Leman v. Cunningham

85 P. 212, 12 Idaho 135, 1906 Ida. LEXIS 25
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 2, 1906
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 85 P. 212 (Leman v. Cunningham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leman v. Cunningham, 85 P. 212, 12 Idaho 135, 1906 Ida. LEXIS 25 (Idaho 1906).

Opinion

STOCKSLAGER, C. J.

Appellant, as receiver for J. M. Wanzer & Co., commenced his action in the district court of Ada county against respondent as defendant. It is shown by the complaint that a judgment was rendered against respondent and others and in favor of Wanzer & Company on the twenty-second day of April, 1895, in the district court of Lancaster county, Nebraska, for the sum of $1,782.78, no part of which was paid, and that a judgment of revivor was given in said court en October 10, 1905, personal service of the conditional order of revivor having been made upon defendant Cunningham, he appearing by attorney at the time said judgment of revivor was entered. Defendant answered by general denial and further pleaded the statute of limitations under the provisions of section 4051 of the Revised Statutes. The record contains an agreed statement of facts as follows: “1. It is stipulated that plaintiff is the duly appointed, qualified and acting receiver of the original owners of the judgment and is authorized to bring said action in this court. 2. That in August, 1889, at Lincoln, Nebraska, defendant became surety with others on an undertaking on appeal for one John C. Morrissey for the penal sum of $2,000. 3. That on the twenty-second day of April, 1895, in the district court of Lancaster county, Nebraska, a judgment was rendered in favor of Wanzer & Company and against this defendant and others for the sum of $1,782.78, and costs. 4. That said judgment remained unpaid and unsatisfied of the record, and still so remains, and that said judgment became dormant in said state on April 22, 1900, and that thereafter, on May 26, 1905, a conditional order of revivor was duly and personally served upon defendant Richard Cunningham at Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was remaining a few days on legal business as an attorney in a suit pending in said court, which said conditional order [138]*138.... is attached hereto, marked exhibit 2, and made a part hereof; and thereafter such proceedings were had in said court that an order of revivor of said dormant judgment was duly and regularly made and entered in said court on October 10, 1905, by which said dormant judgment was duly revived with costs of said revivor proceedings..... 5. That defendant Cunningham was formerly a resident of the state of Nebraska, and left the state of Nebraska and abandoned his residence therein on August 20, 1897, and removed to Silver City in the state of Idaho, of which said state he became a resident and citizen of the state of Idaho, and has. not been a resident or citizen of Nebraska since August 20, 1897; and that he has resided continuously at his home in Silver City in the state of Idaho ever since September, 1897. That he never concealed his residence nor departed therefrom except on three or four business trips in which he was not absent from the state of Idaho for more than thirty days in all since August 20, 189 — . That he has resided continuously at his said home in Silver City, Idaho, and was there for more than eight years prior to the commencement of this action, and for more than seven and one-half years prior to the service on him of the said conditional order of revivor of said judgment, and prior to the commencement of the said proceedings for the revivor of the said dormant judgment. 6. That no part of said. judgment has been paid either before or since the revivor thereof.”

It is conceded, as well as apparent from the record, that the only question for us to determine is whether this action is barred by the provisions of section 4051 of our Revised Statutes, 1887. It says: “An action upon a judgment or decree of any court of the United States, or of any state or territory within the United States, must be commenced within six years.” The important and controlling question is the effect to be given the order of revivor made by the Nebraska, court on October 10, 1905. If it gives the old judgment new life in Nebraska, it has the same effect in this state.. Learned counsel for appellant insist that the [139]*139proceedings for the revivor of a dormant judgment in Nebraska has the same effect in that state as a new action to keep a judgment from becoming dormant in this state, whilst able counsel who represents the respondent urges that there is a wide distinction in the two remedies. He says Idaho provides a remedy for a new judgment, whilst in Nebraska provision is only made for an order of revivor of the old judgment, and that all proceedings after revivor must date back to the original date, hence the' order of revivor does not aid the appellant in this action, as the record shows that the judgment which appellant seeks to enforce against respondent is barred by, the statute. In Nebraska -the judgment is revived on motion after proper service on the defendant, and after giving him an opportunity to show why such motion should not be granted. In Idaho the remedy is by new action, proper service, and if no sufficient defense is interposed a new judgment is the result. Our attention is not called to any provision of the Nebraska statute providing for a new suit to revive or restore to life a dormant judgment, neither have we any provision in our statute providing for revivor of a dormant judgment. Each state has provided its own way of keeping a judgment alive, but Nebraska has gone further than Idaho in providing a way to restore it to life after it has become dormant. Our statute is a little harsher and more exacting on the judgment creditor.

I have examined a great many authorities cited in this case, but it seems that the construction given the Nebraska statute by the court of last resort of that state should have much weight in determining this case. If the order of revivor had the effect of giving new life to the dormant judgment in Nebraska, to such an extent that it might be enforced in that state against the property of respondent if he had any there, then we think it could be enforced against his property in this state, if the action is commenced here within the life of the order of revivor there. Packer v. Thompson, 25 Neb. 689, 41 N. W. 650, discusses a case very similar to [140]*140the one at bar. The action was brought in the district court of Gage county on a judgment recovered against the plaintiff in error in the state of Iowa. Thompson secured a judgment against Packer in the district court of Clayton county, Iowa, on the twenty-first day of May, 1866. In October, 1886, service was had on Packer while he was temporarily in the state of Iowa, and thereafter the judgment was revived, all of which is alleged to have been in fraud of his rights. A demurrer was sustained to the answer. Mr. Justice Maxwell, speaking for the court, says: “Does the answer state a defense? We think not. It is admitted that the Iowa court in the year 1886 obtained jurisdiction of the plaintiff in error by personal service. The fact that the judgment revived was recovered in 1866 can make no difference. If the plaintiff in error had remained in this state, no action 'could have been brought here on the 1866 judgment, as it is expressly within our statute of limitations, and would be barred in five years. (Code, sec. 10.) Where, however, the plaintiff in error voluntarily went into the state of Iowa, and service was had upon him there, he must contest his rights in the tribunals of that state, and if a judgment of revivor is obtained against him there, and an action brought on such judgment in this state within five years from the time of its rendition, our statute of limitations will not constitute a defense. Neither can we retry the merits of the case in this state.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
85 P. 212, 12 Idaho 135, 1906 Ida. LEXIS 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leman-v-cunningham-idaho-1906.