Griffin v. Wallace

66 Ind. 410
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1879
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 66 Ind. 410 (Griffin v. Wallace) 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
Griffin v. Wallace, 66 Ind. 410 (Ind. 1879).

Opinion

Perkins, J.

On the 24th day of September, 1874, Andrew Wallace recovered a judgment, before a justice of the peace, against George Borsdorfer. On the 14th day of October, 1874, an execution was issued on said judgment, and placed in the hands of constable Boardmau, and, on the 20th day of October, 1874, was levied on property of said Borsdorfer. On the 15th day of October, 1874, an assignment by said Borsdorfer of all his property to George O. Griffin, for the benefit of his creditors, became operative. Said Griffin obtained an injunction upon the execution of Wallace against Borsdorfer, from the Marion Circuit Court, and, as incident thereto, gave an injunction bond, with Joseph W. ETichol as surety therein. The main ground on which the injunction was obtained was an alleged agreement of Wallace, at the rendition of the judgment, that no execution should issue on the judgment for six months, and upon the faith of which the judgment was permitted by the defendant to go. That injunction suit was appealed to the Supreme Court, where it was decided against Griffin. Boardman et al. v. Griffin, 52 Ind. 101.

The court decided that Griffin had not proved the case made in his complaint for an injunction, and held that the judgment on which the execution issued could not be attacked collaterally.

[412]*412The following are the closing paragraphs of the opinion in the cause:

“ The court [below] has very clearly, in the special findings, found against the plaintiff as to the case made by his complaint, and we do not see why judgment should not have been rendered against him. We do not regard the question as one of variance merely, which might be obviated by an amendment under sections 94 and 95 of the civil code; but we think the case is one where the allegations of the complaint, to which the proof was directed, are unproved, not in some particulars only, but in their general scope and moaning, according to section 96.
“ In our judgment, the court should have rendered judgment on the finding for the defendants. In this view of the case, we do not deem it necessary or proper to express any opinion upon the question as to the effect of the delay in making the levy of the execution after it was issued.
“The judgment is reversed, with costs, and the cause remanded, with instructions to render judgment for the defendants on the special findings.” Such judgment was rendered.

The present suit', was brought on the injunction bond given by Griffin on instituting the suit to enjoin the execution of Wallace upon his judgment above mentioned.

The complaint sets out the facts, alleges damages, makes the bond an exhibit, etc.

A demurrer to the complaint for want of facts was overruled, and exception entered.

The defendants answered :

1. The general denial.

2. “ That said supposed bond in the complaint set out was never approved by the judge of said Marion County Civil Circuit Court.”

3. As to the amount of the judgment for one hundred and ten dollars, mentioned in the complaint, defendants say that an execution was issued on said judgment, on the [413]*41315tli day of October, 1874, but that Wallace, the plaintiff in said judgment, after execution was issued thereon, directed the constable having possession of said execution, to delay levying the same until further orders, and that, under said direction, execution was not levied till after the assignment of his property by the execution defendant'to said Griffin for the benefit of his creditors, and the recording of said assignment, whereby the lien of said execution was lost, etc.

4. That Borsdorfer made the assignment, etc., as alleged in paragraph 3 of the answer ;■ that appellant Griffin executed the bond sued on in his capacity as trustee, etc.; and that the trust estate is not settled, etc.

A demurrer was sustained to the second, third and fourth paragraphs of answer.

The court did not err in sustaining the demurrer to the second paragraph of answer. The injunction or restraining order commences as follows, viz.:

“ Upon the complaint in the above action, verified by oath, showing an emergency exists for issuing a restraining order, without notice, in said action, and upon affidavits filed, the plaintiff having executed the undertaking required by law, it is ordered,” etc.
“ Livingston Howland, Judge.”

This was shown by the record.

It is proper, but not absolutely essential, that the approval of the court or judge should be endorsed upon the bond or undertaking.

In Patterson v. Stair, 26 Ind. 137, the court say : “We must also consider the fact that the undertaking was read to the court, and thereupon the restraining order was continued, as conclusive evidence that the court approved the boud.”

Nor, we may remark, was it material that the name of the surety should appear in the body of the bond. Potter v. The State, 23 Ind. 550.

[414]*414An answer denying the existence of a fact, the existence of which is shown by the verdict, is bad.

The third paragraph of answer was pleaded to a part of the cause of actiou. An answer pleaded to the whole, which answered but a part, of the cause of action, would have been bad for that reason. Bicknell Civil Prac. 86 ; Stone v. Lawman, 28 Ind. 97.

Two questions are presented and discussed upon the sustaining of the demurrer to said third paragraph, viz.:

1. Was the judgment for the defendant Wallace, in the injunction suit, a bar to the right of Griffin, plaintiff in that suit, to set up affirmatively, in this suit on the bond given in the former, additional grounds, showing that the execution sought to be enjoined in the injunction suit was not a lien upon the pi’operty of the execution defendant ?

2. Did the delay, by the order of the execution plaintiff’ in levying his execution, extinguish the lien of said execution on the property of the execution defendant, as against any one ? and if so, whom ? See Sipe v. Holliday, 62 Ind. 4.

In the suit to enjoin the execution mentioned, Griffin, as ground therefor, alleged that the judgment on which it issued was erroneous, and that it was agreed by Wallace, at the rendition of the judgment, for a valuable consideration, that no execution should issue upon it for six months, while, in fact, execution was issued, in violation of said agreement, in a much shorter time.

On the trial in the circuit court, Griffin failed to prove the agreement for delay, alleged in his complaint, but was allowed to, and did, prove a delay to levy said execution, by order of Wallace, the execution plaintiff, as set up in the third paragraph of answer.

Upon the final hearing of the injunction suit, in the Supreme Court, Griffin failed because the judgment could [415]*415not be attacked collaterally, and because he failed to show the existence of such an agreement touching the issue of execution, as he had alleged in his complaint, though he did prove a different agreement for delay.

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Bluebook (online)
66 Ind. 410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/griffin-v-wallace-ind-1879.