Eldridge v. Sutton

1935 OK 63, 41 P.2d 680, 171 Okla. 11, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 72
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 29, 1935
DocketNo. 24129.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1935 OK 63 (Eldridge v. Sutton) 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
Eldridge v. Sutton, 1935 OK 63, 41 P.2d 680, 171 Okla. 11, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 72 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The defendant in error was plaintiff below, and plaintiffs in error were defendants below. They will be so designated in this opinion.

Plaintiff filed his petition in the district court of Pottawatomie county seeking judgment on a supersedeas bond.

The petition alleges that on April 21, 19-26, L. M. Vance, as receiver of the National Bank -of Commerce in Shawnee, Okla., instituted an action in the district court of Pottawatomie county, numbered 10063, against C. H. Eldridge and others in ejectment and damages for the wrongful occupation of certain lots in Shawnee; that the court appointed a receiver and ordered him to take charge of the property and collect the rents; that defendants in that action filed a motion to discharge the receiver ; that the court overruled the motion; that defendants appealed to- Supreme Court from the order overruling the motion to discharge the receiver; that in order to stay execution the defendants executed a supersedeas bond in the sum of $500; that the appeal was prosecuted to- the Supreme Court, and that the Supreme Court' rendered judgment sustaining the lower court. Eldridge v. Vance, 128 Okla. 46, 261 P. 168.

After the preliminary recitals of the bond, the penal part thereof is as follows:

“Now, therefore, after the said C. H. Eldridge, C. P. Roberts, A. Hunter, John Green, Shawnee National Bank, C. C. Stevens, and J. L. Clifton, shall well and truly pay the condemnation money in cost and shall well and truly do and perform all the things that may be enjoined upon them to do and perform in case the order -sustaining the order of the district court of Pottawatomie county overruling the defendant’s motion to set aside and hold for naught the order appointing the receiver, shall be affirmed in whole or in part, then and in that event this obligation shall be null and void, otherwise to remain in full force and effect.”’

The obligees in the bond were the state of Oklahoma and L. M. Vance, as receiver of the National Bank of Commerce of Shawnee, Okla.

The petition further alleges that the authority of the receiver in the former action was suspended until the cause was decided by the Supreme Court; that the defendants in that action collected rents in the sum of $1,520 during that time, and that the receiver in the action would have that sum in his possession had it not been for said appeal.

The petition further alleges that the main cause in said case numbered 10063 proceeded to trial, and that judgment was rendered against. C. H. Eldridge for the sum of $1,000, whieh judgment was affirmed on appeal to this court.

The petition further alleges that execution was issued against O. H. Eldridge and returned with no property found; that the judgment against Eldridge remains unpaid, and that Eldridge is insolvent.

The petition further alleges- that plaintiff is the owner and holder of said judgment and chose in action, and is the successor in interest to the plaintiff in said cause numbered 10063, and prays judgment for the amount of the bond, interest, and costs.

The defendants demurred to the petition on the grounds that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; that it showed on its face that plaintiff was not the real party in interest, and that Vance, receiver of the National Bank of Commerce, had a judgment covering -the matters and things sought to be recovered in this action. The demurrer was overruled.

The defendant Eldridge filed a separate answer, admitting execution of the bond sued on, and admitting recovery of judgment by Vance, receiver in case numbered 10063, made the petition his answer, the verdict and journal entry in case numbered 10063 part of his answer, and pleaded res adjudicata by virtue of same. Answering further, he denied that plaintiff was either the owner or holder of said judgment or had any assignment of the judgment from Vance, receiver.

The defendants Riddle and Douglas filed separate answers, whieh were a general denial, and which adopted Eldridge’s answer *13 as theirs and further pleaded res ad judicata as to Eldridge.

The reply was a general denial of all allegations inconsistent with the allegations of the petition.

Other defendants than those appealing passed out of the case on demurrers by them to the evidence.

Defendants at the appropriate times interposed demurrers to the petition, motions for judgment on the pleadings, objections to the introduction of evidence, demurrers to the evidence on the trial, motions for judgment for defendants, exceptions to the findings of the fact and conclusions of law by the court, motions for judgment on the court’s findings of fact and motions for new trial. These were all overruled by the court, exceptions were saved, and defendants appeal.

Motion by plaintiff to dismiss the appeal has heretofore been denied.

There are ten assignments of error, all o¡C which are argued under one proposition, to wit:

“Did the petition of plaintiff state a cause of action against the defendants?”

The defendants’ theory is that the action was one for rents and profits, and that the bond not containing in express words the conditions of the third subdivision of section 794, C. O. S. 1921 (sec. 543, O. S. 1931), to the effect that the plaintiff in error will pay the value of the use and occupation of the real property, judgment could not be rendered against the sureties. In support of this theory, the defendants rely chiefly on the cases of Lyngholm v. Atkins, 140 Okla. 36, 282 P. 129, and Local Building & Loan Association v. Hall, 145 Okla. 206, 292 P. 68.

In the Lyngholm Case the judgment was for possession only of real property. The condition in the bond was that provided in the first subdivision of section 794 (543, O. S. 1931), to the effect that plaintiffs in error would pay the condemnation money and costs in ease the judgment should be affirmed. The appeal in the case in which the bond was given was dismissed. Action was then brought on the bond for the value of the use and occupancy of the premises involved in the former action. This court held that recovery could not be had for the value of the use and occupancy, the bond being conditioned only as stated.

In the Local Building & Loan Association Case, bond was given on appeal by defendants from an order confirming a sale of real estate. The condition of the bond was that if the principals should have the judgment reversed and remanded, the obligation should be void, otherwise in force and effect. This court held that no recovery could be had from the sureties on the bond for the value of the use and occupation of the property.

In the instant case the bond was given in an action brought by L. M. Vance, as receiver }f the National Bank of Commerce in Shawnee, against C. H. Eldridge and others for possession of real property and for rents and profits. The plaintiff, Vance, receiver, further prayed for the appointment of a receiver to take charge of the property and to collect accruing rents and profits. Notice of the hearing on the application for appointment of a receiver was duly given, and on May 1, 1926, the court appointed A. H. Hurford as receiver and fixed his bond at $500. On May 3, 1926, Eldridge and the other defendants filed their motion to vacate the order appointing Hurford receiver.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1935 OK 63, 41 P.2d 680, 171 Okla. 11, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eldridge-v-sutton-okla-1935.