Emery v. Leighton

182 Iowa 1363
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 12, 1918
StatusPublished

This text of 182 Iowa 1363 (Emery v. Leighton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Emery v. Leighton, 182 Iowa 1363 (iowa 1918).

Opinion

Ladd, J.

1. Appeal and error: abstracts: sufficiency: presumption. I. Counsel for appellee challenge the sufficiency of the record, in that the abstract is not certified by the attorneys of appellant; and does not refer to the bill of exception, nor recite the preservation of the evidence. .None of these -were essential to the review of rulings complained of. The printed abstract is presumed (to contain the record. Section 4118 of the Code.- In the absence of denial, correction, or statements therein to the contrary, the abstract is presumed to contain such evidence and other matters of record with sufficient completeness to enable the court to pass upon the questions presented. McGillivary Bros. v. Case, 107 Iowa 17. This necessarily includes the presumption that the steps necessary to make the evidence of record have been taken. Kirchnnan v. Standard Coal Co., 112 Iowa 668. See Hensley v. Davidson Bros., 143 Iowa 742, and other decisions too numerous for citation, declaring that such an abstract is presumed to contain everything essential to the determination of all points raised in argument on appeal.

2. Appeal and error: exceptions: bills of exception: preparation. II. The appellee, however, “denies that the evidence upon hearing of intervenor’s objections was preserved of record; admits the court signed a bill of exceptions filed May 26, 1917, reciting certain reports and orders were introduced in evidence and that certain oral concessions were [1371]*1371made, etc.; but avers the documents were not at the time identified as exhibits, and no .reporter was present, and evidence, if any, in the way of concessions or otherwise was not preserved.”

Appellant did not undertake to preserve the record and the exceptions to the court’s rulings, as might have been done, under Section 3675 of the Code. Instead, he resorted to that prescribed in Code Section 3749, directing the manner of taking an exception, and providing that:

“It may be embodied in a bill of exceptions to be filed within'thirty days after the final determination of the case, or within a reasonable time thereafter, to be fixed by the court, not to exceed ninety days therefrom.”

Here, exception was taken to the ruling of the court on the intervenor’s objections to the report of the assignee and the court’s order, as previously entered. This is made clear in the bill of exceptions, as well as in the record on which the ruling ivas based. A bill of exceptions has been variously defined. See 5 Cyc. 706. It is a written statement, settled and signed by the trial judge, of what the ruling was, the facts in view of which it was made, and the protest of counsel,' according to People v. Torres, 38 Cal. 141. In St. Croix Lumber Co. v. Pennington, 2 Dak. 467 (11 N. W. 497), a like definition is to be found. See also Sacket & Shelton v. McCord, 23 Ala. 851, and Galvin v. State ex rel. Crouch, 56 Ind. 51.

The purpose of the bill is to put the points decided upon the record in such a way as to bring them before the appellate tribunal for review. Now defendant denies that the evidence upon the hearing was preserved of record, but the court certified that its ruling was made upon the evidence referred to therein. The preservation in the bill of exceptions ivas sufficient.

Again, defendant says that documents were not identified as exhibits. This was unnecessary, if sufficiently iden[1372]*1372tified otherwise. A reporter is not essential to the organization of the court, and that one may not have been present did not prevent the preservation of the record such as it was. It is further asserted that “evidence, if any, in the way of concessions or otherwise, was not preserved.” But in this appellee is mistaken; for several concessions are recited in the bill of exceptions. That the abstract is correct and sufficient is not questioned. See Howerton v. Augustine, 145 Iowa 246.

■Many/ if not most, of the early cases were submitted to this court on bills of exceptions signed by the trial judge, without the advantage of a record made by a stenographer, or a transcript of such record. As the trial progressed, bills of exception, exemplifying particular rulings and exceptions taken thereto, were presented to the trial judge, and by him signed; and on the record so made up, the cause was brought to this court for review. Though this method has been superseded to such an extent by the mode prescribed by Section 3675 of the Code that the former method is seldom resorted to, it is quite as effectual in making up the record for review in this court. In re Tobey’s Estate, 112 Iowa 581. The cases cited by appellee are not in point; for in each, the record in some respect was not preserved, either as required by Section 3675 or Section 3749 of the Code. See Dolan v. Smnmons, 147 Iowa 466, and State v. Owens, 109 Iowa 143. Notwithstanding the denial, the bill of exceptions sufficiently preserved the record for submission to this court of the rulings complained of.

3. Landlord and tenant : rent: lien: priorities : assignee for benefit of creditors. III. Under the assignment by Jones & Bicard of their property for the benefit of creditors to Emery as assignee, the latter succeeded to the rights of his assignors; or, as aptly stated by the authorities with reference thereto, he merely stepped into' the shoes of his assignors, and took such property subject to all existing [1373]*1373liens. Meyer v. Evans, 66 Iowa 179; Davenport P. Co. v. Lamp, 80 Iowa 722; Wackerbarth v. School Dist., 157 Iowa 614; Des Moines Bridge & Iron Works v. Plane, 163 Iowa 18, 22; Gluck Co. v. Therme, 154 Iowa 201.

If, then, the lien of the landlord was valid against Jones & Ricard, it was equally valid and binding as to the assignee for a term commencing January 12, 1916, and terminating September 20, 1920. On this lease, rent to the amount of $132.50 had accrued, which was unpaid. The' rental was $125 per month; so that, for the ensuing six months, it would amount to $750. Under Section 2992 of the Code, this much, at least, was a lien on the personal property made use of in the leased building; for, besides creating the lien, that section provides that, in event such property be sold '“by an assignee under a general assignment for benefit of creditors, the lien of the landlord shall not be enforceable against said stock or portion thereof, except for rent due for the term already expired,, and for rent to be paid for the use of demised premises for a period not exceeding six months after date of sale.” The assignee took over the property, then, subject to the lien of the landlord for at least $882.50. On the day of the assignment, he applied to the court for an order permitting him “to borrow sufficient money to conservatively operate said business a month,” on the ground that there was “not sufficient cash to pay help ‘ and buy the supplies necessary for operating the business. Some net revenue may be.

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Related

People v. Torres
38 Cal. 141 (California Supreme Court, 1869)
Sacket v. McCord
23 Ala. 851 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1853)
Saint Croix Lumber Co. v. Pennington
2 Dakota 467 (Supreme Court of Dakota, 1881)
Galvin v. State ex rel. Crouch
56 Ind. 51 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1877)
Meyer v. Evans
23 N.W. 386 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1885)
Davenport Plow Co. v. Lamp
45 N.W. 1049 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1890)
Hamilton-Brown Shoe Co. v. Mercer
84 Iowa 537 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1892)
Garner v. Fry
73 N.W. 1079 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1898)
McGillivary Bros. v. Case
107 Iowa 17 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1898)
In re Assignment of Windhorst
107 Iowa 58 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1898)
State v. Owens
80 N.W. 226 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1899)
In re Estate of Tobey
84 N.W. 666 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1900)
Kirchman v. Standard Coal Co.
52 L.R.A. 318 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1901)
Hensley v. Davidson Bros.
120 N.W. 95 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)
Howerton v. Augustine
121 N.W. 373 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)
Dolan v. Sammons
124 N.W. 880 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1910)
F. P. Gluck Co. v. Therme
134 N.W. 438 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1912)
Wackerbarth & Blamer Co. v. Independent School District
138 N.W. 470 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1912)
Des Moines Bridge & Iron Works v. Plane
143 N.W. 866 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1913)

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Bluebook (online)
182 Iowa 1363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/emery-v-leighton-iowa-1918.