State ex rel. Backus v. Millard

15 Ohio C.C. 460, 8 Ohio Cir. Dec. 672
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedOctober 15, 1897
StatusPublished

This text of 15 Ohio C.C. 460 (State ex rel. Backus v. Millard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Backus v. Millard, 15 Ohio C.C. 460, 8 Ohio Cir. Dec. 672 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1897).

Opinion

Haynes, J.

(Orally.)

On the 20th day of August, 1897, there was filed in this court a petition for mandamus in this case. An application was made to one of the judges of this court for an alternative writ of mandamus, which was granted in due form, and thereupon the defendant, having entered his appearance by virtue of the statute, files a demurrer to this petition, thereby raising the question whether a writ of mandamus ought to be allowed in the case. He demurs upon the ground that the court has no jurisdiction of the subject of the action, and that the petition does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

We have listened to the arguments of counsel, and have given this matter our attention, and are unanimously of the opinion that the demurrer should be sustained; and that for reasons which I will endeavor briefly to state.

The petition.says that on the 10th day of June, 1893, relator was appointed assignee in trust for the benefit of all the creditors of said The Abner L. Backus & Son's Company, an insolvent corporation, and was duly qualified and entered upon the duties of his trust; that defendant Millard then was and still is probate judge of Lucas county, Ohio. He further says that on the 19th of August, 1893, the relator filed a paper writing in the probate court, of which the following is a copy:

“Now comes Alexander Backus, the duly appointed and qualified assignee of the Abner- L. Backus & Son’s Co., and [462]*462shows to the court that the following were at the time the assignee accepted the trust, the only creditors of said assign- or, viz:”

Then it sets out quite a list of creditors, and among others it mentions Abner L. Backus, $35,093.64, and proceeds:

‘‘That since said assignment has been made, all of the creditors except those hereinafter named have been paid in full, and no liability in their favor is now existing, as is shown by the vouchers and exhibits hereto attached,and join the assignee in the request to this court that the trust may be vacated, the assignee discharged, and he and his sureties released from further liability on account of their prior existing claims. That the following named persons and firms, creditors of said assignor, to-wit: Houck & Jones, Centerville, Indiana; Vernon & Moss, Anderson, Indiana; Weckizer & Boggs, Argos, Indiana; Fowler, Harpster & Smith, Harpster, Ohio; have been notified by the assignee that he is ready and able to pay to them in full the respective amounts with interest, but they have hitherto failed to present any claim against the assignor or receive or receipt for the payment thereof to the assignee. He further shows he has paid all costs and expenses of administering the trust. Wherefore the undersigned asks that he be discharged from the further duties of his trust; thathe be allowed to deposit for the benefit of said last named creditors of The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Co. the amount now due to them, or that he be allowed to retain in his hands the said amounts due respectively to each of said creditors and give undertaking in such amounts as this court may designate until such time as they, said creditors, are willing and ready to accept payment thereof; and thereupon he may be released and discharged as such assignee; his bond heretofore filed in this court be cancelled, or make such other and further orders as the court may deem right and proper in the premises.”

To that he makes oath. On the same day, to-wit: August 9th, the probate court made an order of which the following is a copy:

In the Probate Court of Lucas county, Ohio.

Ex parte the assignment for the benefit of creditors of The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company.

.‘‘This day came Alexander L. Backus, the duly appoint[463]*463ed. and qualified assignee of said The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Co. and filed a statement of the credits and liabilities of said company at the date of said assignment, and submitted proof that said creditors, except those of them hereinafter named, had been paid in full; that no liability of said corporation in their favor now exists, and that they join said assignee in asking his discharge from said trust, and also that the following named creditors of said corporation, to-wit: Houck Jones, Vernon & Moss, Weckizer & Boggs, and Fowler,Harpster & Smith, have presented no claim for their respective demands, but that said assignee has in his hands sufficient funds to pay the same; that said assignee has submitted proof that it would be manifestly just and to the interest of the assignor that he be released from the further administration of said trust; and the court being now fully advised in the premises, it is hereby ordered, all of. the creditors, except those as above named, in open court consenting thereto, that said trust be vacated and the assignee released and discharged from further liabilities by reason of his trust; upon condition, however, thatsaid Alexander Bakcus file forthwith a new undertaking in the sum of $2500, payable to the state of Ohio, for the use of the unpaid creditors of said Abner L. Backus & Son's Company, conditioned that he will, on demand, pay all unliquidated claims of said corporation. And said Alexander Backus having filed said bond, which is hereby approved, he is hereby discharged from said trust as assignee of Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company; ordered that he pay the costs, taxed at $■— --.’’

It is claimed that this order is void,for the reason that all of the creditors of the Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company did not join in the petition or consent to the cancellation of the assignment. We do not come to that conclusion; nor do we think that the case cited of Garver v. Tisinger, found' in 46 Ohio St. 56, requires us-to come to that. •

The petition recites that at the time the order was made, to-wit: August 19th, 1893' — ■

“No notice of any kind, either personal, by publication or otherwise, was given the assignor The Abner L. Backus [464]*464& Son’s Company of the filing or pendency of said paper writing by said relator, as such assignee, or of the time of hearing of any matter pertaining to said assignment of any nature whatever; that at the time of the making of said order by said probate court (the order of date August 9th, 1893), the said assignor, The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company, was not present in said court, nor was any one authorized to act for it present in said court; and the said assignor, The Abner L. Bakcus & Son’s Company, did not consent to said order of August 19th, 1893, and the said assignor, The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company, had no knowledge of said order of August 19th, 1893, until long after said order was made and entered. That at the time of the making of said order by said probate court (the order of date August 19th, 1893), the following named co-partnership firms were creditors of said assignor The Abner L. Backus & Son’s Company, in the sums set opposite their respective names, as follows: (Naming the four firms already referred to).

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Bluebook (online)
15 Ohio C.C. 460, 8 Ohio Cir. Dec. 672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-backus-v-millard-ohiocirct-1897.