Hunt v. Johnston

75 N.W. 103, 105 Iowa 311
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 10, 1898
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 75 N.W. 103 (Hunt v. Johnston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hunt v. Johnston, 75 N.W. 103, 105 Iowa 311 (iowa 1898).

Opinion

Deemer, C. J.

1 — Blender Sampson, deceased, had a suit pending at the October term of the Marion county district court against the defendant Joseph Johnston. On the second day of that term, J. W. Hunt, his administrator, was- -substituted a® plaintiff; but the case, for -some reason, proceeded to- judgment in the name of the original plaintiff. This, suit was commenced November 15, 1895. Prior to the bringing of the action, an execution issued on the judgment as rendered, and was- returned, “No property found.” On the twelfth -day -of the following December the district court, on motion, made an order correcting the judgment -entry so as to show that the judgment was in fact entered in favor of the -substituted plaintiff. This order was not signed by the judge until the trial of this case; in March, 1896, when the omission [313]*313was discovered; and the court then arid there, on motion of appellee’s 'counsel, had the record of the former term read and ¡signed. Appellants contend that, as no judgment existed in plaintiff’s favor at the time this suit was commenced, he cannot recover. Their ’argument is based upon the proposition that a creditors’ bill will hot lie until judgment is recovered. '.This may 'be accepted as, a general rule, — although there are some exception®, — but it does not follow that the case should be dismissed. It must first appear that there was no judgment in fact. The entry of December, 1895, was in reality a nunc fro tunc order for judgment. It wag in fact nothing more than malting of record that which had theretofore been done. In making the order the court necessarily determined that the judgment, a® originally rendered, was in favor of this appellee, 'and that the entry showing judgment in favor of the deceased was an error. This ruling is not appealed from, and no error is ass'ignied thereon. We must assume that it was properly entered nunc pm tunc. When so entered, it cured all existing defects,, and validated all subsequent proceedings thereon. See Doughty v. Meek, 105 Iowa, 16. The cases of Gilman v. Donovan, 53 Iowa, 362, and White v. Secor, 58 Iowa, 533, are not in point, for the reason that in neither was there in fact a judgment for the substituted plaintiff, blit in each there was an attempt to have one rendered as of the date when the judgment in favor of the deceased was obtained. In these cases the remedy could only be under section 3154 et seep of the Code of 1873, while in the case at bar it was properly by motion for a nunc pro tunc entry.

II. Appellee denies the jurisdiction of this court, on the ground that the clerk of the district court was not paid or secured his fees for making a transcript until more than a year after the appeal was taken. [314]*314The record discloses, not only that the clerk waived this requirement, but that an approved bond was in fact given on May 25,1897. The bond, even if required, was given in time, and the appeal was properly perfected. Harrison v. Palo Alto County, 104 Iowa, 383; Fairburn v. Goldsmith, 56 Iowa, 348; Slone v. Berlin, 88 Iowa, 205; Bruner v. Wade, 85 Iowa, 666.

[317]*3173 [314]*314III. We come mow to the merits of the case. Plaintiff:’® judgment was obtained, as we have seen, in October, 1895. The • defendants in judgment were Johnston & Fru'sh and Joseph Johnston, the defendant herein. On the twelfth day of June, 1895, .and at a time When defendant Joseph Johnston was indebted to Blender Sampson, he (Johnston) conveyed to S. O. Johniston, his son, one hundred and sixty acres of land, and certain town lots in the city of Knoxville, for the expressed consideration of ten thousand dollars. At the same time he executed mortgages upon all his remaining property, real and personal, to his creditors, of which there were many. These mortgages were executed without the knowledge of the mortgagees, and some of them were never accepted, lie also assigned Ms books of account and not es to a daughter. The conveyance of the real estate to the son, S. O. Johmston, is challenged because made with intent to hinder, delay, and defraud creditors. Defendants claim that the consideration for the conveyance was composed of the following items.: First, a mote executed by Johnston & Frush to. E. M. and H. Kent, trustees, for the sum of two thousand and eighty-nine dollars and seventy-five cents., secured by a mortgage upon the land; second, a note executed by Joseph Johnston to one Kimmerer for the sum of one thousand and forty-seven dollars and eighty-six cents; third, a note executed by Joseph Johnston to one Messenkopf, for the sum of two thousand, seven hundred and six [315]*315dollars and sixty cents, and secured by mortgage upon the property; fourth, an indebtedness of Joseph Johnston to F. N. Bellamy, guardián, for the sum of one thousand, five hundred and thirty-four dollars and nineteen cents; fifth, some items of account due -from J. Johnston & Son and Johnston & Frush; sixth, cash advanced to and for J. Johnston, amounting to one hundred and twenty-eight dollars and eleven cents; and, seventh, taxes paid ‘by S. C. Johnston upon the property. S. C. Johnston claims that he purchased the notes mentioned as items, one, two, and three; that he assumed the payment of item four, Which was a valid indebtedness to the guardian; that J. Johnston & 'Son and Johnston & Frush'were indebted to him as stated; that he advanced the cash as claimed; and that the conveyance was made in .satisfaction of these various items. The evidence shows, without dispute, that S. C. Johnston took an assignment of the Kent, Kimmerer, and Messenkopf notes, and that he gave his individual checks for the amount thereof at the time he took the assignments. It also appears that he assumed the payment of the Bellamy note, and that he, nominally, at least, furnished money to and for Ms father as claimed. And there i's at least prima facie evidence that the firms of which we have spoken were indebted to Mm in the amounts claimed. The payments to which we have r eferred were nearly all made by checks drawn in the name of S. C. Johnston. While admitting all these facts, appellee Claims that the money in fact belonged to J. Johnston, the father, .and that when S. C. Johnston took the assignments of the various notes, and made the payments claimed, he nsed money 'belonging to his father; that the transaction, in so far as it related to any of the obligations of Joseph Johnston, was in fact a payment, and not a purchase thereof. He also claims that the conveyance was made as a cover [316]*316to hinder, delay, and defraud the creditors, of Joseph Johnston. The burden is, of course, upon appellee to establish these claims.

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Bluebook (online)
75 N.W. 103, 105 Iowa 311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hunt-v-johnston-iowa-1898.