Johnson v. Larcade

110 Ill. App. 611, 1903 Ill. App. LEXIS 669
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 8, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 110 Ill. App. 611 (Johnson v. Larcade) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Larcade, 110 Ill. App. 611, 1903 Ill. App. LEXIS 669 (Ill. Ct. App. 1903).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Farmer

delivered the opinion of the court.

This was an action of trespass brought by appellee against appellant in the County Court of Livingston County, resulting in a verdict and judgment for appellee for $300, and the case is brought here by appeal. Appellant was a constable, and as such received an execution issued October 9, 1902, on a judgment before a justice of the peace against appellee for $31. On the same day he duly served appellee with the execution. On October 11th appellee presented the constable with a sworn schedule of his personal property. Afterward appellant selected appraisers and on November 1st they appraised the property scheduled in the aggregate at $1,089. Five days afterward appellee presented the constable his selection. By it the property was divided into three parts, the first consisting of articles "appraised at $100 and called “ first selection.” The second of articles appraised at $812 and called “^second selection.” The third of articles appraised at $105 and called “ third selection.” These three selections embraced all the property scheduled, except one sewing machine, twenty tons of straw and forty-two bushels of oats. Appellee seems to have been in doubt as to whether he was the head of a family, residing with the same or not, and attempted to make his selections so as to avail himself of the benefit of the exemption laws both as a single man and as the head of a family; the “ first selection ” being made with a view to claiming his exemptions as a single man, and the “ second selection” as the head of a family. The “ third selection ” consisted of a McCormick binder and Endlong disc and attachments, which he stated were not his but were loaned Mm by Lyons Brothers.

Upon receiving appellee’s selections, appellant demanded that he deliver to him under the execution, the property scheduled and not selected, consisting of one sewing-machine, forty-two bushels of oats, and twenty-eight tons of straw; also thirty chickens and six tons of hay in the “ second selection.” But the demand was refused by appellee, who stated he “ would not turn out anything.” Thereupon appellant disregarded all the selections and seized certain property, a part of which was embraced in the “ first selection,” a part in the “ second selection ” and certain articles found in "neither selection.

Appellee had been a married man, but for some time prior to the issuing of the execution and the seizure of the property, he and his wife had not been living together. The evidence shows that appellee was “ batching 33 and farming, and clearly that he was not the head of a family, residing with the same, and was only entitled to the exemptions allowed a single man. By his “ selections35 it is apparent that he attempted to make sure of his exemptions as a single man and the additional $300 worth of property allowed to the head of a family, residing with the same, if he could do so. It is clear that the property scheduled and not selected and also the property contained in the “ second selection33 was liable to the execution, and the question arises as to whether it was appellee’s duty to deliver to the constable, upon demand therefor, the property liable to the execution, and whether upon his refusal to do so the constable might disregard both selections and levy on property embraced in either or both.

By section 14, chapter on Exemptions, Starr & Curtis’ Annotated Statutes, it is made the duty of an execution debtor desiring to avail himself of the act, to make under oath “ a schedule of all his personal property of every kind and character33 and deliver the same to the _ officer having the execution or file the same with the justice or the court wherein the writ issued, and it is then made the duty of the officer having the execution to cause the property to be fairly and impartially appraised by three householders and the debtor shall then select from the schedule the articles he desires to retain, not exceeding in value the exemptions to which he may be entitled, “ and deliver the remainder to the officer having the writ.”

It will thus be seen by the plain language of the statute that it was the duty of appellee to have delivered to the constable the property not selected at all, and property included in the “ second selection.”

It is contended by counsel for appellee that it was the duty of appellant when notified by appellee of his selection to set off to him the property claimed, and that he was under no obligation to deliver any property to appellant, and further that if it was appellee’s duty to deliver property that was liable to the execution; that duty was performed when no obstacles were interposed in the way of the officer taking the property.

While the evidence in this case does not disclose that any obstacles were interposed by appellee against appellant’s taking property not selected and not exempt, yet it does appear that upon request of appellant, appellee stated to him positively that he would deliver no property. It may be that the delivery required by the statute does not mean the actual moving or transporting of the property, yet we are of the opinion that the execution debtor should by some act, or words at least, authorize or consent to the officer having the writ, taking property not claimed as exempt. After making his selection he must in the language of the statute “ deliver the remainder to the officer having the writ.” This appellee did not do when he expressly stated to the officer that he “ would not turn out. anything.” The mere assumption of a passive attitude in not putting any obstacles in the way of the officer having the writ, in taking possession of property not exempt, is not a compliance with the requirements of the statute.

In Udell v. Howard, 28 Ill. App. 124, Udell was sheriff, and by virtue of an execution against Howard levied on certain articles of personal property. Afterward Howard presented to the officer a schedule of all his personal property and claimed his exemptions as the head of a family. The sheriff caused the property to be appraised, and the valuation placed upon it was near $1,300. At the time the appraisal was made the officer having the writ inquired of Howard what he wanted to select for his exemptions. He named over nearly $400 worth of the property levied upon and asked the officer to give him enough of 375 bushels of oats levied upon to make up the balance. The officer believing he had no right to divide the oats the matter was dropped without a selection being completed, and the property all left at Howard’s place. Afterward and before advertising the property levied on for sale, the officer went to Howard’s house and told him he had come to see him about his exemptions, and inquired if he was ready to turn out the balance of the property in the schedule. Howard replied, “ I am not prepared to do it now.” The officer then stated that he would have to do it then, if at all, for he ivas going to advertise the property for sale, and thereupon proceeded to do so and subsequently sold the property. Howard then brought suit against the sheriff to recover the statutory penalty for selling exempt property, and the court say :

“ He (Howard) must be the actor and turn out or offer to turn out all his property not selected, thus bringing himself within the provisions of the statute.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
110 Ill. App. 611, 1903 Ill. App. LEXIS 669, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-larcade-illappct-1903.