Felkner v. Smith

296 P. 776, 77 Utah 410, 74 A.L.R. 124, 1931 Utah LEXIS 58
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 12, 1931
DocketNo. 5004.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 296 P. 776 (Felkner v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Felkner v. Smith, 296 P. 776, 77 Utah 410, 74 A.L.R. 124, 1931 Utah LEXIS 58 (Utah 1931).

Opinion

ELIAS HANSE'N, J.

This is an action founded upon a negotiable promissory note. Judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff and against both of the defendants for the amount owing upon the note, together with costs and attorney’s fee. The defendant M. B. Johnson alone prosecutes this appeal. The plaintiff has filed a motion to dismiss the appeal upon the grounds that an undertaking on appeal was not filed within five days after the service of notice of appeal as provided by Comp. Laws Utah 1917, § 6996, and for the further reason that said appeal was not perfected and the transcript not filed in this court within thirty days after perfecting the appeal, as provided by Comp. Laws Utah 1917, § 7009. The record shows that judgment was rendered in the cause on November 13, 1929. A motion for a new trial was denied on December 3, 1929. On January 9, *412 1930, a notice of appeal was served upon counsel for plaintiff, and on January 15, 1930, the notice of appeal was filed in the district court in the cause. On January 22, 1930, defendant filed in the cause an undertaking on appeal. Thereafter, on February 19, 1930, a second notice of appeal was served, and on that day such notice together with a second undertaking on appeal were filed. The transcript on appeal was filed in this court on February 26, 1930. It will be observed that the first undertaking was not filed within five days after the first notice of appeal was served and filed, and that the transcript on appeal was not filed within thirty days after the first notice of appeal was served and filed. It will further be observed that the transcript on appeal was filed in this court within thirty days after the second notice of appeal was served and filed, and that the undertaking on appeal was filed on the same day that the second notice of appeal was served and filed. We can perceive of no good reason why the appellant may not abondon his first attempted appeal and rely upon his second notice and undertaking. Respondent has cited no cases which hold to the contrary. The second notice of appeal was within time, and, considering the appeal before us as being founded upon the second notice, the appeal was regular in all respects. The motion to dismiss the appeal is denied.

As to the merits, the appellant claims that he is relieved from liability on the note sued upon because such note was secured by a chattel mortgage upon cattle belonging to the defendant Smith, and that the plaintiff abandoned and deserted the mortgaged property, and thereby released the appellant from liability on the note because he was merely an indorser thereof. The evidence shows these facts: That on July 23, 1925, Fred A. Smith made, executed, and delivered to the plaintiff a negotiable promissory not for the principal sum of $560.25. The note was made payable at Salt Lake City, Utah, on or before one year from the date thereof. It provides for 8 per cent interest from date and for a reasonable attorney’s fee in case it is collected by an *413 attorney. The note was secured by a chattel mortgage on seventy-five head of cattle belonging to the defendant Smith. The mortgaged cattle were in the possession of the defendant at Morgan county, Utah. The mortgage provided that the cattle may remain in the possession of Smith, the mortgagor, who agreed not to remove them from Morgan county, Utah. The money for which the note and mortgage were given was loaned by the plaintiff to the defendant Smith at the solicitation of the appellant, who indorsed the note in blank before the plaintiff loaned the money. The mortgage was duly recorded in the office of the county recorder of Morgan county, Utah. On October 2, 1928, the plaintiff caused to be recorded in the office of the county recorder of Morgan county, Utah, her affidavit showing that the debt secured by the mortgage had not been paid. Before this action was brought, the defendant Smith sold all of the mortgaged cattle, and removed to the state of Idaho. The cattle covered by the mortgage were' worth considerable more than the amount of the note sued upon in this action. The appellant testified that in February, 1927, he went to Morgan county and there inquired from the defendant Smith about the catr tie that were mortgaged to the plaintiff, and that upon his return he asked the plaintiff to foreclose her mortgage. Some months later' the appellant wrote a letter to his attorney concerning the foreclosing of a mortgage given to secure a note held by him and signed by the defendant Smith. In that letter he also suggested that action be taken to protect plaintiff’s loan and collect the interest thereon. A copy of the letter so written by appellant to his attorney was sent to the plaintiff. The plaintiff refused to permit respondent’s attorney to foreclose her mortgage, and she failed to bring any action for the collection of the money owing to her on the note here involved until after the defendant Smith had sold the cattle covered by the mortgage and left the state. It is appellant’s contention that under these facts he was released from liability on the note. The respondent contends to the contrary. In support of appellant’s position he cites *414 the following cases and authorities: Atlanta National Bank v. Douglass, 51 Ga. 205, 21 Am. Dec. 284, where it was held that, where the defendant indorsed a note for the accommodation of the maker, who also gave the payee a mortgage as further security pursuant to an agreement between all the parties, and the payee failed to have the mortgage recorded, and afterwards canceled the mortgage and took another mortgage, the defendant indorser was released from liability. Priest v. Watson, 75 Mo. 310, 42 Am. Rep. 409, where it was held that, where one recovers a judgment against the maker of a note, and levied upon sufficient property of such maker to pay the judgment, and thereafter released the levy, the accommodation indorser of the note was released from liability. Pitts v. Congdon, 2 N. Y. 352, 51 Am. Dec. 299, where it was held that an indorser for value is discharged by any dealings between the holder and the principal debtor which defeats the indorser’s remedy on the instrument. But he has no claim on collateral security which the holder may have taken on his own account from the principal, and therefore no remedy of his is prejudiced by its surrender. Spies v. National City Bank, 68 App. Div. 70, 74 N. Y. S, 64; Id., 174 N. Y. 222, 66 N. E. 736, 61 L. R. A. 193, where it was held that, where the effect of a transaction was by the law of a foreign state to relieve the maker from all liability on the note, such note could not be enforced in New York against the indorser. Stearns on Suretyship (3d Ed.) p. 137, where it is said:

“If the creditor has in his possession property of the principal as an additional security for the debt, or has acquired a lien upon the property of a principal, the creditor at once becomes charged with the duty of retaining such security, or mantaining such lien in the interest of the surety, and any release or impartment of this security as a primary resource for the payment of the debt, will discharge the surety to the extent of the value of the property or lien released.”

And further on page 140, that:

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Bluebook (online)
296 P. 776, 77 Utah 410, 74 A.L.R. 124, 1931 Utah LEXIS 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/felkner-v-smith-utah-1931.