Leaverton v. Albert

81 A. 601, 116 Md. 252, 1911 Md. LEXIS 69
Court of Appeals of Maryland·Decided June 23, 1911·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Burke, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

On the 6th of January, 1910, a judgment by confession for the sum of nine hundred and sixteen dollars and sixty- *253 eight cents, with interest from that date and costs, with a stay of execution until August 15th, 1910, was entered in the Supeidor Court of Baltimore City against the appellant in favor of the appellee. On August 12th, 1910, three days before tbe expiration of the stay, the appellee filed a motion to strike out the judgment. On the day the motion was filed a writ of fieri facias was issued upon the judgment, but subsequently, upon petition, the Court passed an order restraining execution. On November 5th, 1910, after hearing testimony upon the motion, the motion was overruled by the Court. It is important on this appeal to understand the precise reasons upon which the appellant relied in support of the motion to strike out the judgment. These are set forth in the petition which she filed in the Court below, which is as follows:

“1. That on or about the 6th day of January, 1910, the defendant herein signed a note representing the sum of $916.68, and on the same date a judgment by confession was duly recorded in favor of Anton J. Albert, the plaintiff herein, for $916.68.

2. That the defendant alleges and avers that she is not indebted and never was indebted to the said Anton J. Albert in the sum of $916.68 with accrued interest thereon amounting to $31.38, or any other sum of money; that said Anton J. Albert never gave any adequate consideration or good or valuable consideration for said note; that the said Matilda Leaverton never received any consideration whatsoever for said note; but that the said Anton J. Albert took advantage of the youth and inexperience of the said Matilda Leaverton, who has just passed the age of maturity, whereby he obtained said note and confessed judgment, which this Honorable Court should strike out and set aside.

3. That said note and confessed judgment aforesaid were wrongfully and fraudulently obtained, and that knowledge of the fraudulent circumstances, the purposes and transactions of the said Anton J. Albert in the premises have quite recently come to the notice of the said Matilda Leaverton, so much so, that the said transaction was found to be fraudulent and is con *254 trary to equity and good conscience, and that the said Anton' J. Albert should be required to render an account of his transactions with the said Matilda Leaverton, who should also be granted a hearing in órder that this Honorable Court may ascertain how he obtained the aforesaid judgment by confession, because the said Matilda Leaverton is not bona fide and justly indebted to the said Anton J. Albert; that she was given no money or other consideration by Anton J. Albert for said note, because the said Matilda Leaverton is not indebted to the said Anton J. Albert in the sum of $916.68 with $34.38 accrued interest thereon, or any part thereof.

Because the said note was procured by fraud and duress.

Because the said judgment by confession was procured by fraud, deceit, duress and irregularity.

Because the said Anton J. Albert refuses and declines to render an account showing the method and procedure whereby he obtained the confessed judgment aforesaid.

Because said confessed judgment was not the free and voluntary act of the said Matilda Leaverton.”

On November 10th, 1910, the appellee filed a bill in the Circuit Court of Baltimore City, in which she prayed: (1) That the appellant may be required to answer the bill under oath; (2) that the judgment be vacated and declared void; (3) that the appellant, his attorney and agents, be enjoined from further proceedings in the matter of the judgment until .the final adjudication of the cause, and for other and further-relief.

The grounds upon which the appellant relied for the relief prayed for are subsequently the same as those set up in the motion to strike out the judgment, except in two particulars. The additional reasons appear in the sixth and seventh paragraphs of the bill as follows:

“Sixth. That in making up the amount of said claim in.the alleged judgment by confession there were large sums of usurious interest charged, which fact has been quite recently brought to the knowledge of your Oratrix.
Seventh. That your Oratrix is informed and she avers that the actual amount of indebtedness by her mother to said defend *255 ant upon which said judgment is based is, to wit, about $360.00, instead a£ the sum of $916.68 with interest thereon, which said sum of $360.00 your Oratrix is prepared to pay.”

A preiiminary injunction was issued upon the bill. The defendant answered denying all the material averments of the bill, and moved for a dissolution of the injunction. The testimony upon this motion was taken in open Court before Judge Niles, who dissolved the injunction, and held that upon the evidence contained in this record, “that the plaintiffs have had their day in Court. The whole case which is made on their behalf before me was made, or might have been made when the same parties asked Judge Harlan in the Superior Court in the exercise of the quasi equitable jurisdiction of that Court to strike out the judgment.” This appeal was taken from the order dissolving the injunction.

The record shows that the same testimony and none other was given in support of the allegations of the bill in this case as was given in support of the motion to strike out the judgment, which the plaintiff in these proceedings seeks to have vacated and set aside.

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Leaverton v. Albert, 81 A. 601, 116 Md. 252, 1911 Md. LEXIS 69 (Md. 1911).

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