Snavely v. Harkrader

30 Gratt. 487
Supreme Court of Virginia·Decided July 15, 1878·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

BURKS. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The court is of opinion, that the several writs of fieri facias, proceedings under which were enjoined by the judge of the circuit court of Wythe county, were irregularly and unlawfully issued.

* Every execution should conform accurately to the judgment or decree which it is used to enforce. There is a substantial reason for this requirement. Where the judgment or decree is satisfied by execution in the hands of an officer, the .defendant is entitled, for his protection, to record evidence of the discharge. This evidence is not furnished by an execution, although duly returned satisfied by an officer, which does not correspond with the judgment or decree.

I The decree of the said circuit court in' the i suit of Harkrader & als. v. Snavely & als., pronounced on the 31st day of December, 1876, confirmed the report of Commissioner English, which ascertained the several amounts due from the defendant, Snavely, and his sureties (the present appellants), to the plaintiffs, respectively; but it did not order the defendants to pay those amounts to the several plaintiffs, or give the latter any recovery against the defendants. On the contrary, in express terms, it ordered payment to be made to H. E. Harkrader, attorney in fact of Robert C. Harkrader, and foreign guardian of the infant plaintiffs, and “conservator” (committee) of F. E. Harkrader.

It would seem clear that on this decree, as it originally * stood, as to these several amounts, only one execution could have been issued, and that in the name and on behalf of H. E. Harkrader for the aggregate of the several sums ascertained by the commissioner’s report. Indeed, the decree expressly provides that “the said H. E. Harkrader has [169]*169leave to sue out his fieri facias against the said defendants for the amounts decreed him.” If there be any doubt as to whether only one execution could have been sued out for the aggregate of the sums fixed by the report, or separate executions for the several amounts, still, in either case, the execution or executions must have been in the name and on behalf of Ii. E. *Harkrader, to whom, and to none other, payment was ordered to be made.

On appeal, this decree was partially reversed by the decree of this court rendered on the 25th day of September. 1877. It was expressly reversed and annulled, so far as it directed the appellants (Snavely and others) to pay over to the foreign guardian, H. E. Harkrader. the sums respectively found due to the appellees by the report of Commissioner English; and it was provided,'that the said H. E. Harkrader, the foreign guardian, should have leave to file his petition in the said circuit court, after due advertisement as prescribed by the statutes, and upon such petition so filed, the said circuit court should decree to be paid over to him the several amounts respectively due from the former guardian, Snavely, as already ascertained by said report of Commissioner English.

The decree of the circuit court gave costs jointly in favor of the plaintiffs against the defendants. As to these costs, the language of the decree aforesaid of this court is as follows: “And it is further decreed and ordered, that said circuit court shall, through one of its commissioners, ascertain what proportion of the costs were incurred in taking evidence in reference to the sale of said infants’ real estate, and of the evidence certified from the state of Illinois as to the qualifications of said foreign giuardian, and the costs of printing the same, and such costs so ascertained shall be, upon a final decree, decreed against the said H. E. Harkrader.”

Now, under this decree, it is manifest that no execution could be properly sued out by any party without the further action of the circuit court. The infants, as already seen, could not rightfully sue out executions, because no money was decreed to be paid to them, and H. E. Harkrader, the foreign guardian, could sue out none, because the decree, so far as it ordered payment to be made to *him, was reversed and annulled, and a further decree by the circuit court was required before he could lawfully receive anything. And as to the costs, the decree of this court would seem to contemplate a postponement of payment until the enquiry directed by this court should be ordered and made.

The court is further of opinion, that although the appellants had their remedy by motion to craash the executions, which motion, under the statute (Code of 1873, ch. 183, § 40). might have been made, after reasonable notice, as well before the judge of the said circuit court in vacation as before said court in term; yet this remedy, under the circumstances of this case, was inadequate, and therefore the injunction was proper.

Every court has a perfect right to watch over the execution of its judgments, and where its process has been irregularly or fraudulently used, to quash it, as being the best and speediest mode of doing justice. Hendricks & Taylor v. Dundass, 2 Wash. 50.

Of- whatever form the writ of execution may be, it must conform to the judgment; and if it does not, it will be quashed on motion. Herman on Executions, § 403, pp. 619, 620, citing Reese v. Burts, 39 Geo. R. 565.

When the statute law authorized the issuing executions on decrees, it clothed the courts of chancery with the power of watching over such process and correcting any abuses arising under it, to the same extent and by the same means that courts of law use. Carr. J., in Windrum v. Parker & als., 2 Leigh 361, 367. And in deciding upon all questions in respect to executions on decrees, the courts of chancery are bound to abide by the common law and statutes respecting executions at law. Green, J., S. C. 369.

The motion to quash, as provided by our Code, ubi supra, must be “after reasonable notice,” and such notice, *whatever may be the grounds on which the motion is based, does not of itself suspend the execution of the writ. Herman on Executions, § 405, p. 621, citing cases from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The executions in this case were issued on the 10th day of October, 1877. and were returnable on the 3d day of December following, which was the first day of the then next term of the circuit court of Wythe county. The bill of the appellants, charges that the Harkraders (the plaintiffs named in the executions), “are all non-residents.” This allegation of the bill, on the motion to dissolve the. injunction without answer, must be taken as true. Notice of the motion to quash could have been served only by publication thereof once a week for four successive weeks in a newspaper published in this state. Code of 1873, ch. 163, § 2. Before the motion, therefore, could have been regularly made, the apprehended mischief under the executions might have been accomplished; the property of the appellants might have been seized and sold under process irregular and illegal. It is no answer to this view to say that the indebtedness of the appellants was ascertained and fixed by the report of the commissioner which was confirmed by the decree, and that, therefore, the appellants could not be injured by executions compelling payment. Although the amounts due were definitely ascertained, there was no order in the decree, as modified by this court, for payment, and without such order, or what is equivalent thereto, there could be lawfully no execution to compel payment. An order to pay, or recovery in some form, is an essential prerequisite to an execution to compel payment.

In Shackelford v. Apperson, 6 Gratt.

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