Farmers State Bank v. Irsik

331 P.2d 292, 183 Kan. 636, 1958 Kan. LEXIS 381
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedNovember 8, 1958
DocketNo. 41,069
StatusPublished

This text of 331 P.2d 292 (Farmers State Bank v. Irsik) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farmers State Bank v. Irsik, 331 P.2d 292, 183 Kan. 636, 1958 Kan. LEXIS 381 (kan 1958).

Opinion

[637]*637The opinion of the court was delivered by

Price, J.:

This was an action on a promissory note and to foreclose a chattel mortgage given as security therefor.

From a very confusing abstract of the record, the facts appear to be substantially as follow:

The note in question was dated April 16, 1954; was due in ninety days, and was payable to plaintiff bank. It was signed by

“Wilfred Bugner
Irsik Bros, by Norbert Irsik.”

As security for payment thereof Bugner executed a chattel mortgage to the bank covering certain livestock and farming .implements. Apparently the note was not paid when due, for on June 28, 1956, the bank filed this suit in the district court of Gray County against “Wilfred Bugner and Norbert Irsik” as defendants.

At all times material defendant Bugner was a resident of Franklin County, and defendant Irsik was a resident of Gray County. Summons was duly issued to the sheriff of Franklin County for Bugner (G. S. 1949, 60-2502).

On July 21, 1956, Bugner filed a motion to make “Irsik Bros., a partnership, and S. J. Irsik, the other partner in said partnership,” parties defendant on the ground that his, Bugner s, defense related, among other things, to his dealings with Irsik Bros, and S. J. Irsik, as well as with Norbert Irsik, in their dealings with plaintiff bank.

On October 5, 1956, the court ordered that “Irsik Bros.” be made a party defendant.

Some time between October 5, 1956, and December 15, 1956, counsel for the bank inserted in the petition, by interlineation, the following, after the name of Norbert Irsik: “(of Irsik Bros.),” thus showing and naming the defendants in the action as “Wilfred Bug-ner and Norbert Irsik (of Irsik Bros.).”

No praecipe for summons on Irsik Bros, was ever filed.

On December 18, 1956, Bugner filed a motion to strike the petition from the files on the ground plaintiff bank had failed to comply with the order of October 5, 1956, wherein it was ordered that Irsik Bros, be made a party defendant — or, in lieu thereof, that the bank be required to amend its petition by stating what parties constitued Irsik Bros.

On November 13, 1957, plaintiff bank’s attorney filed an answer in behalf of defendant Norbert Irsik which, after alleging the execu[638]*638tion of the note and chattel mortgage sued on, alleged that the note and mortgage had been assigned by the bank to him, Norbert Irsik, and prayed for judgment on the note and mortgage against his co-defendant Bugner.

On November 23, 1957, Bugner filed a motion denominated

“Special Appearance by Defendant Wilfred Bugner ■ to Strike Answer of Norbert Irsik”

which, in part, alleged:

“4. That at all times herein the plaintiff and defendant Norbert Irsik by and through their attorney well knew that defendant Bugner’s motion filed herein on or about the 17th day of December, 1956, was well taken and that plaintiff failed to comply with the order of the court rendered herein on the 5th day of October, 1956, to make Irsik Bros, a party defendant herein; that notwithstanding the above said plaintiff and defendant Norbert Irsik by and through their attorney have attempted to avoid the effect of said motion and are apparently attempting to retain jurisdiction and venue of an action between defendant Norbert Irsik and defendant Bugner in this court; and are otherwise attempting by virtue thereof to use defendant Bugner’s motion on file herein to further their practices in the premises; all without notice to defendant Bugner and his attorney.”

The prayer of the motion was that the order of the court allowing defendant Norbert Irsik to plead out of time be reconsidered and that his answer be stricken from the files.

On December 3, 1957, Norbert Irsik filed an amended answer, which, as far as the record discloses, was substantially identical to his answer.

On December 13, 1957, all parties being present by counsel, the court took up and heard argument on the two motions by Bugner heretofore referred to. The journal entry of the judgment, omitting formal parts, rendered pursuant thereto, reads:

“Now on this 13th day of December, 1957, the above entitled matter comes on for hearing upon the motion of defendant Wilfred Bugner to dismiss the petition, without prejudice, insofar as it pertains to Wilfred Bugner, and to dismiss the answer and amended answer of Norbert Irsik insofar as it pertains to Wilfred Bugner, without prejudice. The plaintiff and defendant, Norbert Irsik, appear by their attorney, John Staley Holden, and the defendant, Wilfred Bugner, appears by his attorney, Myron S. Steere, the said Wilfred Bugner appearing specially in accordance with his motion on file herein.
' “Thereupon, the court having heard the arguments of counsel for the movant and plaintiff and Norbert Irsik, the said plaintiff and defendant Norbert Irsik appearing by their attorney, John Staley Holden, the court takes the matter under advisement.
“Later and on the 20th day of December, 1957, the court finds that the [639]*639petition of the plaintiff herein is and should be dismissed without prejudice insofar as it pertains to Wilfred Bugner, defendant, for the reason that plaintiff has disobeyed the court’s order in the proceeding, in that plaintiff has failed to make ‘Irsik Bros.’ a party defendant as ordered by the court on the 5th day of October, 1956.
“The court further finds and does recognize the special appearance of defendant, Wilfred Bugner, insofar as the attempted substitution of plaintiff and cause of action against defendant Bugner, filed by Norbert Irsik by his attorney, John Staley Holden, who is also attorney of record for plaintiff, under the heading of ‘Answer of Norbert Irsik’, as amended, is concerned; and the court finds that such portion of said answer as attempts to state a cause of action against defendant, Bugner, should be dismissed without prejudice.
“It is by the court so ordered and adjudged.”

In other words, plaintiff bank’s action, insofar as it pertained to Bugner, was dismissed without prejudice, and, in addition, such portion of Norbert Irsik’s answer, as amended, as attempted to state a cause of action against defendant Bugner, was dismissed without prejudice.

Both the bank and Norbert Irsik have appealed, and specify as error the orders requiring that “Irsik Bros.” be made a party defendant, dismissing the bank’s petition against Bugner, and dismissing Norbert Irsik’s cause of action against Bugner.

As heretofore related, the note was signed by

“Wilfred Bugner
Irsik Bros, by Norbert Irsik.”

and the petition named Wilfred Bugner and Norbert Irsik as defendants.

On the face of things, and in view of the grounds of Bugner’s motion, the court properly required that Irsik Bros, be made a party defendant under the authority of G. S. 1949, 60-741, which provides that if it appears from the petition or in any other manner that there is a defect of parties plaintiff or defendant the court may on motion require the absent parties to be brought in.

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Bluebook (online)
331 P.2d 292, 183 Kan. 636, 1958 Kan. LEXIS 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-state-bank-v-irsik-kan-1958.