Kentucky Bonding Co. v. Commonwealth

199 S.W. 807, 178 Ky. 605, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 444
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJanuary 11, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 199 S.W. 807 (Kentucky Bonding Co. v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kentucky Bonding Co. v. Commonwealth, 199 S.W. 807, 178 Ky. 605, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 444 (Ky. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Chief Justice Settle

Dismissing appeal.

Following the return of an indictment in the criminal division of the Jefferson circuit court charging him with grand larceny, Ed Houlihan, being in custody of the-court, was admitted to bail in the sum of $800.00 for his. appearance therein September 18,1916. A. bail bond was-thereupon executed for Houlihan by the appellant, Kentucky Bonding Company, a domestic corporation of this, state having its chief office in the city of Louisville, in the sum of $300.00, conditioned as required by the order of the court. The bond is in words and figures as follows :

“Ed Houlihan being in custody and being admitted to bail in the sum of $300.00, Kentucky Bonding Company hereby undertakes that the above named Ed Houlihan shall appear in the Jefferson circuit court, criminal division, on the 18th day of September, 1916, to answer an indictment against him for the offense of grand larceny and shall at all times render himself amenable to the orders and process of said court in the prosecution of said charge, and if convicted shall render himself in execution thereof, or if he fail in the performance of either of said conditions, that Kentucky Bonding Company will pay to the Commonwealth of Kentucky the sum of $300.00.
“(Signed) Kentucky Bonding Co., Inc.-
“By Frank A. Douglas, Vice-President and General Manager.
“June 22, 1916.
“Attest.
' “Frank Dugan,
“By Jos. H. Heenan, D. C.”

[607]*607Houlihan failed to appear on the 18th day of September, 1916, in accordance with the covenants of his bond and the court thereupon forfeited the bond and directed the issuance of a bench warrant against him. By the same order summons was directed to be issued on the forfeiture “against Frank A. Douglas and Kentucky Bond Co.,” returnable November 6th, 1916, on which date the matter was set for hearing. On the 20th day of September, 1916, a summons was issued by the clerk directed to the sheriff of Jefferson county, which commanded him “to summon Frank A. Douglas, general manager, Kentucky Bonding Co., to appear before the judge of the Jefferson circuit court, criminal division, at the courthouse in the city of Louisville on the 6th day of November, 1916, to show cause, if any he has or can, why the Commonwealth shall not have judgment and execution against him, etc.,” for the amount of the bond and because of the conditions thereof. The following return upon the summons shows the manner in which it was served:

“Executed September 23,1916, on Frank A. Douglas, General Manager, Kentucky Bonding Co., by delivering him a copy within summons.
“(Signed) C. J. Cronan, S. J. C.,
“By E. J. Huetchkeb, D. S.”

November 13, 1916, a response to- the above summons was filed in open court by Frank A. Douglas, “Vice-President and General Manager of Kentucky Bonding Company,” in which was admitted the failure of Houlihan to appear in answer to the indictment at the time fixed by the bail bond for such appearance, but alleged that following his release by the execution of the bond Houlihan was placed under arrest by the civil authorities of the city of Detroit, Michigan, and later imprisoned for .some offense committed in that city; and that if allowed a respite of thirty days on the bond the respondent could, as he believed, in that time, procure the arrest of Houlihan, his release from the Detroit authorities and return to the city of Louisville for trial under the indictment pending against him in the criminal division of the Jefferson circuit court. To this response the Commonwealth’s attorney filed a demurrer in behalf of the Commonwealth, which the court sustained. After sustaining ihe demurrer the court entered the following judgment:

“Tbe forfeiture proceedings coming up for a hearing and defendant, Douglas, having filed a statement in the [608]*608above styled case and the court being sufficiently advised,, it is ordered by the court that judgment be given the Commonwealth. It is, therefore, considered and adjudged by the court that the Commonwealth of Kentucky recover from the defendant the sum of $300.00 with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent; per annum from this date until paid and also the costs herein expended, and may have execution therefor; to which defendant excepts and. asks for sixty days in which to file a bill of exceptions. ’ ’'

■ The above judgment, which was entered November 20, 1916, was rendered against Douglas alone. On January 4, 1917, the court, apparently upon its own motion,, entered the following additional judgment:

“The judgment of November 20, 1916, is modified so-as to read as follows:
“The court being sufficiently advised on the proceedings upon the forfeited bail bond herein, it is adjudged that the Commonwealth of Kentucky recover of the Kentucky Bonding Company, the obligor in said bail bond,, the sum of $300.00 with interest at six per cent, per annum from the 20th day of November, 1916, until paid,. and its costs herein expended.....Sixty days is given the Kentucky.Bonding, Company to file a bill of exceptions hereto.”

From that judgment the Kentucky Bonding Company has appealed.

It is appellant’s contention that the judgment complained of is void because the circuit court was without-' jurisdiction to render it, as there was no issuance against it of a summons upon the forfeiture taken of the bail bond, or service upon it of snch summons. The soundness of this contention is manifest. Although the due execution of the bail bond by appellant through Douglas, its vice-president and general manager, is not denied, it will be seen from the language of the order declaring its forfeiture that such forfeiture was not taken as to the appellant; and a reading of the summons awarded by the court upon the- forfeiture and issued by the clerk will likewise show that it was not issued against or executed upon appellant. Frank A. Douglas is alone named therein and in the return showing its service as the per-! son directed to be served with the process. It is' true-. Douglas is described as “General Manager”’of appellant, but this was an erroneous description. . His connection with appellant was as its vice-president and gen-[609]*609oral manager, and such was his official title. In this official capacity he executed the bond in question, signing appellant’s corporate name thereto, followed by his own as its vice-president and general manager. The issuance against or service on him in his official capacity of the summons, did not constitute a legal service thereof on the appellant. In order to make its service effective as to the appellant, the summons must have been issued! against it in its corporate name, “Kentucky Bonding Company, ’ ’ and executed upon it as such by the delivery of a copy thereof to its agent upon whom the Civil Code;, section 51, sub-section 3, authorized its service. If, therefore, the summons had been issued against appellant and Frank A. Douglas was the proper agent through whom to eff ect.its service upon it, the return of the officer 'should have been made in substance, as follows: “Executed September 23, 1916, on the defendant, Kentucky Bonding Company, by delivering a copy of the within summons to Frank A.

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Bluebook (online)
199 S.W. 807, 178 Ky. 605, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kentucky-bonding-co-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1918.