Finerty, Auditor v. State Ex Rel. Greenwald

19 N.E.2d 846, 215 Ind. 346, 1939 Ind. LEXIS 175
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 21, 1939
DocketNo. 27,158.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 19 N.E.2d 846 (Finerty, Auditor v. State Ex Rel. Greenwald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Finerty, Auditor v. State Ex Rel. Greenwald, 19 N.E.2d 846, 215 Ind. 346, 1939 Ind. LEXIS 175 (Ind. 1939).

Opinion

SWAIM, J.

This was an action brought by the relator, Charles E. Greenwald, to mandate the appellants, as auditor and treasurer of Lake County, Indiana, to pay appellee the sum of $5,166.24, which amount appellee claimed to be the balance due him from said county, on his salary as Judge of Room 3 of the Lake Superior Court. In 1927 the board of county commissioners of said county, pursuant to §§4-3202 et seq. Burns 1933, §§1245 et seq. Baldwin’s 1934, fixed appellee’s salary at $5800.00 per annum, which amount was paid to appellee, in monthly installments of $483.33, until June 30, 1932. In June, 1932, the board of commissioners of Lake County, Indiana, in an effort to reduce the operat *348 ing cost of government in said county, entered an order reducing the allowance of each of the judges of said county, including appellee, in the sum of $2,000.00 annually and thereafter appellee, after some remonstrance with the appellant auditor, prepared and filed with said auditor monthly verified claims for his salary in the reduced amount, and accepted said reduced salary, at the rate of $316.66 per month, during the remainder of his term, which expired December 31, 1934. In 1933 appellee filed an estimate or budget of expense for his court for the year 1934 and in this estimate showed his salary for the next fiscal year at the reduced amount of $3,800.00. The evidence most favorable to appellee tends to show that he, at no time, was satisfied with the reduced salary and that he, both orally and in writing, made this fact known to the auditor. He informed the auditor, on different occasions, that he did not intend to give up his right to claim the difference between the reduced salary and the amount originally fixed by the board of county commissioners. On January 15, 1935, the relator appellee made a written demand on said auditor that said auditor issue to him a warrant on the county treasury for said sum of $5,166.24, the balance of his salary as judge, which demand was refused by said auditor. No demand was at any time made on the appellant treasurer. On July 28, 1937, this action was instituted asking that said appellant auditor be mandated to issue and deliver a warrant drawn upon the county treasurer for the payment of said salary and that said treasurer be ordered and mandated to pay said warrant, from the funds in his hands as county treasurer of Lake County, Indiana, upon its presentation to him.

To the appellee’s complaint the appellants filed an amended answer in three paragraphs, the first alleging facts which appellants contended showed a waiver by *349 appellee of his claim to the additional salary; the second alleging the same facts, which appellants contended showed that appellee was estopped to assert his claim to additional salary; and the third, a general denial.

The appellee’s demurrer to the first and second paragraphs of appellants’ amended answer was sustained as to the second paragraph and overruled as to the first paragraph. Appellee’s reply in two paragraphs closed the issues, after which trial was had. The court entered a judgment mandating the appellant Finerty, as auditor of Lake County, Indiana, to issue to the appellee, a warrant payable to said appellee, drawn on the treasury of said county, in 'the amount claimed by said appellee, and also mandating and ordering said appellant, Madden, as treasurer of said county, to honor said warrant upon its presentation and to pay the same “if there be cash on hand with which to pay the same, and if there be not sufficient cash therefor, by endorsing the same with the date of said presentation and the words ‘not sufficient funds.’ ” Appellants’ motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal followed.

Appellants’ first assignment of error is based on the action of the trial court in sustaining appellee’s demurrer to appellants’ second paragraph of amended answer. The appellants’ first paragraph of answer, to which a demurrer was overruled, contained the same material allegations as the second paragraph. All facts which the appellants might properly have proved under the second paragraph of their answer they could have proved under their first paragraph of answer. In such a case there was no error in sustaining the demurrer to the second paragraph of answer. Washington Hotel Realty Co. v. Bedford Stone and Construction Company (1924), 195 Ind. 128, 137, 143 N. E. 156.

The second error relied on by appellants for reversal *350 was the overruling of appellants’ motion for a new trial, which motion alleged as grounds therefor that the finding of the court was not sustained by sufficient evidence and was contrary to law.

The appellee contends that the evidence is not before this court for review for the reason that the praecipe does not embrace a bill of exceptions. The prae cipe, omitting the caption and formal parts, was as follows: “You are hereby requested to prepare a transcript of the record of the proceedings in the above-entitled cause, and to include therein all papers and pleadings filed and on file, the order book entries of all orders and rulings, and the final judgment in the above entitled cause and to certify to the same, to be used on appeal to the Supreme Court in the State of Indiana.” The transcript herein affirmatively shows the signing and filing of the bill of exceptions. This court has held that where this is affirmatively shown by the transcript, a praecipe calling for a transcript of “all papers filed in the cause” included the bill of exceptions containing the evidence. Smith v. Switzer (1933), 205 Ind. 404, 408, 186 N. E. 764.

There was no allegation in the complaint of, nor did the evidence show, any demand by the appellee on the treasurer prior to the bringing of this action. The appellee admits that no such demand was made but insists that such demand was not necessary, since it could not be made until after he had received a warrant from the auditor. We can not agree with the appellee on this contention. This action seeks to have the court order the treasurer to perform an ordinary official duty. If a valid warrant drawn by the auditor on the county treasury is properly presented to the treasurer for payment it is the official duty of the treasurer to honor such warrant. In the absence of any showing to the contrary, it is presumed that the treas *351 urer will perform any duty which is enjoined upon him by law. As was said by Elliot, J. in the case of Ingerman Drainage Commissioner v. State ex rel. Conroy (1890), 128 Ind. 225, 27 N. E. 499, “The presumption is that an officer will do his duty upon request, and to put him in the wrong a demand is essential. Jackson School Twp. v. Farlow, 75 Ind. 118. A Claimant of a fund can not maintain such an action as this without first demanding payment of his claim.” In the case of Lake Erie and Western Railroad Co. v. The State ex rel. Mushlitz (1894), 139 Ind. 158, 159, 38 N. E. 596, in holding that a demand is necessary, this court said:

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Bluebook (online)
19 N.E.2d 846, 215 Ind. 346, 1939 Ind. LEXIS 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/finerty-auditor-v-state-ex-rel-greenwald-ind-1939.