Orton v. Brown

45 P. 835, 113 Cal. 561, 1896 Cal. LEXIS 826
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 28, 1896
DocketS. F. No. 290
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 45 P. 835 (Orton v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Orton v. Brown, 45 P. 835, 113 Cal. 561, 1896 Cal. LEXIS 826 (Cal. 1896).

Opinion

Haynes, C.

Action upon sheriff’s bond. Judgment was entered for defendants upon the verdict of the jury, and plaintiff appeals only from the order denying his motion for a new trial.

Plaintiff is the assignee of the Consumers’ Lumber Company, an insolvent corporation, which operated in Humboldt county, and defendant Brown is the sheriff of said county.

On May 2, 1891, and prior to the insolvency proceedings, one Georgeson obtained judgment against said corporation for the sum of $1,031.58 and costs, in which action the plaintiff attached certain lumber and shingles; and on May 7th an execution was levied on said property, which was afterward, on May 20, 1891, sold by the sheriff in one lot, and not in separate parcels, for the sum of $700, to H. H. Buhne, Jr.

On May 23d, said corporation served notice upon the judgment creditor, the sheriff and said purchaser, that on May 28th, it would move the court to set aside said sale upon the ground of irregularity, specifying that the sale was conducted in disregard of the requirements of section 694 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in that 596,000 feet of lumber and 326,000 shingles were sold in one lot for a grossly inadequate price.

[563]*563Said motion was heard on June 3d, and an order was made vacating the sale and ordering “ that the money paid by the sheriff to satisfy preferred claims be returned to the sheriff by the parties receiving the same, and that the $700 paid by Mr. Buhne for the property be returned to him by the sheriff,” and ordering a resale of said property to be made according to law.

On June 23, 1892, Buhne appealed from said order, and on November 21, 1892, the supreme court affirmed the order.

On June 20, 1891, certain creditors of said corporation commenced proceedings in insolvency against it, and on August .14, 1891, it was adjudged an insolvent debtor, and said judgment was, on appeal, affirmed May 20, 1893, and plaintiff was thereafter appointed assignee.

The foregoing facts alleged in the complaint are not disputed; but the complaint further alleged that it was the duty of the sheriff to take and hold said lumber and shingles under the said process and order of the court, and to safely keep the same in his custody and possession so that the same could be subjected to sale, and on information and belief further alleged that he did not do so, but that he (said sheriff) colluded, confederated, and conspired with said Buhne, and willfully and in violation of his duty agreed that Buhne should take said lumber and shingles out of his possession, and “ that said lumber and shingles were taken out of his custody and possession by said Buhne,” to the damage of said corporation in the sum of $6,300, “and thereby the said sheriff placed it beyond his power to again sell said lumber and shingles in obedience to the lawful commands of said court.”

The prayer was for judgment for the said sum of $6,300, with interest from May 20, 1891.

The answer admitted the levy upon and sale of the property to Buhne in the manner and for the sum alleged, and that said sale was set aside, and that Buhne appealed from said order, and denied specifically all allegations of the complaint charging the defendant Brown with misconduct or neglect.

[564]*564Upon the trial the plaintiff introduced several witnesses, whose testimony, we assume, sustained his allegation as to the value of the lumber and shingles. He also put in evidence the execution under which said property was sold, with the return of the sheriff thereon.

The return, after reciting the levy and notice of sale, and giving a list by numbers and dimensions and quality of the lumber, and the quantity of the shingles, proceeded as follows: “ And sold the whole of the same

in one lot or parcel to H. H. Buhne, Jr., for the sum of $700, United States gold coin, said purchaser being the highest bidder, and said sum being the highest bid for the same. And I further certify that thereafter on the third day of June, A. D. 1891, the sale was vacated and set aside by the Honorable G. W. Hunter, superior judge of Humboldt county, California, and a resale ordered, and thereafter H. H. Buhne appealed to the supreme court from such order. Dated, July 6, 1891.”

The plaintiff called said sheriff as a witness, and he testified as follows:

“ I remember the sale of lumber and shingles under that execution. I made it myself. I sold it to Buhne for $700. I had notice that the sale was set aside by the court. I gave a certificate of sale to Buhne. After the sale was set aside I did not retake the lumber from Buhne. The greater portion of it had been taken away. I don’t know when the lumber was taken away. I only know by hearsay. It was never sold under the order of the court. I remember after the supreme court affirmed the order of the court setting aside the sale that you talked to me about it. I don’t know when the lumber was removed.”

No other evidence was given or offered on behalf of the plaintiff.

As to the evidence on behalf of the defendants, the bill of exceptions does not set it out, but proceeds to state that:

“Defendants introduced evidence tending to prove the following facts”: That after the sale and delivery of [565]*565the lumber to Buhne, and before the sheriff had notice that the sale had been vacated, the purchaser had taken and converted the same to his own use and placed it out of the power of the sheriff to retake or resell the same. "Defendants also introduced evidence tending to prove” that the lumber was so spoiled in manufacturing, and by being covered with sand, that it had no market value at the time of sale.

“Defendants also introduced evidence tending to prove”.that it was not the duty of the sheriff to retake said lumber after said sale, or to keep it in his custody or possession until disposed of under the order of the court; that said sheriff did not collude or conspire with Buhne in contempt of the process and orders of the court, or at all; or consent that said property should be taken out of his custody or possession, except as the same was delivered to said Buhne as the purchaser at said sale and by virtue thereof.

The specifications upon which plaintiff’s motion for a new trial was based are: That the evidence is insufficient to justify the verdict; that the verdict is against law; and that the court erred in giving and refusing certain instructions.

The opinion of the court in passing upon the motion for a new trial is printed in the transcript, and a considerable portion of it, as well as a larger portion of appellant’s brief, is devoted to criticising the bill of exceptions upon which said motion is based as to the manner in which the evidence on behalf of the defendants is stated.

■ Appellant’s counsel prepared the proposed bill from which was omitted all reference to the evidence on behalf of defendants. Defendants’ counsel prepared amendments in the form hereinbefore stated, viz: “That defendants introduce evidence tending to prove” certain facts, which were briefly stated. It was stipulated by counsel for the respective parties that “ the judge of said court may sign the bill of exceptions presented herein [566]*566as correct,” and the judge “ upon the foregoing stipulation,” settled and allowed it.

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Related

Maxwell v. Fresno City Railway Co.
89 P. 367 (California Court of Appeal, 1907)
Orton v. Brown
49 P. 583 (California Supreme Court, 1897)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 P. 835, 113 Cal. 561, 1896 Cal. LEXIS 826, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/orton-v-brown-cal-1896.