Federal Land Bank of Baltimore v. Garman

220 N.C. 585
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 7, 1942
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 220 N.C. 585 (Federal Land Bank of Baltimore v. Garman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Federal Land Bank of Baltimore v. Garman, 220 N.C. 585 (N.C. 1942).

Opinion

'W’iNBORNE, J.

Tbe record on this appeal upon careful consideration leads us to tbe conclusion that tbe judgment in suit is a valid judgment of tbe court of common pleas of tbe State of Pennsylvania, and entitled in tbe courts of this State to be given such faith and credit as it has by law or usage in tbe State in which it was pronounced. U. S. Constitution, Art. IV, sec. 1, Bonnett-Brown Corp. v. Coble, 195 N. C., 491, 142 S. E., 772, and cases cited.

Tbe Bonnett-Brown case, supra, relates to a judgment of tbe municipal court of Chicago, in tbe State of Illinois, entered by confession on warrant of attorney, and is directly applicable to tbe case in band. There tbe Court quotes with approval from 40 A. L. R., 441, Ann., this statement of law: “It is established, practically without dissent, that tbe fact that a judgment of a court of another state was entered under a warrant of attorney to confess judgment executed contemporaneously with tbe principal obligation, and without service of process or appearance other than that pursuant to tbe warrant itself, does not take it out of tbe full faith and credit provision of tbe Federal Constitution, or disentitle it to tbe recognition and effect accorded to other judgments of sister states, when asserted as tbe basis of an action or defense. And this is true whether or not such judgments of that kind are permitted in tbe state in which tbe judgment of tbe sister state is asserted.” See, also, 89 A. L. R., 1503, Ann.

That being tbe settled law, pertinent to case in band, it is appropriate to see what is tbe law of Pennsylvania on tbe subject.

Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes, Section 739, Title 12, relating to confession of judgment on notes, provides that: “It shall be tbe duty of tbe protbonotary of any court of record, within this commonwealth, on tbe application of any person, being tbe original bolder (or assignee of such bolder) of a note, bond, or other instrument of writing, in which judg[592]*592ment is confessed, or containing a warrant for an attorney at law, or other person to confess judgment, to enter judgment against tbe person or persons wbo executed tbe same, for tbe amount wbicb from tbe face of tbe instrument may appear to be due, without tbe agency of an attorney, or declaration filed, witb sucb stay of execution as may be therein mentioned, for tbe fee of one dollar, to be paid by tbe defendant; particularly entering on bis docket tbe date and tenor of tbe instrument of writing on wbicb tbe judgment may be founded, wbicb shall have tbe same force and effect as if a declaration bad been filed, and judgment confessed by an attorney, or judgment obtained in open court and in term time; and tbe defendant shall not be compelled to pay any costs, or fee to tbe plaintiff’s attorney, when tbe judgment is entered on any instrument of writing as aforesaid. (1806, Feb. 24, P. L. 334, 4 Sm. L. 270, Sec. 28).”

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, speaking in opinion by Duncan, J., rendered September, 1821, in tbe case Helvete v. Rapp, 7 Sergeant & Rawles Rep., 22 Pa., 305, in regard to judgment by confession entered 17 May, 1815, under this act, bad this to say: “Tbe evident and sole intention of tbe Legislature in conferring tbe power of entering a judgment on tbe judgment bond without the intervention of an attorney was, to exempt tbe obligor from tbe payment of costs to an attorney. This act was passed on 24 February, 1806. . . . There being no literal form directed, and no precedent to guide tbe Prothonotaries in tbe exercise of this new duty, each has adopted bis own mode; they are as various as their faces, and many of them scarcely present feature to inform a purchaser or designate a judgment; but here is a substantial entry of a judgment bond, containing all that is necessary to give information. It is entered on tbe docket in tbe form of an action, as a judgment bond, tbe names of tbe parties, tbe amount due, tbe date and time of tbe writing. It states tbe entry of a judgment bond; and seal of tbe defendant; tbe judgment bond is filed of record, entered tbe 17th May, 1815. "What is entered? A judgment on tbe judgment bond filed. No man could be deceived by this mode of entry, for however inartificial it may be, however defective in tbe technical words of a judgment, none wbo called for information could be led into error; tbe docket entry gave full information. It might have been more formal, but still it is tbe entry of a judgment entered by tbe Prothonotary, wbo was authorized to make tbe entry.”

Also, in case of The Commonwealth against Conard, et al., 1 Rawles Rep., 33 Pa., 249, this headnote epitomizes pertinent portion of tbe opinion of tbe Supreme Court: “A prothonotary complies, substantially, witb tbe directions of tbe Act of assembly of tbe 24th of February, 1806, when, in entering judgment on a bond witb warrant of attorney, upon [593]*593tbe application of the party, he enters on his docket the names of the obligor and obligee, in the form of an action, as parties, the date of the bond and warrant of attorney, the penal snm, the real debt, the time of entering judgment, and the date of the judgment on the margin of the record.”

And in the case of Whitney v. Hopkins, 135 Pa., 246, 19 A., 1075, Williams, J., writing for the Supreme Court, it is said: “The prothono-tary of the court of common pleas is merely the clerk of the court. Tie has no authority, virtute officii, to act as the clerk, agent, or attorney of any person ... As an individual, he may be authorized to act for another in the same manner that any other person may be; and, when so authorized, his powers are derived from the instrument under which he acts, and not from his office ... To justify him in acting for suitors, an express authority must be shown, coming either from the person to be affected by his acts, or from an act of the General Assembly. By the Act of 24th February, 1806, it was made the duty of the pro-thonotary of any court of record within the commonwealth, on the application of the holder, to enter judgment on any note, bond, or other instrument of writing in which judgment is confessed by the maker, or which contains a warrant of attorney for an attorney at law or other person to appear and confess judgment thereon.”

Furthermore, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania states that, “It is settled that every judgment entered on a specialty, with warrant of attorney to confess judgment, must follow strictly the authority conferred by the warrant. T-he attorney who executes the warrant cannot change its terms or enlarge its scope.” In re Claghorn’s Estate (Pa.), 31 A., 918.

Moreover, the rules of the courts of the Nineteenth Judicial District, comprising the County of York, Pennsylvania, adopted 1 December, 1937, provide: “Buie, 146. If a warrant of attorney to enter judgment be above ten years old and under twenty, the Court in term time, or a Judge thereof, in vacation, must be moved for leave to enter judgment, which motion must be grounded on an affidavit setting forth that the money is unpaid and the party living, but if the warrant be above 20 years old, there must be a rule to show cause served upon the party, if he be within the State.”

When tested by these principles the facts shown in the record disclose strict compliance with the requirements for a valid judgment in the State of Pennsylvania. Defendants contend, however, that the record shows that, in the order granting leave to enter judgment, the court vested the plaintiff with authority to enter judgment by confession against defendants.

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Bluebook (online)
220 N.C. 585, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-land-bank-of-baltimore-v-garman-nc-1942.