen automobiles; that as a part of his plan he began to take title to these cars in the name of Mrs. Davis. He did that as to a Dodge Truck. He paid , the entire, purchase price. The seller said Davis made out the bill of sale and inserted the name of Mrs. Davis as purchaser. That transaction took place at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Shortly thereafter Davis, carried this Dodge Truck to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he obtained the White Truck, trading in the Dodge on that deal. He made the White Truck bill of sale to Mrs. Davis. Davis did not testify at the trial. Mrs. Davis admitted that she knew nothing whatever of these transactions before the time they took place, and, as a matter of fact, knew practically nothing when she testified. She did say that sometime later Davis told her he gave her the truck and took title in her name. She said she paid none of the purchase price, and Davis was not her agent and had no authority to use her name in the conduct of his business. She had never seen the White Truck before it was attached. She understood Davis was in the used car business but knew nothing whatever of the details or his method of doing business. Finally, when pressed about the White Truck transaction, she frankly said “I don’t know anything about it.” It is clear the truck actually was the property of Davis, and subject to his debts.

On the fourth question, it is evident, of course, Davis had no just claim to damages. All issues were correctly [207]*207decided against him. The jury disallowed any damage to Mrs. Davis. Her claim to damage rested upon asserted wrongful attachment of the truck and wrongful garnishment of her bank accounts. As shown, she did not own the truck, and, therefore, she is not entitled to damage because of its seizure, or the contest she made as to the title thereto. Collins v. Wheeless, 171 Miss. 263, 157 So. 82. She won the garnishment issue, but the jury found she had suffered no damage resulting from the wrongful attachment of her money. This was error. At least, she was entitled to nominal damage. We cannot here award her more than that because there is no proof in the record of any specific damage she incurred because of the attachment of the money. Practically the entire case was fought out on the issue of the truck. Proof was made of damage but it was directed to the entire contest.' There was no proof of damage resulting alone from the garnishment. The jury had no guide for determining the damage resulting from the garnishment contest, nor do we; therefore, we can only award nominal damages, which we do, and fix the amount at one dollar.

Now, as to the issue of personal liability. Judgment was entered against Davis. He does not appeal. That would seem to dispose of all questions as to the correctness of that adjudication. However, upon conclusion of the hearing of the attachment issue and the beginning- of the personal debt issue, plaintiff moved the court to strike the answer Mrs. Davis had filed denying she was personally liable. The court sustained the motion. Technically, plaintiff should have taken a non-suit as to' Mrs. Davis on that issue instead of moving to strike her answer. However, the question is foreclosed here for these reasons: first, as a part of the oral motion to strike counsel for plaintiff stated he was then abandoning any contention that Mrs. Davis was personally liable, and in a number of places in the record the court and counsel for both sides spoke of that action by plaintiff [208]*208as a dismissal of any claim for personal liability against her; and, second, personal judgment was rendered in her favor, and, as to personal liability, there is nothing from which she can appeal. She won that contest.

This results in a reversal of the case as to damage to Mrs. Davis and a judgment here for her in the sum of one dollar and an affirmance of the case in all other respects. That leaves the adjustment of liability for costs of the appeal.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Wilkerson v. Randall
180 So. 2d 303 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1965)
Duckworth v. Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.
150 So. 2d 163 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 So. 2d 253, 210 Miss. 201, 1950 Miss. LEXIS 338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-shemper-miss-1950.