Kiefer v. Schoffstall

69 Pa. D. & C. 478, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 333
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clinton County
DecidedNovember 25, 1949
Docketno. 55
StatusPublished

This text of 69 Pa. D. & C. 478 (Kiefer v. Schoffstall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Clinton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kiefer v. Schoffstall, 69 Pa. D. & C. 478, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 333 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1949).

Opinion

Hipple, P. J.,

On February 8, 1949, plaintiff, by his attorneys, filed with the prothonotary a statement and confession in the following form:

“To Fred Tyson, Esq., Prothonotary of said Court:

“Enter Judgment in the above stated case upon the default clause contained in the lease hereto attached marked exhibit A and made part of this proceedings, by virtue of the warrant of Attorney contained in said lease contract and assess the plaintiff’s damages sec. [479]*479reg. as the same are liquidated in this statement and confession of Judgment: and likewise assess the costs and attorney’s commission as the same appear liquidated herein.
“And the plaintiff avers that on the 10th day of July, A. D. 1947, he entered into a lease contract with the defendant’s, Clarence J. Schoffstall, Clarence P. Schoffstall and James J. Burns, a copy of which is hereto attached and made part of these pleadings.
“And the plaintiff avers that the defendants have defaulted in the payment of royalties to him in the amount of sixteen hundred seventy-four dollars and eighty-six cents ($1674.86), which amount is past due and is owing and payable to him, the plaintiff, in which said amount the said defendants have been in default since October, 1948.
“And the plaintiff avers that the defendants owe him royalty under the provisions of the lease hereto attached as follows:
“Amount of royalty due under the terms of the lease contract...............$1674.86
“Collection fee 15 % .................. 251.23
$1926.09
“ARTHUR C. DALE Arthur C. Dale, Att. for Plf.
“DAVID L. BAIRD David L. Baird, Per A. C. D.
“WILLIAM HOLLIS William Hollis”

No affidavit setting forth the nature of the default or the manner in which the royalties or rent alleged to be due was liquidated, executed either by plaintiff or by any one of his counsel was attached to or made part of the statement and confession.

The lease, dated July 10, 1947, attached to this paper as exhibit A and made part thereof, was executed [480]*480between Robert F. Kiefer, whose address is given as Clearfield County, as the first party, and the three defendants, doing business as the S. B. & S. Coal Company of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, as the second party.

The default clause in this lease is as follows:

“In the event of default of the payment of royalties by the parties of the second part or upon failure of the parties of the second part to keep all the covenants of this lease, then the said parties of the second part, hereby authorize any practicing attorney of any Court of Record in Pennsylvania to appear in Court and confess a judgment in an amicable action of ejectment for the premises above described and authorize the immediate issuance of a writ of Habere Facias Possessionem with clause of Fieri Facias for costs and rent due, and attorney’s .commission of 15 % without asking leave of Court.”

On February 8, 1949, the prothonotary assessed plaintiff’s damages in the following manner upon the second page of the statement and confession:

“I assess the plaintiff’s damages as follows:
“Amount of Royalty due Plaintiff......$1674.86
“Collection fee 15 °/o................. 251.23
$1926.09
“FRED S. TYSON,
“Prothonotary.”

On February 8, 1949, the prothonotary entered the following judgment:

“Judgment in favor of the Plaintiff and against the Defendant for the sum of $1926.09, by virtue of a warrant contained in a single bill dated July 10,1947, payable -, with interest, costs of suit, release of error, waiving stay of execution, inquisition and exemption laws as per lease filed.”

[481]*481On February 18, 1949, the attorneys for plaintiff filed with the prothonotary the following praecipe:

“To Fred S. Tyson, Prothonotary:

“Issue Writ of Scire Facias returnable the fourth Monday of April (April 25th) 1949.”

This was signed by plaintiff’s attorneys.

Upon this praecipe the prothonotary issued not a writ of scire facias as directed therein but a writ of fieri facias, returnable the fourth Monday of April 1949 in pursuance of which various items of personal property of defendants were levied upon.

On March 3, 1949, defendants filed a petition to strike off the judgment and set aside the execution for the following reasons:

1. That the judgment as confessed was for a money judgment rather than for a judgment in ejectment as provided for in the lease;

2. That the statement and confession fails to set forth in detail how the alleged amounts due were arrived at, and how the royalties alleged to be due were computed;

3. That the judgment confession clause provides for a judgment in ejectment only in the event of a default and since the alleged default was in the payment of royalties and since the lease does not fix a place at which the rental or royalties were to be paid, plaintiff has failed to show that there has in fact been a default, inasmuch as he is required to show and allege a demand of the precise rent due on the very day on which it becomes due on the most notorious place on the land;

4. That the prmcipe provided for a writ of scire facias, where a writ of fieri facias was issued and hence there was no authorization for the issuance of a writ of fieri facias and the consequent levy thereon; and

5. In any event, there was no authority for the issuance of a writ of fieri facias, for by the terms of the [482]*482lease only a writ of habere facias possessionem with a clause of fieri facias could be issued.

Plaintiff filed an answer to this petition admitting that the judgment was entered in the manner above set forth, but averring that this entry did not conform with the terms of the praecipe directed to the prothonotary nor to the terms of the lease agreement made part of the statement and confession, that plaintiff is entitled under the terms of the statement and confession to a judgment in an amicable action of ejectment with the issuance of a writ of habere facias possessionem, with clause of fieri facias for costs and rent due, that the prothonotary did assess the damages as liquidated in the praecipe and entered the liquidated amount as a judgment, that the judgment was entered on a praecipe and not on a statement of confession, and should have been entered, upon the direction of the praecipe, in ejectment, that the prothonotary did issue a writ of fieri facias, although not specifically asked for, but that this writ was authorized by defendants in the default clause, and generally denying that the proceedings are void and averring that he is entitled to a judgment as provided in the default clause of the lease nunc pro tunc.

Plaintiff also filed a petition to amend the judgment so as to have the judgment one in ejectment for the undivided interest in the land described in the lease contract.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
69 Pa. D. & C. 478, 1949 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kiefer-v-schoffstall-pactcomplclinto-1949.