Gergen v. Western Union Life Insurance

30 N.W.2d 558, 149 Neb. 203, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 5
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 16, 1948
DocketNo. 32299
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 30 N.W.2d 558 (Gergen v. Western Union Life Insurance) 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
Gergen v. Western Union Life Insurance, 30 N.W.2d 558, 149 Neb. 203, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 5 (Neb. 1948).

Opinion

Chappell, J.

Plaintiff filed motion with supporting affidavit, praying revivor of a judgment entered in the district court for Lancaster County against defendant Walter H. [204]*204Jurgensen, on February 25, 1939, for $3,320.58, with interest at six percent from that date. The trial court, entered conditional order of revivor, ordering the judgment revived unless cause was shown by defendant on or before 9 o’clock a. m., September 17, 1945. The order was duly served upon defendant, who filed objections claiming substantially that the judgment was. void for want of jurisdiction over his person. After hearing upon the merits, the trial court entered an order overruling defendant’s objections, and reviving the judgment. Defendant’s motion for new trial was overruled,, and he appealed to this court, assigning as error in substance that the order of revivor was not sustained by the evidence and was contrary to law.

The salient facts are not in dispute.' The record dis^ closes that on July 18, 1938, plaintiff filed his original petition and praecipe for service on defendant, The Western Union Life Insurance Company, a corporation, in Lancaster County, and upon defendant, Walter H. Jurgensen, in Douglas County. Separate summons issued, designating August 22, 1938, as answer day. One summons was duly served on The Western Union Life Insurance Company July 18, 1938, in Lancaster County. The other was personally served on defendant Walter H. Jurgensen July 25, 1938, in Douglas County, the county of his residence,

Thereafter, he never made any appearance whatever in the case and never attacked.the judgment involved in any manner until after plaintiff’s application for revivor was filed. Hereafter, for convenience, The Western Union Life Insurance Company will be referred to as the insurance company, and Walter H. Jurgensen as defendant.

On September 10, 1938, plaintiff filed an amended petition making more definite and certain facts theretofore pleaded in his original petition, and including therein additional related facts which supported but did not in any manner either change plaintiff’s cause of [205]*205action or the relief sought by him. The record does not affirmatively disclose that defendant did not have notice of the filing thereof, as would ordinarily be required. However, under the circumstances presented, that fact, if true, would be of no consequence.

The gravamen of plaintiff’s cause of action, as disclosed by both his petition and amended petition, was in substance to wit: That the insurance company, a domestic life insurance corporation, authorized to engage in business in this state with its principal place of business in Lincoln, Lancaster County, together with certain of its officers, of whom defendant Walter H. Jurgensen was one, entered into a scheme, combination, or conspiracy to cheat and defraud plaintiff out of a certain promissory note for $6,000, secured by a first real estate mortgage on described lands in Fillmore County. That defendants, by divers and sundry-described false and fraudulent representations, promises, and acts, believed and relied upon by plaintiff, did cheat and defraud him out of the possession and ownership of said note and mortgage, secretly and fraudulently collected and appropriated the proceeds therefrom, and unlawfully and fraudulently converted the same to their own use and profit, for the benefit of the insurance company, which still wrongfully retained the same, by reason of which defendants jointly and severally defrauded plaintiff out of securities of the value of $6,000 with interest at six percent from January 4, 1934. Wherefore, plaintiff prayed judgment against defendants, and each of them, for the sum of $7,627.50, with interest at six percent from date of filing his petition, together with costs.

On September 26, 1938, by stipulation in writing between plaintiff and the insurance company, the action was dismissed with prejudice as against it. However, plaintiff therein specifically reserved all his rights and claims against defendant.

On February 25, 1939, the cause came on for hearing [206]*206upon the merits, whereat evidence was adduced and the trial court entered its judgment. It is recited therein, after finding that due and legal service of process had been had upon all defendants and that the action had been dismissed as against the insurance company, that defendant’s default was entered. The court further found that the allegations of plaintiff’s amended petition were true and adjudged that, after allowing defendant all credits to which he was entitled, plaintiff should have and recover of and from defendant the sum of $3,320.58, with interest at six percent from that date, together with costs.

■ It is well established in this jurisdiction that: “The only defenses available against an application to revive are that there is no judgment to revive or that the purported judgment is absolutely void, and that the judgment was paid or otherwise discharged.” Baker Steel & Machinery Co. v. Ferguson, 137 Neb. 578, 290 N. W. 449, 131 A. L. R. 798. Defendant did not contend that the judgment here involved had ever been paid or discharged.

Defendant contended that the judgment was void because it was entered in conformity with plaintiff’s amended petition filed after answer day, of which defendant had no notice. We conclude that under the circumstances, defendant’s contention has no merit.

In that regard, defendant relied upon section 25-849, R. S. 1943. However, that section must be construed in the light of sections 25-852 and 25-853, R. S. 1943. Among other things, those sections respectively permit the amendment of pleadings either before or after judgment “when the amendment does not change substantially the claim or defense,” direct the court at every stage of an action to “disregard any error or defect in the pleadings or proceedings which does not affect the substantial rights of the adverse party,” and provide that “no judgment shall be reversed or affected by reason of such error or defect.”

[207]*207It has been held by this court that: “An amendment to a pleading may be made, which does not change the issues, nor affect the quantum of proof as to a material fact, at any stage of the proceeding.” Robinson Outdoor Advertising Co. v. Wendelin Baking Co., 145 Neb. 112, 15 N. W. 2d 388.

In Lincoln Joint Stock Land Bank v. Barnes, 143 Neb. 58, 8 N. W. 2d 545, it was held that: “So long as the court can see that the identity of the cause of action is preserved, the particular allegations of the petition may be changed and others added in order to cure imperfections and mistakes in the manner of stating the plaintiff’s case.”

“ ‘By the phrase “cause of action,” (as above used) * * * is meant, not the formal statement of facts set forth in the petition, but the subject-matter upon which the plaintiff grounds his right of recovery.’ ” Zelen v. Domestic Industries, 131 Neb. 123, 267 N. W. 352.

In Henkel v. Boudreau, 88 Neb. 784, 130 N. W. 753, it was held: “One of the principal defendants duly served with summons made default, filing no answer or other pleading. The cause was tried on an amended petition filed after answer day. (No notice of the filing thereof was given such defendant.) Subsequently a default was entered against the unanswering defendant. The original petition is not presented in the transcript, and the record does not show any change in the averments which could affect the rights or liability of the defaulting defendant.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
30 N.W.2d 558, 149 Neb. 203, 1948 Neb. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gergen-v-western-union-life-insurance-neb-1948.