Kahn v. Minthorn

144 N.W. 859, 178 Mich. 312, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 727
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 5, 1914
DocketDocket No. 25
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 144 N.W. 859 (Kahn v. Minthorn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kahn v. Minthorn, 144 N.W. 859, 178 Mich. 312, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 727 (Mich. 1914).

Opinion

McAlvay, C. J.

Plaintiff, on October 13, 1910, in justice’s court, commenced suit by attachment against the principal defendant, Joshua Minthorn, upon a certain judgment, and summoned Rogers Bros., a corporation, as garnishee defendant, which, on October 20, 1910, disclosed an indebtedness of $157.41 due the principal defendant under a contract made with him for a crop of peas grown, harvested, and delivered by him to such garnishee defendant. On October 31st following, intervener, John Sloan, served a notice on the garnishee defendant, as follows:

“I hereby notify you that by written assignment made on or about the 30th day of September, A. D. 1910, that I have acquired the interest of Joshua Minthorn in a certain contract made between you and said Joshua Minthorn for the growing of. peas in the township of Mikado in Alcona county.’

Which on the following day the garnishee defendant sent by mail to the justice, who thereupon under the statute notified John Sloan to appear and defend his said claim before his court on December 1, 1910. This notice was duly served November 17, 1910. On December 1st the parties appeared before the justice, and issue was joined between the plaintiff and claimant John Sloan, who, with his plea of the general issue, gave notice of an assignment of the funds in the hands of garnishee defendant from the principal defendant, Joshua Minthorn, to him, and plaintiff also gave notice that such assignment was void because made subsequently to the service of summons on the garnishee defendant. The garnishee defendant, [314]*314under the statute, paid the . fund in its hands into justice’s court and the case proceeded to a trial between the plaintiff and Sloan, the claimant. From a judgment rendered in the justice’s court an appeal was taken to the circuit court for Alcona county and tried upon the same issue joined in justice’s court between Kahn and Sloan and resulted in a judgment in favor of plaintiff Kahn that he recover the amount of the fund in the hands of the justice paid into court by the garnishee defendant, together with costs of suit to be taxed. Before the case was submitted to the jury, a motion was made by the claimant Sloan for a directed verdict, which was denied. Later, on motion of plaintiff, objected to by claimant, this judgment was amended permitting him to recover such costs from John Sloan, intervening defendant, to be taxed, and that he have execution therefor against him. Claimant Sloan made a motion for a new trial. This motion was denied, and error is assigned upon such denial. The intervening defendant and claimant Sloan has removed the case to this court for review.

The errors which he has assigned and relies upon in his brief which will be considered relate:

(1) To the admission of certain testimony; (2)’to the refusal of the court to direct a verdict in his behalf; and (3) to portions of the charge of the court.

No question is raised in the record or in appellant’s brief attacking the validity of plaintiff’s judgment against principal defendant Joshua Minthorn, nor as to the regularity of any of the proceedings had in justice’s court in garnishment, or as to the sufficiency of the pleadings of the parties thereto. The case was tried in the circuit court before a jury upon the same pleadings and issue as in justice’s court. The record shows that the claimant and intervener, Sloan, was represented upon the trial by the counsel who represent him in this court, who assumed of their own accord the affirmative of the issue there presented, and [315]*315as for a plaintiff introduced all of the evidence for and on behalf of said claimant and rested his case. The record further shows that after claimant’s witnesses had testified plaintiff Kahn, who was also represented by the same attorney who represents him in this court, introduced .the testimony on his part, as if he were a defendant.

The appellant has, in his printed record, made it appear that this was intended to be the relation of these parties to the issue by placing in the index before the names of the witnesses for claimant, “Plaintiff’s (intervening' defendant) witnesses,” and before the name of the witnesses of the opposite party, “Defendant’s (plaintiff in original suit) witnesses.” That this was the understanding of the parties and so accepted by the trial court appears distinctly from the charge given to the jury wherein it is repeatedly stated that the plaintiff is John Sloan and the defendant is Joseph Kahn.

We have thought it proper to give the foregoing statement of the attitude of the parties as to the issue during the trial, as bearing upon a contention of appellant relative to the question of the burden of proof in the case.

We will first consider the errors assigned upon the reception of certain testimony. Two of these assignments relate to questions asked claimant Sloan on his cross-examination bearing upon the proposition whether the assignment from Minthorn of the amount due him from Rogers Bros, was taken as payment in full for the amount due him or as security. When these questions were asked and allowed in evidence, the attorney for Mr. Kahn was undertaking to show that the assignment made to Sloan was given as security and, not having been filed, was void as against creditors. Later, at the close of the case, before it was given to the jury, the question was again discussed, and the court stated that he would not submit [316]*316the question of security to the jury, but would submit the case solely upon the question of assignment. The court so charged the jury. This, in effect, struck out all of the testimony introduced upon that question, and no request was tendered by appellant for a specific instruction that it be disregarded by the jury. If any error was committed, it was cured by taking such testimony from the consideration of the jury. Barnett v. Insurance Co., 115 Mich. 247-254 (73 N. W. 372).

The two other errors assigned upon the admission of testimony relate to statements made by defendant Minthorn long after the date of the claimed assignment to an attorney, in the presence of a witness, relative to a disposition of the peas by some scheme to save them for him, and is claimed as affirmative proof. This occurred upon the examination of this witness, and it is claimed to be material as bearing upon the question as to when the assignment was made, showing how Minthorn treated this property. The objection to these questions made at the time were that they were leading, and the testimony overheard while Minthorn was in conversation with his attorney was privileged. The objections now made are that the conversation was not in the presence of Sloan, and, further, that no collusion had yet been shown to have existed between them. The record shows that no exception was taken to the ruling of the court on one of these questions; but whether an exception was taken or not is immaterial, for the reason that an objection to evidence not stated on the trial cannot be made for the first time in this court. Weeks v. Hutchinson, 135 Mich. 160, 162 (97 N. W. 695), and cases cited.

. Error is assigned upon the refusal of the court to direct a verdict in appellant’s behalf at the close of the testimony in the case upon the ground that there was no evidence in the case disputing claimant’s proof [317]*317to be submitted to the jury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 N.W. 859, 178 Mich. 312, 1914 Mich. LEXIS 727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kahn-v-minthorn-mich-1914.