Moseley v. Fidelity & Deposit Co.

189 P. 862, 33 Idaho 37, 25 A.L.R. 564, 1920 Ida. LEXIS 4
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 1920
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 189 P. 862 (Moseley v. Fidelity & Deposit Co.) 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
Moseley v. Fidelity & Deposit Co., 189 P. 862, 33 Idaho 37, 25 A.L.R. 564, 1920 Ida. LEXIS 4 (Idaho 1920).

Opinion

VARIAN, District Judge.

Charles F. Glaeser filed a complaint against respondent in the district court in Lincoln county, October 24, 1913, and on the same day filed an affidavit for attachment and undertaking, with appellant as surety, conditioned as provided by the statute. Both Glaeser and Moseley, the respondent, were residents of Chicago, Illinois, at the time the attachment was brought. The grounds for attachment, as appears from the affidavit, was the non-residence of the defendant. The writ issued forthwith and on October 25, 1913, was levied upon “all the right, title, claim and interest” of the defendant in and to certain real property standing in the name of Julia N. Olmstead on the records of Lincoln county. All moneys, etc., belonging to the defendant in the First National Bank of Jerome were garnished. The bank answered the garnishment, stating, in effect, that it held in escrow certain agreements to convey lands to one Hall and the respondent, Moseley, separate parcels to each and separate parcels tp them jointly; that the payments under said agreements had not been made and the deeds were undelivered; that the money to make the payments had been deposited by Hall in the escrow. The land attached is embraced within the escrow contracts between Julia N. Olmstead and respondent and Hall.

The evidence shows that the initial payments on the purchase price had been made by respondent and Hall, the notes and mortgages representing the deferred payments to Mrs. Olmstead had been executed by Moseley and Hall and their wives, and deposited in the escrow together with the deeds to [41]*41them from Mrs. Olmstead. While the usual receiver’s final receipt had been issued to her, Mrs. Olmstead had' not received patent at the date of the escrow and patent did not issue until January 24, 1914. The escrow proceeding was resorted to by the parties for the protection of the parties until patent should issue.

October 24, 1913, summons issued and was returned unserved October 27, 1913. Plaintiff’s attorney filed affidavit praying service of an alias summons October 29, 1913, and order of publication made by the clerk. No alias summons in fact ever issued. It is inferred that the original summons was marked “Alias Summons” and published. On December 15, 1913, respondent, Moseley, answered to the merits in the attachment action. No motion to dissolve the attachment was made.

On December 16, 1913, Glaeser, plaintiff in the attachment suit, acting through his attorney of record, and the First National Bank of Jerome, through its attorney, entered into a stipulation to the effect that the money, notes and mortgages held by it under the escrow agreement be delivered to Mrs. Olmstead under said escrow agreement and that the deeds held by it under the escrow agreement conveying land to George H. Moseley, respondent here, be recorded by the garnishee in the county recorder’s office; that the deeds to Hall be delivered to him; and the money paid to Mrs. Julia Olmstead — all in case the parties “complete and fulfil” the escrow agreement. It was further stipulated that on completion of the contract and distribution of the money and papers and recording of the deeds to Moseley, the garnishee “be released from any and all liability by reason of such attachment and garnishment.” The attachment lien was not released as to the real property. On the same date, December 16, 1913, Hall and Moseley conveyed by warranty deed the lands contracted from Julia N. Olmstead to the Jonothan Valley Orchards Company, a corporation. Moseley testified that this conveyance was made subject to the attachment lien and that the consideration therefor was paid in stock of the corporation issued to them when they executed [42]*42the deeds. Respondent Hall and one Bewes owned all of the issued stock of the Jonothan Valley Orchards Company at that date.

On October 13, 1914, the attachment suit was tried to a jury and resulted in a verdict for the defendant, Moseley, and judgment was on that date entered against the plaintiff, Glaeser, in respondent’s favor for his costs and the attachment discharged. Later demand was made upon appellant as surety on the attachment bond and this action was commenced in the district court in Ada county, which resulted in a judgment against appellant for respondent’s traveling expenses, court costs and attorney fees, the proximate damages incurred by the attachment proceedings. From this judgment appellant appeals.

Appellant’s first contention is that the service of summons was void and that the defendant in the attachment suit (respondent here) was under no obligation to appear and defend the action.

No grounds existed for the dissolution of the attachment on motion. It was properly and legally issued. (C. S., sec. 6812; Mason v. Lieuallen, 4 Ida. 415, 39 Pac. 1117.)

Assuming the service of summons to be void, the summons itself was not void, and under the rule announced in Ridenbaugh v. Sandlin, 14 Ida. 472, 125 Am. St. 175, 94 Pac. 827, the writ of attachment was in full force. By subsequently appearing and answering in the attachment suit any defect in the service of summons was cured. (C. S., see. 6671.)

The next contention is that the attachment proceeding created no-lien, the legal title to the attached real property, at the date of the levy, being in the United States, the equitable title in Julia N. Olmstead, who had contracted to sell and convey it to respondent and Hall, who, in turn, had contracted to convey it to Jonothan Valley Orchards Company. The conveyance by respondent to the corporation was made, pursuant to contract, after the levy of the attachment, and warranted the title. At the date of the levy, respondent and Hall had deposited in the bank the money, notes and' mortgages called for in their contracts with Julia N. Olmstead, [43]*43who had also deposited her deeds, all to be delivered when United States patent to the lands should issue. Had the patent not issued, or for any reason the United States had refused to grant its patent to Mrs. Olmstead, then the interest in the money deposited in the cash payment under the contract was held under the garnishment. The bank’s answer to the garnishment shows that this money was all paid by Hall to the bank. The evidence clearly shows that respondent had contributed at least a portion of this cash payment and had a one-half interest in the Olmstead deal. The attachment was a lien upon whatever interest respondent had in the land. In the event the contract with Mrs. Olmstead was fulfilled the attachment was a prior lien upon the land conveyed by respondent to the Jonothan Orchards Company, which was conveyed subject to the attachment as testified to by respondent. The stipulation of December 16, 1913, released the garnishment in case the contract was fulfilled with Mrs. Olmstead; if it were not fulfilled, then the garnishment attached to the interest of respondent in the moneys on deposit for Mrs. Olmstead.

Respondent had an interest in the real property, at the date of the levy which was subject to attachment. If that interest never ripened into title he still had an interest in the purchase money that was subject to the garnishment.

Appellant’s third contention is that the expense of trial and attorney’s fees in defending the attachment suit upon its merits should not be allowed as damages in an action upon an attachment bond.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
189 P. 862, 33 Idaho 37, 25 A.L.R. 564, 1920 Ida. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moseley-v-fidelity-deposit-co-idaho-1920.