First National Bank v. Gibson

114 N.W. 777, 80 Neb. 577, 1908 Neb. LEXIS 1
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 23, 1908
DocketNo. 15,145
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 114 N.W. 777 (First National Bank v. Gibson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First National Bank v. Gibson, 114 N.W. 777, 80 Neb. 577, 1908 Neb. LEXIS 1 (Neb. 1908).

Opinion

Epperson, 0.

The subject matter of this litigation has been before the courts of this state since 1889. The former opinions con[578]*578tain a statement of the facts. See 57 Neb. 246; 60 Neb. 767; 69 Neb. 21; 74 Neb. 232, 236. On the last appeal (74 Neb. 236) the judgment was reversed and the cause remanded. Trial was had, and the First National Bank of Plattsmouth (appellee) was awarded the sum of $2,328.-60 against the representatives of Francis N. Gibson, deceased, to pay the bank’s judgment against John M. Carter out of the rents and profits of certain lands in Cass county claimed and formerly adjudged to have been fraudulently conveyed to Benjamin A. Gibson, and by the latter to Francis N. Gibson, now deceased.

Appellee filed a motion to quash the bill of exceptions because it was not served upon the administrator of Carter’s estate. The administrator was a party to the suit, having been substituted upon Carter’s decease. It was decided in First Nat. Bank v. Gibson, 69 Neb. 21, that Carter was a necessary party to this action in the court below. It does not necessarily follow that a submission of the bill of exceptions to the administrator is prerequisite to a consideration thereof upon the issues existing between the plaintiff and Gibson. In Crane Bros. Mfg. Co. v. Keck, 35 Neb. 683, it was held: “Where there are two or more principal defendants against whom the plaintiff is seeking to enforce a claim, there being no particular controversy between them, service of the bill of exceptions upon one of such defendants or his attorney within the time fixed by statute will be sufficient.” We think the same rule should apply in this case, where there was in fact no controversy between the appellant and his codefendants, Carter and the administrator. A failure of the appellant to serve the bill of exceptions upon all of the appellees was held in Fitzgerald v. Brandt, 36 Neb. 683, not to be such a submission as was required by section 311 of the code. But it will be observed that the bill of exceptions was quashed only as to the appellees to whom it was not submitted. In this case the exceptions were submitted to the appellee, and his motion to quash must be overruled.

Reveksbd.

[579]*579Appellants’ sole contention is tliat the hank’s right in the present suit to have the rents and profits applied to the satisfaction of its claim could have been determined in the action to set aside the fraudulent conveyance (57 Neb. 246; 60 Neb. 767), and, hence, the judgment in that •ase is a bar to the relief now sought. This identical question Avas an issue in this court when this case was here before. As reported in 74 Neb. 282, the conclusions first announced were favorable to defendants’ (appellants’) present contention. Upon rehearing, the former judgment Ayas vacated (74 Neb. 236), and the conclusion announced there,- we consider, resolved this question adversely to appellants. It is there said: “When a conveyance of real estate is set aside as fraudulent at the suit of a creditor, and the land subjected to the lien of his judgment, and is insufficient to pay the judgment, such fraudulent grantee» may, improper proceedings, be compelled to apply upon the judgments the rents and profits of the land Which accrued Avhile the land was in his possession under the» fraudulent conveyance.” And in the opinion we find the folloAving: “If the judgment debtor had transferred current funds to the defendant for the purpose of defrauding his creditors, the creditors, upon making this appear, might in equity recoArer'the amount from the defendant; and so, if, to defraud his creditors, he placed in the hands of the defendant that which would produce value, intending that the proceeds should be placed beyond the reach of his creditors, such proceeds could in equity be reached by the creditors.” This court refused to apply to this cast» the rule contended for by appellants, and, moreover, remanded the case for proceedings in accordance with that opinion. Agreeably thereto a new trial was had, resulting-in the judgment appealed from in the instant case.

Appellants amended the eighth defense in their answer referred to by Sedgwick, J., and the same now sufficiently alleges the bar of the former suit. Appellants contend that for this reason the case now falls within the rule announced in the vacated opinion, reported in 74 Neb. 232. [580]*580We do not understand that the opinion was vacated solely 'or the reason that the bar was not sufficiently pleaded, but because an action in equity would lie to recover the rents and profits; the land previously subjected to the payment of the bank’s claim being insufficient therefor.

The following opinion on rehearing was filed June 26, 1908. Judgment of affirmance vacated and judgment of district court reversed: JRes Judicata. “The plea of res judicata applies not only to the points upon which the court was required hy the parties to pronounce a judgment, hut to every point which properly belonged to the subject matter of litigation, and which the parties, exercising reasonable diligence, might have brought forward at that time. This rule is not inflexible, and may yield in cases where a good and valid reason or excuse for the failure to allege the facts and seefc relief in the former action is shown, hut in the instant case such excuse is neither pleaded nor proved." First Nat. Bank v. Gibson, 74 Neb. 232.

We recommend that the judgment of the district court be affirmed.

By the Court: For the reasons stated in the foregoing-opinion, the judgment of the district court is

Affirmed.

Reese, J.

It would serve no good purpose to give au extended history of this case, for the reason that a sufficient statement is contained in the last opinion by Commissioner Epperson, ante, p. 577, and the many prior opinions, upon the case found in the reports. After the filing of the last opinion, a motion for rehearing was filed and sustained, and the cause was rebriefed, reargued, and submitted to the court. That opinion is founded largely upon the last prior opinion written by Chief Justice Sedgwick, and it was held that that and other opinions and decisions of Ibis court were conclusive of the case upon the contention of defendant that the decree in the prior suit (60 Neb. [581]*581767) was a final adjudication of the rights of the parties involved in this suit. The commissioner says: “Appellants’ sole contention is that the bank’s right in the present suit to have the rents and profits applied to the satisfaction of its claim could have been determined in the action to set aside the fraudulent conveyance (57 Neb. 246; 60 Neb. 767), and, hence, the judgment in that case is a bar to the relief now sought. This identical question was an issue in this court when this case was here before. As reported in 74 Neb. 232, the conclusions first announced were favorable to defendants’ (appellants’) present contention. Upon rehearing, the former judgment was vacated (74 Neb. 236), and the conclusion announced there, we consider, resolved this question adversely to appellants.” It is not deemed necessary to quote further from the opinion, as it consists to considerable extent of quoting the discussion presented by the chief justice. The conclusion is that that last decision is a final adjudication of the point involved, and must be accepted as closing the door upon defendants.

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Bluebook (online)
114 N.W. 777, 80 Neb. 577, 1908 Neb. LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-national-bank-v-gibson-neb-1908.