Jordan v. Petty

5 Fla. 326
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 1, 1853
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 5 Fla. 326 (Jordan v. Petty) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jordan v. Petty, 5 Fla. 326 (Fla. 1853).

Opinion

THOMPSON, J.:

The facts of this case appear to he as follows í

In 1840, a suit was instituted by attachment in the Superior Court of the Apalachicola, District of the Territory of Plorida, for ■ Franklin County, in favor of Thomas Jordan, against Henry C. Petty, Augustus P. Clayton, William Bilbro, John Bilbro, and the respondent,. Bobert A. Ware, as the owners of the steamer Alabama, upon a demand for services; which attachment was levied upon the steamboat in April, 1841. The record states that the defendants appeared by Semines,- Campbell and Stone, their attornies, and pleaded the general issue, and a trial, verdict and judgment were had, but the latter did not specify the names of the defendants, simply stating “ Henry C. Petty, &c,” On the 3d May, 1841, a fieri facias issued on this judgment against all the defendants named in the-writ and declaration, under which a part of the sum recovered was levied, by a sale of the property attached, and was returned nulla Iona as to the residue.

No further action appears to have been had until 1849-, when an alias writ of fieri facias was sued out of the [328]*328Clerk’s office of the Circuit Court for the Western Circuit, sitting in Franklin County, likewise against all the defendants named in the declaration, which writ being levied on the goods of K. A. Wai-e, wás, at the April term, 1849, of the said Circuit Court, quashed on his motion, because of the defect in the judgment entered in April, 1841, only one of the defendants being named therein. At the same April term, 1849, and after the order -was entered quashing the execution, the plaintiff, Jordan, moved the Court for leave to enter up judgment on the verdict rendered in the cause at the April term, 1841, of the Superior Court, “ a sufficient judgment having been omitted to have been entered at the time upon which motion, after argument of counsel for both parties, as the record states, it was ordered that said motion be granted, and that judgment should ■ be then entered up as of the April term, 1841, which was done accordingly.

On the 23d of February, 1850, the plaintiff sued out another writ of fieri facias on the judgment entered up nunc pro time, at the April term, 1849, which was levied on the 9th of February, 1852, upon the goods of the defendant, Ware. On the 10th of February, on a suggestion of illegality or irregularity in the issue of the execution, the same was, by order of the Judge of the Western Circuit, superseded until the ensuing term of the Court, and the goods levied upon surrendered to the defendant, Ware, on stipulation, with security, to abide the judgment of the Court. And at the April term, 1853, the affidavit of illegality was sustained on the ground of irregularity, the execution having- issued without a previous scire facias, sued out, and fiat thereon, and the writ was quashed.

The error assigned here is on the order last mentioned of April term, 1853, and the case rests upon the effect to ho [329]*329given to the entry of judgment, nunc pro tunc, at the April term, 1849.

' The error in entering the judgment of the Court at April term, 1841, it is contended, is a misprison of the Cleric of the Court, and our practice may, possibly, be so considered, although the plaintiff, or his attorney, is not entirely blameless, it being his duty to attend to the entries made by the 'Clerk in his case at the time of making the entry, and if he is not satisfied with it, should bring the matter to the attention of the Court. But this is a matter properly for the consideration of the Court an a motion to enter judgment nunc pro tunc. Here it has been entered, and the propriety of the order directing it, is not before us for review.

The granting of such leave is, in all cases, a matter resting in the sound discretion of the Court. Mr. Tidd, speak? ing of such applications to enter judgment nunc pro tunc, against executors and administrators, says that in granting this indulgence, the Courts will take care that it shall not ■operate to the prejudice of the defendant, by imposing terms upon the plaintiff, as that he shall undertake'not to disturb intermediate payments made by the defendant, or impeach judgments obtained in the interval. 2 Tidd Pr., 933, citing 6 Term Rep. 11, and Lloyd vs. Howell, Admr., H. 37, Geo. III, R. B., 4 Taunt. R., 702. 1 Young & Jer. R. 368. And he also says, that if the defendant dies in vacation, judgment may be entered after his death, as of the preceding term, when he.was living, and it will be a good judgment at common law, as of that term. 2 Tidd Pr., 939. There can be no doubt but that the effect of the judgment entry actually made at the April term, 1849, nunc pro Pionc, is to make the judgment relate back to the April term, 1841, and is to be regarded as a judgment of that term. If this were not so,, and the time of the actual [330]*330entry could be enquired into, the caution which, l,Ir. Tidd says, the Courts always observe, would be a mere idle ceremony, wholly useless and unnecessary. So also the entry of judgment against one who díés in vacation, as of a preceding term when he was alive, would be of little avail to the plaintiff, if the date of actual entry could be enquired into upon a writ of error, coram vobis. The judgment must be regarded, certainly for all purposes of tbe present case, as of the term of April, 1841. It is now contended that, considering this as the date of the judgment, no legal, regular or valid execution issued thereon within three years after the rendition of the judgment; that the plaintiff should have sued out a scire facias quare emecutionem non, to obtain bis writ of fierifacias ; and having sued out the writ on the 23d of February, 1350,, without such revival, it was irregular and properly quashed.

At common lav/ if, in a personal action, the plaintiff suffered his judgment to lie for a year and a day without suing out an execution, he could not do so afterwards, but was put to his action of debt upon the judgment. This inconvenience was remedied by the Statute Westm. 2, (13 Ed. I,) c. 46, which gave the plaintiff a scwe facias in such, case, to revive the judgment, and obtain execution thereon.

Our statute has extended this time to three years. The general rule here, therefore, is that if the plaintiff does not sue out his execution -within the time of three years after the rendition of his judgment, he must, in order to obtain the fruits thereof, adopt either his common law remedy, of an action upon the judgment, or a scire facias under the statute.

This general rule,-however, is to be understood with some exceptions, among which is this : When a fieri facias or other writ of execution is taken out, within tbe time limited, and not executed, a new writ of execution may be [331]*331sued out at any time afterwards, without a scire facias, provided the first writ be returned and filed. 2 Tidd Pr., 1104, citing 2 Wils. R., 82; Barnes Notes 213, S. C. Is not this case within the exception? An execution was sued out on the 3d day of May, 1841, within the regular time after judgment, which has not been executed, and which has been returned and filed in the office. It is said the writ is irregular, because it is upon a judgment against several persons jointly, and the judgment of 1841, when it was issued, ivas against Henry C. Petty only. But the answer to this is obvious.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Fla. 326, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jordan-v-petty-fla-1853.