Lasher v. Carey

182 Ill. App. 147, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 397
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 9, 1913
DocketGen. No. 18,337
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 182 Ill. App. 147 (Lasher v. Carey) 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
Lasher v. Carey, 182 Ill. App. 147, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 397 (Ill. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Gridley

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Cook county, discharging Wilson Carey,, appellee, from the custody of the sheriff of Cook county. The judgment was entered upon his application for release under the provisions of the “Act concerning Insolvent Debtors.” (J. & A. ¶¶ 6198-6233.)

On January 4, 1909, the appellant, C. W. Lasher, commenced a tort action against the appellee in the Municipal Court of Chicago. Appellant’s statement of claim filed in that action was as follows: “Plaintiff’s claim is for the proceeds of two checks aggregating $107.30, drawn by the plaintiff, payable to the order of E. T. Stokes, and delivered to the defendant, for the purpose of payment of an open account due from the plaintiff to the said E. T. Stokes and which checks the defendant cashed and fraudulently and tortiously appropriated to his own use and has failed to account therefor. ’ ’

On March 5,1909, Carey was served with summons, and he subsequently entered his appearance in said action. The cause was tried before a jury, and on June 3, 1909, they returned the following verdict: “We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as alleged in plaintiff’s statement of claim and assess the plaintiff’s damages at the sum of one hundred and seven and 30-100 dollars ($107.30) in tort.”

On June 18, 1909, after overruling motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment, the Municipal Court entered judgment against Carey on said verdict, and directed that an execution issue. Carey was given thirty days in which to file a bill of exceptions, and the stay of execution bond was fixed at three hundred dollars. It does not appear that any bill of exceptions or stay of execution bond was ever filed in said Municipal Court.

On September 13, 1911, there'was filed in the office of the clerk of the Municipal Court a written assignment of said judgment, dated September 12, 1911, signed, sealed and acknowledged by said Lasher, in which it appeared that Lasher, in consideration of the $53.65 to him paid, had sold and assigned to Raymond W. Stevens, and his assigns, the said judgment ‘6 and any and all sum and sums of money that may be had or obtained by means thereof, or on any proceedings to be had thereupon;” and in which it further appeared that Lasher had appointed Stevens, and Stevens’ executors, administrators and assigns, his true and lawful attorney, for him and in his name, but for Stevens’ sole use and benefit and at Stevens’ own costs and charges, “to ask, demand, and receive, and sue out executions, and other ivrits, and take all lawful ways for the recovery of the money due, or to become due, on the said judgment, and, on payment, to acknowledge satisfaction, or discharge the same, * * * hereby ratifying’ and confirming all that his said attorney, or substitute, shall lawfully do in the premises; ’ ’ and in which it further appeared that Lasher covenanted that there was due on said judgment the sum of $107.30, and that he would not collect or receive the same, nor release or discharge the judgment but would “own and allow all laivful proceedings therein,” Stevens saving Lasher harmless of and from any costs and charges in the premises.

On September 18, 1911, the appellee, Carey, filed his petition in the County Court for Ms release in wMch he alleged that he “has been arrested under a writ of Ga. 8a. issued by Homer K. Galpin, clerk of the Municipal Court of Chicago, in favor of C. W. Lasher for the sum of $107.30, and is now in the custody of the sheriff of said county of Cook, under and by virtue of said writ, and is desirous of releasing his body from such arrest or imprisonment by delivering up his property.” On the same day he presented his appearance bond in the penal sum of two hundred fifty dollars, conditioned for his subsequent appearance before the county court, which bond was approved, and he was released subject to the conditions of the bond, and the cause was continued.

On October 6/ 1911, the appellant, Lasher, filed an answer to said petition in wMch'he averred that said writ of Ga 8a. under which Carey was arrested, was issued upon said judgment of the Municipal Court against Carey; that said judgment was rendered in a cause in which malice on the part of Carey was of the gist of the action; that that fact was res adjudicata between the parties; and that inasmuch as the question of malice was settled by said judgment Carey was not entitled to be discharged and that the petition should be dismissed.

Subsequently a hearing was had, at which time a transcript of the record of said cause in the Municipal Court, certified by the clerk of that court as being a “true, perfect and complete” transcript, was introduced in evidence, and Lasher objected to the taking of any verbal testimony on behalf of Carey in support of the latter’s petition for a discharge, on the ground that malice was the gist of the action in the cause in the Municipal Court (in which cause judgment had been entered and the writ of Ga. 8a. issued thereon) and that the fact that malice was the gist of that action could be determined by an inspection of said transcript of the record, and was res adjudicata. The objection was overruled, and exception'taken, and Carey testified at length in his own behalf, after which Lasher also testified. In the view we take of the case it is unnecessary to comment on the testimony of these two witnesses. Suffice it to say that it was quite conflicting. At the close of the evidence appellant moved to exclude all the testimony offered except said transcript of the record of the Municipal Court, which motion was overruled and appellant excepted. The Court thereupon, on October 19, 1911, ordered and adjudged, it appearing that Carey had made a full, fair and complete schedule of his assets and an account of his liabilities, that Carey be released from arrest and be discharged from the custody of the sheriff and that the costs of the proceeding be taxed against Lasher and that Carey have execution therefor, to the entry of which judgment Lasher excepted and prayed an appeal to this court, which was allowed upon the “arresting credit- or” filing within sixty days a bill of exceptions and bond in the sum of two hundred dollars with sureties to be approved by the court.

On November 23, 1911, appellant filed a bill of exceptions and an appeal bond, which bond was approved by the court. The bond was signed by “Charles W. Lasher, by Raymond W. Stevens, his attorney in fact,” as principal, and by James W. Stevens, as surety.

When malice is the gist of the action, an insolvent debtor is not entitled to his discharge under the provisions of the “Act concerning Insolvent Debtors.” (J. & A. ¶¶ 6198-6233.) Jernberg v. Mix, 199 Ill. 254; First Nat. Bank of Flora v. Burkett, 101 Ill. 391; People v. Greer, 43 Ill. 213. Whether or not malice is the gist of a civil action is to be determined from an inspection of the record in that action; (Jernberg v. Mix, supra; Biebel v. Kuttnauer, 147 Ill. App. 627, 629) and particularly from the allegations of the declaration; (People v. Healy, 128 Ill. 9; Penoyer v. People, 105 Ill. App. 481; Kellar, Ettinger & Fink v. Norton, 228 Ill. 356), and, where the action is in the Municipal Court of Chicago, particularly from the statement of claim there filed. Rex. v. People, 166 Ill. App. 607. And where malice is the gist of such a civil action the judgment therein is conclusive of the question of malice ana is res adjudícala. Jernberg v.

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182 Ill. App. 147, 1913 Ill. App. LEXIS 397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lasher-v-carey-illappct-1913.