Pitts v. Oliver

83 N.W. 591, 13 S.D. 561, 1900 S.D. LEXIS 187
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 29, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 83 N.W. 591 (Pitts v. Oliver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pitts v. Oliver, 83 N.W. 591, 13 S.D. 561, 1900 S.D. LEXIS 187 (S.D. 1900).

Opinion

Corson, J.

This is an appeal from an order denying plaintiff’s motion to strike out paragraphs 4 and 6 from the defendant’s answer. The action was brought by the plaintiffs to recover of the defendant damages for neglecting to take proper care of a flock of sheep which had been mortgaged to the plaintiffs and defendant, by which plaintiffs sustained damages to the amount of 1851.10. The paragraphs sought to be stricken out from the answer are as follows: “(4) s * * And this defendant alleges, as a bar to the cause of action set out by the plaintiffs in this suit, that in the action above described, then pending in said court between said parties, and for the same causes of action as those set forth in the complaint herein, findings of fact and conclusions of law were duly made arid given, and thereon judgment was duly given and entered of record, as appears by said findings of fact, conclusions of law, and the rendition and entry of said judgment which was given to this plaintiff; and said judgment has not been reversed, and this plaintiff has not appealed therefrom. And this defendant further alleges that in said action between the parties aforesaid the court had jurisdiction over the subject-matter, as well as said parties, and the questions of fact were the same as in this action, and were necessary to its decision, and in fact were or might have been, litigated in said action, and were comprehended and involved therein, and all of said facts were well known to the plaintiff at all times, and said hearing and judgment were rendered upon the merits of the action. The defendant expressly denies each and every allegation in said paragraph No. 7 of plaintiff’s complaint, except as hereinbefore admitted or qualified.” “(6) This defendant, for a further and separate defense to the plaintiffs complaint herein, and as an [564]*564estoppel, repeating the admissions, denials, and allegations contained in Paragraph 4 of this answer, alleges that among other things found by the court was that ‘from April 6, 1895, to February 1,1896, this defendant was guilty of negligence in feeding, earing for, and attending to said sheep, and as a result of such negligence the said flock of sheep • was damaged, in losses of sheep'1 and losses of increase and deterioration of the flock, in the sum of three hundred fifty dollars,’ and that the court rendered judgment reducing this defendant’s lien, which was superior to the lien of this plaintiff, to the extent of the said sum of three hundred fifty dollars, and that this plaintiff received benefit to that extent, and has acquiesced therein, by not appealing, and by receiving the amount left after satisfying this defendant’s lien.”

This is the third appeal to this court of this case, and the facts involved are stated in the decisions on the former appeals, which are reported in Bank v. Price, 9 S. D. 582, 70 N. W. 836, and Id., 12 S. D. 184, 80 N. W. 195. It is stipulated by the parties that, in order to raise the questions presented, the defendant is not required to set out in full, or by exhibits, the record, files, proceedings, including the pleadings, findings of fact, conclusions of law, final judgment, or other papers, in the former case, but the same shall be deemed to be a- part of the plea of res judicata by reference, and shall be looked to in determining said questions with like force and effect as though the same were set out in full in defendant’s answer. In order that the questions presented by the defenses sought to be stricken out may be understood, a brief recapitulation of the facts and pleadings involved in the former suit will be - made: In 1895 one Tidrick sold to M. M. Price a flock of 840 sheep. [565]*565To make up' the number, he purchased of Oliver 670 sheep. Price executed a chattel mortgage on these sheep to Tidrick to secure the amount of the purchase money, and Tidrick, to secure Oliver for the value of the sheep purchased of him, assigned to him notes executed by Price for about $2,300. Tidrick subsequently assigned the balance of the notes and the mortgage to the plaintiffs, but, by an agreement between the plaintiffs and Tidrick, Oliver’s notes were to have priority over those of the plaintiffs in payment. The notes not being paid, the plaintiffs brought an action against Price to foreclose the chattel mortgage, making Oliver a party to the action. Oliver answered the complaint of the plaintiffs, also asking the foreclosure of the chattel mortgage, and claiming that his notes should be first paid out of the proceeds of the mortgaged property, and in his answer he set up a cross claim against Price for the care of the sheep for nearly two years. Price, in his answer to this cross claim, made a counter claim against Oliver for damages for negligence in the care and keep of the sheep, of which sheep Oliver had wrongfully taken possession, by reason of which a large number of sheep had died. These issues between Oliver and Price were tried by the court, and resulted in a finding in favor of Oliver for $1,000 for the care and keep of the sheep, less $350 found in favor of Price for negligence in keeping the sheep. A judgment was thereupon entered for the sale of the mortgaged property, and $180 of the proceeds, after paying Oliver’s claim, was paid over to the plaintiffs, leaving an unsettled balance of about §850, for-which execution was issued against Price, and returned wholly unsatisfied. The action of the plaintiff was to recover'the amount due upon the notes described in the complaint, and to foreclose the chattel [566]*566mortgage given to secure the same; and. no relief was claimed against Oliver, except in so far as the distribution of the fund realized upon the sale of the mortgaged property was concerned, and no personal judgment of any kind was asked for as against Oliver. Therefore no issue involving any question of damages by reason of the negligent care and custody of the sheep on the part of Oliver was presented by the plaintiffs’ complaint; the only issue upon that question being raised by the two defendants, Oliver and Price. The present action is, therefore, in our view of the case, upon an entirely different cause of action from that presented by the original complaint and answer, as between the plaintiffs and Oliver. The question of damages, therefore involved in this case, could not have been properly litigated in the former action, as between the plaintiffs and defendant Oliver.

In Howard v. City of Huron, 6 S. D. 180, 60 N, W. 803, this court quoted with approval from the opinion of the su preme court of the United States in Cromwell v. Sac Co., 94 U. S. 351, 24 L. Ed. 195. The distinction is made in that case between the effect of a judgment as a bar or estoppel in the same action and as a bar or estoppel in another action. In that quotation is the following: “It is a finality as to the claim or demand in controversy, concluding parties and those in privity with them, not only as to every matter which was offered and received to sustain or defeat the claim or demand, but as to any other admissible matter which might have been offered for that purpose, * * * The language, therefore, which is so often used, that a judgment estops, not only as to every ground of recovery or defense actually presented in the action, but also as to every ground which might have been presented, is [567]*567strictly accurate, -when applied to the claim or demand in controversy.

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Bluebook (online)
83 N.W. 591, 13 S.D. 561, 1900 S.D. LEXIS 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pitts-v-oliver-sd-1900.