Morrill County v. Bliss

249 N.W. 98, 125 Neb. 97, 89 A.L.R. 932, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 167
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 16, 1933
DocketNo. 28711
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 249 N.W. 98 (Morrill County v. Bliss) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrill County v. Bliss, 249 N.W. 98, 125 Neb. 97, 89 A.L.R. 932, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 167 (Neb. 1933).

Opinion

Day, J.

This is a suit for an accounting brought by Morrill county as a depositor of the Bridgeport bank, on its own behalf and on behalf of all other depositors similarly situated, against the members and agents of the guaranty fund commission of the state of Nebraska. The guaranty fund commission took possession of the assets and business of the Bridgeport bank on the 15th day of May, 1925, and ran it as a going concern until the 8th of September, 1927, during which period new deposits were solicited and accepted, new loans were made, the bank’s paper was discounted, deposits were withdrawn, and all the functions of a bank were performed. It is alleged by the plaintiff that, while the bank was so operated, a large amount of deposits were withdrawn, creating an unlawful preference between depositors, the amount of which is unknown to plaintiff and only ascertainable by an accounting. The plaintiff further alleges that, during this period of operation by the guaranty fund commission, certain set-offs were permitted, and moneys, which were in fact loans and therefore general claims, were withdrawn, and that the bank was, in fact, unlawfully liquidated while unlawfully operated as a going concern.

The gist of the action pleaded by plaintiff is summarized in the petition as follows: “That by reason of the [100]*100foregoing facts the assets of said bank placed in charge of the defendants who. were members, officers and agents of the guaranty fund commission * * * have become exhausted and depleted in a sum in excess of $300,000, which sum, had said assets been properly conserved and legally administered, would have been available to the discharge of the indebtedness of said bank to this plaintiff and all other depositors and creditors similarly situated.” The trial court found in favor of defendants and entered a decree in conformity to its finding, from which plaintiff appeals.

This is the second appeal filed in this case. The first appeal was taken from a decree entered February 9, 1932, and a motion for new trial, filed within three days, was overruled May 9, 1932. Defendants filed motion to dismiss this appeal for that no cost bond had been- filed and no cash deposit to cover costs or supersedeas bond had been filed as required by section 20-1914, Comp. St. 1929.1 It appearing from the transcript that no cost bond had been filed within 90 days from the final order, as provided by statute, in conformity to the rule announced by this court in Greb v. Hansen, 123 Neb. 426, the former appeal was dismissed September 26, 1932, for lack of jurisdiction.

On August 29, 1932, during the May, 1932, term of court, the trial judge in Morrill county, not at the county seat but at Bayard, set aside the order of May 9, 1932, overruling motion for new trial, and the motion was again submitted to him and overruled. Later, on September 14, 1932, the court at Bridgeport, the county seat of Morrill county, again set aside the order of May 9, 1932, overruling the motion for new trial and, on reconsideration, the motion was again overruled. Thereafter, on September 26, 1932, the plaintiff’s attorneys claim they learned for the first time that the decree of February 9, 1932, had been signed by the trial judge at chambers in Gering, Scotts Bluff county, and was sent to the clerk of [101]*101the district court at Bridgeport, who entered it on the journal, showing that it had been signed by the judge at chambers at Gering, Nebraska. At that time plaintiff filed a motion that the decree of February 9, 1932, be held to be void and be set aside on the sole ground that the decree was signed by the trial judge at chambers in Gering, Nebraska, instead of in open court at Bridgeport, Nebraska, and that the motion for new trial be withdrawn and all orders relative thereto be expunged from the record. Upon October 8, 1932, a regular day of the May term, the court sustained the motion and reentered the same decree, and overruled plaintiff’s motion for new trial, filed the same day. This appeal was taken from the decree and order overruling motion for new trial entered October 8, 1932.

The appellees, except Bliss, filed a motion in this court to dismiss this second appeal for that the transcript was not filed in this court within three months from the rendition of a final judgment; that it is an appeal from a judgment entered October 8, 1932, which decree is identical with one dated February 9, 1932, except the date, from which an appeal was dismissed; and that the reentry of the judgment on October 8, 1932, was for the sole purpose of extending the statutory time for perfecting an appeal to this court. This motion to dismiss the appeal was argued before this court and ruling thereon reserved until the case was submitted upon the merits. It. demands our consideration first. As heretofore noted, the original decree in this case was signed by the trial judge at chambers at Gering, Scotts Bluff county, and transmitted to the clerk of the district court for Morrill county. Did this render the decree void?

The judges of the various district courts, as such, have no inherent authority at chambers except such as they are expressly given by law. The Constitution provides: “The several judges of the courts of record shall have such jurisdiction at chambers as may be provided by law.” Const, art. V, sec. 23.

[102]*102By section 27-317, Comp. St. 1929, the legislature has conferred certain powers upon district judges at chambers, which section however did not authorize the act of the trial judge in signing the decree in this case. However, section 8-191, Comp. St. 1929, specifically provides that, in such a case as this, a judge of the district court at chambers shall have jurisdiction to perform certain judicial acts. This is a suit for an accounting brought by the plaintiff on behalf of himself and all depositors of the defunct Bridgeport bank to recover alleged losses of the bank while run by the guaranty fund commission. This money, if recovered, would have to be distributed among the depositors of said bank. The receiver is a party to this action. It involves the administration of this bank from the time when it was discovered to be insolvent, and, as such, it comes within the statute. Section 8-191, Comp. St. 1929, provides as follows: “In any proceeding in connection with the insolvency, liquidation or reorganization of a bank, a judge of the district court shall have jurisdiction in any county in the judicial district for which he was elected to perform any official act in the manner and with the same effect as he might in the county in which the matter arose, or to which it may have been transferred, and he may perform any such act in chambers with the same effect as in open court.” In this connection, see State v. Neligh State Bank, 116 Neb. 858. This suit is a proceeding in connection with the insolvency, liquidation, or reorganization of a bank, and, as such, jurisdiction was conferred by the statute upon the district judge at chambers to perform official acts in the manner and with the same effect he might in the county in which it arose.

But the appellant argues if the legislature by the enactment of section 8-191, Comp. St. 1929, intended to amend section 27-317, Comp. St. 1929, then such enactment would be unconstitutional, because the title of the act was not broad enough to include such an amendment. How[103]*103ever, section 8-191, Comp. St. 1929, is not amendatory of section 27-317, Comp. St.

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

Related

Heckman v. Marchio
296 Neb. 458 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2017)
In re Interest of Luz P.
295 Neb. 814 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2017)
Belitz v. Belitz
756 N.W.2d 172 (Nebraska Court of Appeals, 2008)
In Re Interest of Cmh
418 N.W.2d 226 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1988)
Sullivan v. Hajny
315 N.W.2d 443 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Kelly
263 N.W.2d 457 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1978)
Friedman v. STATE, DEPARTMENT OF ROADS
157 N.W.2d 855 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1968)
Ricketts v. CONTINENTAL NATIONAL BANK OF LINCOLN
101 N.W.2d 153 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1960)
Bush v. Babb
162 N.E.2d 594 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1959)
Campbell v. Campbell
96 N.W.2d 417 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1959)
Akins v. Chamberlain
82 N.W.2d 632 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1957)
Vasa v. Vasa
80 N.W.2d 696 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1957)
Adams v. Hobbs
1950 OK 322 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1950)
Placek v. Edstrom
26 N.W.2d 489 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1947)
Thoman v. Farmers & Bankers Life Insurance
130 P.2d 551 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1942)
Schnitzler v. Lake Shore Coach Co.
41 N.E.2d 436 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1942)
Thurston County ex rel. Vesely v. Chmelka
294 N.W. 857 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1940)
Department of Banking v. Hedges
286 N.W. 277 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1939)
Enyeart v. City of Lincoln
285 N.W. 314 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1939)
Independent Lubricating Co. v. Good
280 N.W. 460 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1938)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
249 N.W. 98, 125 Neb. 97, 89 A.L.R. 932, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrill-county-v-bliss-neb-1933.