Eads v. Wagner

153 N.W. 302, 35 S.D. 547, 1915 S.D. LEXIS 81
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 19, 1915
DocketFile No. 3738
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 153 N.W. 302 (Eads v. Wagner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eads v. Wagner, 153 N.W. 302, 35 S.D. 547, 1915 S.D. LEXIS 81 (S.D. 1915).

Opinion

SMITH, J.

Action to recover possession of specific personal property. A demurrer to the complaint was overruled, and defendant appeals.

Appellant assigns six grounds of insufficiency in the allegations of the complaint, the sixth being that “the value of the property in controversy is not alleged.”

Respondent relies upon the decision of this court in Johnson v. Hillenbrand, 18 S. D. 446, 101 N. W. 33. The precise question was not passed upon in that case, although it must be conceded that the language used in the opinion would appear to sustain respondent’s contention. It was there, held, upon demurrer to the complaint, that an allegation of the value of plaintiff’s interest in the property was a sufficient allegation of value, under the ruling of this court in National Bank of Commerce v. Feeney, 9 S D. 550, 70 N. W. 874, 46 L. R. A. 732. The decision in the latter case, however, did not involve an entire absence of an allegation of value, but turned upon the amount of the alternative judgment to which plaintiff was entitled after the defendant hadi given a redelivery bond and was in possession of the mortgaged' property. The value of the property was found to be $800, while the value of the mortgagee’s interest was $510.50. It was ruled that the alternative judgment should have been for the latter sum, and the judgment was accordingly [549]*549modified. This ruling was clearly correct.- We are satisfied, however, that the decision in Johnson v. Hillenbrand was wrong in holding that an allegation of value was not necessary in the complaint, basing the holding upon the ground that:

“The statute requiring the statement o-f the value of the property only applies to affidavits made in actions in claim and delivery, when the immediate possession is sought to be obtained (section 185, subd. 5, Code Civ. Proc. 1903); but no such requirement is made where the action to recover possession of the property is unaccompanied by a claim for . immediate delivery.”

The court in that case also said-:

“The plaintiff alleged! in' his complaint the value of his interest in the property or the damages sustained by him by reason of the wrongful detention; of the same, and this is sufficient, ‘etc.”

[1] It is true an allegation of the value of a mortgagee’s" interest in the mortgaged property may be a proper and sufficient allegation- as the basis of an alternative judgment, in an action by the mortgagee to recover possession of mortgaged property; but that rule would not obviate the necessity of an allegation of value, where plaintiff claims right to possession as absolute owner. The action to recover possession of specific personal property is founded upon the provisions of section 2338, Civ. Code.

“Any person having the possession or control of a particular article of personal property, of which he is not the owner, may be compelled specifically to- deliver it to the person entitled to its * * * possession.”

[2] The proceeding ordinarily spoken of as “claim and delivery of personal property” is merely ancillary to an action for the recovery of possession of specific personal property, and is a provisional remedy “in the action..”

The California Supreme Court, in - construing their statute, which is identical with our own, say:

“Courts and law writers haVe sometimes inadvertently spoken of the code ‘action of claim and delivery’ as if there were really here a form of action * * * at common law, such as ‘debt,’ ‘covenant,’ ‘replevin,’ ‘trover,’ etc. But we have here .no forms of civil actions. We have only one form of action, which has no name; so that an action cannot be here defeated, as it could have [550]*550been at common law, because not properly named. Sections 509 to 520 of the Code -of Civil Procedure (our -sections 184 to 195) are preceded by the heading ‘Claim and Delivery of Personal Property/ but the sections themselves show the meaning of this heading. They merely provide an auxiliary remedy by which, when a party- bring-s an action to recover personal property, he may ‘claim’ that the property be immediately delivered to him at .the commencement of the action arid- without awaiting the trial. * * * These sections merely give to -a plaintiff suing to recover personal property an auxiliary remedy, very similar to the auxiliary remedy of attachment given to a plaintiff suing upon a contract for the direct payment of money, and to the auxiliary remedy under the head of ‘arrest and bail’ and ‘injunction- during litigation.’ But it is no more proper to- speak of an action ‘of claim and delivery/ than to- speak of an action ‘of attachment.’ ” Faulkner v. First Nat. Bank, 130 Cal. 258, 62 P-ac. 463.

[3, 4] The affidavit required where the provisional remedy is invoked in an action to recover possession Of specific personal property, is independent of the allegations of the complaint in the action, and the reason for requiring an allegation of value in the complaint rests' upon other and different grounds than the specific statutory requirement of an allegation of value in the affidavit. Under our Code, there is but one form of action, which is known as a “civil action.” In that action the complaint must state the facts upon which the relief sought — that is, the judgment — is to be predicated.. Section 313, Code of Civil Procedure, .prescribes the judgment to be entered in this class of cases:

“In an action to recover the possession of personal property, the judgment for the plaintiff may be for the possession, or for the recovery of possession, or the value thereof in case a delivery cannot 'be had, and of damages ior the detention. If the property has been delivered to the plaintiff, and the defendant claim a return thereof, judgment for the defendant may be for a return of the property, or the value thereof in case a return cannot be had, and damages for taking and witholding the same.”

The first clause of this section relates to the judgment for the plaintiff, which may be “for possession,”' or for the “recovery of [551]*551possession or the value thereof, in case a delivery cannot be had.” If the successful plaintiff has invoked the provisional remedy and has acquired and retained possession of the ¡property, • the judgment may be for possession alone. But where the plaintiff hasi not availed himself of the provisional remedy, or where the defendant has rebonded the property under section 189, Code Civ. Proc., the plaintiff’s judgment- is for recovery of possession, or the value in case a delivery cannot 'be had. On the other hand, if the defendant is successful at the trial, and the property has been delivered to the plaintiff, and the defendant claims a return thereof, the judgment is for a return of the property, or the value thereof, in case a return cannot be had. By section 184, supra, the plaintiff, at the time of issuing the summons or at any time before the answer, may invoke the provisional remedy. By section 189, the defendant, within three days after the taking and service of notice upon himself, and before delivery of the property to the plaintiff, may rebond and retain possession of the property.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
153 N.W. 302, 35 S.D. 547, 1915 S.D. LEXIS 81, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eads-v-wagner-sd-1915.