Second National Bank v. Prichard

189 S.W. 14, 172 Ky. 190, 1916 Ky. LEXIS 175
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedNovember 14, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 189 S.W. 14 (Second National Bank v. Prichard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Second National Bank v. Prichard, 189 S.W. 14, 172 Ky. 190, 1916 Ky. LEXIS 175 (Ky. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by'

Chief Justice Miller

Affirming.

On October. 13th, 1899, J. M. Cottle, J. W. Cottle and J. L. Cottle executed and delivered their joint negotiable promissory note, of that date, to Hannah and Prichard, for $300.00, payable in four months thereafter. Hannah and Prichard discounted the note to the Second National Bank, of Ashland., hereinafter called the bank, for brevity. The note was not paid upon its maturity, and, on December 16th, 1902, the bank sued the maliers and endorsers of the note, in the Boyd circuit court. Summons was served upon Hannah in Boyd county, and upon the other defendants in Elliott county. Upon the calling of the case for trial on March 6th, 1907, it was dismissed without prejudice as to the defendant Hannah, and judgment was taken against the Cottles and Prichard.

On November 22nd, 1907, Prichard filed his action, in equity, in the Boyd circuit court, against the bank .and the sheriff, who held an execution issued under the .judgment of March 6th, 1907, for the purpose of enjoining the collection of the execution, upon the ground that'the judgment of March 6th, 1907, was void, because it had been rendered in violation of section 80 of the Civil Code of Practice. That section provides, in substance, that where several defendants in a transitory action are sued jointly, and one is served with process in another county, judgment cannot be rendered' against him if the action is dismissed as to, or judgment is not rendered against, the defendant served in the county in which the action was brought.

Manifestly, therefore, the court should not have rendered judgment against' Prichard or either of the Cottles, who had been served in Elliott county, after the action had been dismissed as to Hannah, who had. been served in Boyd county. Pottinger v. Mayfield, 14 B. [192]*192M. 647; McGuire v. Rudy, 7 Bush 432; Duckworth v. Lee, 10 Bush 51; Basye v. Brown, 78 Ky. 553; Commonwealth v. James, Auditor, 138 Ky. 473; Knoxville Banking & Trust Co. v. Mershon, 152 Ky. 171; Martin v. Franklin, 160 Ky. 64.

Following this well settled rule, the Boyd circuit court granted the prayer of Prichard’s petition on March 31st, 1911, by enjoining the collection of the judgment which had erroneously been given against him.

A year later, on March 11th, 1912, the bank caused, a notice to be served upon Prichard, Hannah and theCottles, to the effect that it would, on March 26th, 1912,, move the Boyd circuit court to set aside the judgment of March 6th, 1907, and lo redocket the case; and,, on March 26th, 1912, the motion was made, the original judgment of March 6th, 1907, was set aside, and the caso redocketed for the following June term.

When the case was called on June 14th, 1912, judgment went against Prichard and Hannah, by default.

On September 5th, 1912, Prichard filed his second injunction suit in the Boyd circuit court against the bank and the sheriff, who held an execution under the'judgment of June 14th, .1912, against Prichard, for the purpose of enjoining the collection of that execution, upon the ground that the second judgment was void.

On June 18th, 1913, judgment was entered in Prichard’s second injunction suit, granting the prayer thereof, and enjoining the collection of the second judgment, of June 14th, 1912, upon the ground that it was void. The judgment in the second injunction suit declared, however, that the case had* been properly redocketed pursuant to the notice, and that it was then properly on the docket and pending for trial. It further directed that summons issue to Elliott county and to Boyd county, and the bank was given permission to file-an amended petition for the purpose of setting aside the order of dismissal as to Hannah. On the same day the bank filed its amended petition and summons was issued thereon, as directed by the judgment.

On April 16th, 1914, Prichard answered the original suit upon the note, pleading, (1) want of jurisdiction in the Boyd circuit court, (2) the five years statute of limitations, and, (3) the seven years statute of limitations-applicable to sureties, and alleging that he was a surety,, only, upon the note.

[193]*193A year later, on Jnne 15th, 1914, the hank, treating the judgment of June 18th, 1913, as void, moved the court to set it aside; hut, that, motion having been overruled, the bank obtained this appeal from the clerk of the Court of Appeals from the judgment of June 18th, 1913, -which had enjoined the collection of the execution under the second judgment.

Unquestionably, under the authority of.-the cases above cited, the original judgment of March 6th, 1907, against Prichard and the Cottles, after the dismissal of Hannah, was void for want of jurisdiction. After the dismissal of Hannah, the only defendant who had been served with summons in Boyd county, that court had no jurisdiction to render judgment against the other defendants, all of whom had been served in Elliott county, Section 80 of the Civil Code of Practice expressly so declares. Consequently, Prichard’s first injunction suit, which enjoined the collection of the execution issued under the judgment of March 6th, 1907, against Prichard, was properly decided.

The next step in the case was not taken until March 11th, 1912, five years after the original judgment had been entered, and the order then taken setting aside the original judgment and redocketing the case, was founded upon a notice served upon the defendants, and not upon a summons. It had theretofore been decided,, however, in the first injunction suit that the original judgment of March 6th, 1907, was void. And, in proceeding by means of a notice rather than a summons, the bank proceeded upon the theory that the court, had jurisdiction to set aside the judgment, after the expiration of the term at which it was rendered.

So, the question is, should the bank, in view of the fact that the judgment of March 6th, 1907, was void, have proceeded by a summons to obtain a valid judgment against the defendants, or could it proceed by notice, as it did?

The notice assumed that the action was still pending between the bank and all of the defendants, including Hannah, who had been summoned in Boyd county. This theory, however, ignored the fact that the action had been dismissed as to Hannah, and the judgment as to him was a final order which could not have been set aside after the expiration of the term at which it was enteréd. In order, therefore, for the Boyd circuit court [194]*194to again obtain jurisdiction against Prichard upon - a service executed in Elliott county, it was necessary that Hannah or some other defendant be served with summons in Boyd county. That, however, was not done.

A summons is issued by the clerk of the court, runs in the name of the Commonwealth, and, is executed by an officer; the notice was signed by the appellant^ attorneys. It will readily be seen that the notice did not accomplish the purposes of a summons.

In Phillips v. Arnett, Admr., 164 Ky. 426, Phillips filed suit against Arnett in the Magoffin circuit court on November 15th, 1893, upon two notes secured by lien upon land.

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Bluebook (online)
189 S.W. 14, 172 Ky. 190, 1916 Ky. LEXIS 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/second-national-bank-v-prichard-kyctapp-1916.