Overland Garage & Parts, Inc. v. Zerr

602 S.W.2d 765, 1980 Mo. App. LEXIS 2590
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 10, 1980
DocketNo. 40917
StatusPublished

This text of 602 S.W.2d 765 (Overland Garage & Parts, Inc. v. Zerr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Overland Garage & Parts, Inc. v. Zerr, 602 S.W.2d 765, 1980 Mo. App. LEXIS 2590 (Mo. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

SIMON, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of St. Charles County setting aside and holding for, naught a default judgment entered by the Magistrate Court of St. Charles County. We reverse.

Appellant, David E. Morton (Morton), by his attorney appellant, Jack B. Schiff (Schiff), filed a replevin action without bond on December 21, 1977 in the Magistrate Court of St. Louis County to recover a 1974 Lincoln Mark IV (automobile), then in possession of the respondent, Overland Garage and Parts, Inc. (Overland). Overland is a towing and garage service sometimes employed by the St. Louis County Police Department to tow automobiles, and is represented by the St. Louis County Counsel- or’s office (county counselor) pursuant to the employment agreement. A short time prior to the filing of this action, Schiff went to the offices of the county counselor seeking immediate recovery of the automobile. He was informed that another individual, Dan Johnson (Johnson), had also made a claim as to the automobile and was advised that his client, Morton, would be interplead-ed in a circuit court case. Schiff responded that “he would do it his way.”

On December 23, 1977, Johnson filed a replevin action with bond for the automobile in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, styled “Dan Johnson v. St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners, et al.” The county counselor also represented the defendants in that case.

Morton’s case was set on January 19, 1978. On January 19, 1978, the county counselor entered his appearance as attorney for Overland. Johnson’s attorney entered his appearance specifically and filed a motion to dismiss. After being informed that the county counselor would file an interpleader in the circuit court case, the Magistrate continued the case to February 15, 1978. On January 24, 1978, an answer and interpleader, and a motion to quash the Magistrate Court proceedings were filed in the Circuit Court. Copies were filed in the Magistrate Court, and were mailed to Schiff. At some point, Schiff had the Magistrate Court setting date reset to January 26, 1978. The county counselor was notified of the new date on January 26, 1978, Morton, through Schiff, filed an application and affidavit for a change of venue based on bias and prejudice of the inhabitants of St. Louis County. The change of venue was granted and the complete file was sent to appellant Judge Richard K. Zerr’s court (Judge Zerr), Magistrate District No. 2, St. Charles County. On February 3, 1978, Overland filed a motion in the St. Louis County Magistrate Court to set aside the change of venue. A copy of the motion was sent to Judge Zerr. On February 9, 1978, the motion was argued and overruled.

On February 3, 1978, the Circuit Court of St. Louis County entered an order in the Johnson case sustaining the motion to quash the proceedings in the Morton case in the Magistrate Court of St. Louis County and granted the prayer to interplead Morton. Copies of these orders were mailed to Schiff, and on February 17, 1978, Schiff was served with the order interpleading Morton.

On February 24, 1978, Judge Zerr rendered a default judgment in favor of Morton and against Overland for possession of the automobile or an assessed value of $4500 and $500 damages and costs. Prior to the entry of the judgment, Judge Zerr had received copies of the St. Louis County Circuit Court’s orders on the motion to quash and the interpleading of Morton. The county counselor also received notice of the February 24 setting in Judge Zerr’s court.

On the day prior to the entry of the judgment, the county counselor had spoken to the clerk in Judge Zerr’s court and was advised that the court had received the copies of the orders of the St. Louis County Circuit Court and the answer and inter-pleader. The county counselor was told that he would not have to appear. On the [767]*767date of the entry of the judgment, but prior to its entry, Judge Zerr called the county counselor and informed him that Schiff was in court and wanted a judgment. In the conversation, Judge Zerr was informed of what his clerk had said. The conversation ended without a specific statement by Judge Zerr as to the disposition of the case.

On March 9, 1978, after the deadline for setting aside the judgment or appealing, Morton requested an execution on the judgment, garnishing Overland’s bank account. Overland filed an action in the Circuit Court of St. Charles County entitled, “Petition in Injunction to Set Aside Judgment,” naming as defendants Judge Zerr, Morton, Schiff, Harold Hoeh, the Sheriff of St. Louis County and St. John’s Bank and Trust Company. The court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting appellants and the other defendants from proceeding in any manner in respect to the judgment except for the setting aside of the judgment and an order to show cause. Overland had filed a motion to quash the execution and garnishment in Judge Zerr’s court and the proceedings were stayed pending the decision of the Circuit Court.

Returns to the order to show cause were filed and a hearing was held on September 7,1978 and by stipulation of the parties, the hearing encompassed the order to show cause and the merits of the action. At the close of Overland’s case, the court overruled appellants’ motion to dismiss. Appellants offered no evidence but rested upon their motion to dismiss.

The trial court ordered appellants and the other defendants to cease any and all activity pursuant to the default judgment and set aside and held for naught the said judgment. The trial court, in its findings of fact and conclusions of law, found that the default judgment was procured by extrinsic fraud in that the attorney procuring the judgment at that time had actual notice of the order of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County quashing the action in the Magistrate Court. Judge Zerr, Morton and Schiff have appealed.

On appeal, appellants allege that the trial court erred in setting aside the judgment on the ground that there was no evidence to support the finding that the judgment was procured by extrinsic fraud and that the trial court erroneously applied the law in ruling that the St. Louis County Circuit Court had the jurisdiction to quash the action pending in the St. Charles County Magistrate Court.

Thé standard for review of court tried cases is well settled. The judgment of the trial court shall be sustained unless there is no substantial evidence to support it, unless it is against the weight of the evidence, unless the trial court erroneously declares or applies the law. Murphy v. Carrón, 536 S.W.2d 30 (Mo. banc 1976). The question presented by appellants’ first point concerns the evidentiary portion of the standard.

The trial court found that the judgment entered in the St. Charles County Magistrate Court was procured by extrinsic fraud in that the appellant Schiff had actual notice of the order of the St. Louis County Circuit Court quashing the action in the Magistrate Court. It is clear as our Supreme Court, in Reis v. La Presto, 324 S.W.2d 648, 653-654 (Mo.1959), has stated:

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Related

Murphy v. Carron
536 S.W.2d 30 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1976)
Reis v. La Presto
324 S.W.2d 648 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1959)
Citizens Bank of University City v. Gehl
567 S.W.2d 423 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1978)
Hockenberry v. Cooper County State Bank
88 S.W.2d 1031 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1935)
Kleg v. O'Neil
449 S.W.2d 887 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
602 S.W.2d 765, 1980 Mo. App. LEXIS 2590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/overland-garage-parts-inc-v-zerr-moctapp-1980.