Madison v. Piper

53 P. 395, 6 Idaho 137, 1898 Ida. LEXIS 36
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMay 26, 1898
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 53 P. 395 (Madison v. Piper) 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
Madison v. Piper, 53 P. 395, 6 Idaho 137, 1898 Ida. LEXIS 36 (Idaho 1898).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, C. J.

— This is an original proceeding in this ¡court, whereby the plaintiff seeks by certiorari to have reviewed ■and annulled an order made by the district judge in an insolvency proceeding. In November, 1897, the plaintiff was adjudged to be an insolvent debtor.' Subsequently, upon proper ■notice, the creditors met in open court, and elected J. B. West, . Esq., assignee of said insolvent’s estate. It appears that only •two creditors had at the time of said election filed claims •against said insolvent’s estate. The First National Bank of Moscow, being one of said creditors, filed as claims two unse■cured promissory notes; one for $162.50, and one for $171.20. •B further appears that said bank also held a promissory note •■against said insolvent for $872.50, which was secured by a chat"tel mortgage on certain crops of wheat and hay and other property; that on the eighteenth day of January, 1898, said bank 'filed its petition in said district court, which showed that under •said mortgage the insolvent had turned over to the bank about ■one thousand and three and one-half bushels of wheat. It is ¡also alleged that said Madison harvested and kept in his posses■sion a large amount of the hay and grain included in said mortgage, and disposed of the same, and no account thereof had been ■made to said bank. The prayer of said petition is as follows: [140]*140“1. That said Martin Madison shall be required to appear before said court, or the judge thereof, at such time as may be-designated, to answer upon oath as to the amount of grain and hay obtained or grown and harvested from said mortgaged premises for the year 1897; 2. That an order be made herein directing that sale of the wheat now in possession of said corporation above mentioned in such manner as may seem best for the interests of all parties concerned, and the proceeds of such sale-credited upon said promissory notes secured by said chattel mortgage, and for such other and further relief as may seem just and equitable in the matter.” Upon said application an order was made directing the sale of one thousand and three- and one-half bushels of wheat, the warehouse receipts for which were in the hands of said mortgagees, and also ordered that a citation be issued to the plaintiff, Madison, requiring him to-appear before the judge of said court at chambers in the city of' Moscow on the twenty-sixth day of January to answer under-oath in regard to the amount of grain and hay grown and harvested by him in the year 1897 upon the premises described in said chattel mortgage. On the twenty-sixth day of January, 1898, said insolvent appeared as required by the citation aforesaid, and certain testimony was adduced in regard to the hay and grain covered by said chattel mortgage, and the judge-found that said Madison had received four hundred and fifty-eight bushels of wheat, which he had not accounted for to said bank, and that the value of the same was fifty-seven cents per bushel; that he had received twenty tons of hay, worth three dollars per ton, which he had not accounted for to said bank. An order was thereupon made requiring said Madison to account to said bank for four hundred and fifty-eight bushels of wheat, or its market value, fifty-seven cents per bushel, and also-for twenty tons of hay at three dollars per ton. Counsel for the plaintiff, both before and after said order, objected to the making of said order, on the ground that the court had no jurisdiction to make the same. Thereupon the plaintiff made application to this court for a writ of review, which writ was issued, and upon the day fixed for its return the defendants moved to quash the writ on several grounds.

[141]*141The first ground was that the petition did not state facts sufficient to warrant the issuance of said writ. After a careful consideration of the petition, we think its allegations are sufficient to warrant the issuance of the writ.

The second ground of said motion to quash is that the, application for the writ is not made by the party beneficially interested. Counsel cites section 4963 of the Revised Statutes which declares, inter alia: “The application must be made on affidavit by the party beneficially interested.” It is contended that the insolvent is in no wise interested in this matter, and that only the assignee and creditors are, and therefore they only could commence this proceeding. We take it that the insolvent is most vitally interested, especially when an order is made which might prevent his final discharge as an insolvent. If he is unable to comply with the order complained of, and it stands unchallenged, it might prevent his final discharge. The third ground goes to the affidavit. It was made by the attorney for the plaintiff, and it is contended that it must be made by the party beneficially interested. There is nothing in this contention. Section 4963 of the Revised Statutes declares that the application for a writ of review must be made on affidavit by the party beneficially interested. It does not require the verification to be made by the party beneficially interested. The application is the complaint, and it must be made on affidavit, and under section 4199 of the Revised Statutes, the attorney may make the affidavit when the facts are within his knowledge. The attorney states in his affidavit that he knows all of the facts stated in the petition and that he has examined all of the proceedings mentioned in said petition, and that he believes that said court acted without jurisdiction in making said order. The petition shows that the attorney who had examined all of the proceedings complained of would be better acquainted therewith than the client. We think the affidavit sufficient, and under the facts the attorney was authorized to make it.

It is also contended that the order complained of is not finally determined. We are at a loss to know how a matter could be more “finally determined” than this was. The judge entered [142]*142an order directing the insolvent to tnrn over to the bank four hundred and fifty-eight bushels of wheat and twenty tons of hay, or to pay to the bank the value of the same. We think the matter was finally determined, so far as that proceeding was-eoncerned. The motion to quash must be denied.

In answer to said writ the defendants filed herein the entire-record of the proceedings in said matter. But one question is-raised by the return, and that is, Had the court jurisdiction to make said order? It appears that the First National Bank of Moscow had several claims against the plaintiff at the time-he was declared to be an insolvent debtor, two of which were-unsecured, and one or more secured by chattel mortgage. Those not secured were filed against said insolvents estate, and the bank was admitted as a creditor to the extent of their amount.. But the bank had not been admitted as a creditor for said sum of $876.50 secured by said chattel mortgage, nor could it. be admitted as a creditor for said amount unless it released', or conveyed its claim upon the mortgaged property to the as-signee. Section 5911 of the Bevised Statutes, provides as follows: “When a creditor has a mortgage or pledge of real or personal property of the debtor, or a lien thereon, for securing the payment of a debt owing to him from the debtor, he must-be admitted as a creditor only for the balance of the debt,, after dediieting the value of such property, to be ascertained by agreement between him and the assignee, or by a sale thereof, to be made in such manner as the court or judge may direct; or the creditor may release or convey his claim to the,-assignee upon such property and be admitted to prove his whole-debt.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Abell v. Second Judicial District Court
71 P.2d 111 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1937)
Burke Land & Livestock Co. v. Wells, Fargo & Co.
60 P. 87 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1900)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
53 P. 395, 6 Idaho 137, 1898 Ida. LEXIS 36, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/madison-v-piper-idaho-1898.