State ex rel. Bank of Herrick v. Circuit Court of Gregory County

143 N.W. 892, 32 S.D. 573, 1913 S.D. LEXIS 249
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 18, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 143 N.W. 892 (State ex rel. Bank of Herrick v. Circuit Court of Gregory County) 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
State ex rel. Bank of Herrick v. Circuit Court of Gregory County, 143 N.W. 892, 32 S.D. 573, 1913 S.D. LEXIS 249 (S.D. 1913).

Opinion

WHITING, P. J.

This court issued an order to show cause requiring- respondent to show cause, if any there be, why a peremptory mandamus should not issue out of this court compelling respondent to issue an order for publication of summons in a certain cause pending before such court wherein relator is plaintiff and one Anson Wagar is defendant. ' Respondent has appeared in response to said order and demurs thereto, alleging, as grounds for demurrer, that the affidavit upon which relator’s application [577]*577was based does not state facts sufficient to entitle relator to any relief.

[1] Such demurrer confesses that respondent denied this application for an order for publication of summons for the sole reason “that the plaintiff has sought to acquire jurisdiction by a proceeding in garnishment whereby he seeks to subject certain moneys of the defendant in the Lucas State Bank to the payment of any judgment that he may obtain against the defendant; * * * that no levy upon the property of the defendant within the state has been made by attachment, and counsel for the plaintiff having stated in open court that no levy by attachment would be made 'for the reason that they deemed the proceeding in garnishment * * * sufficient to give jurisdiction upon which a valid judgment might be based.” The demurrer confesses that relator has a cause of action against Wagar; .that Wagar is a nonresident of this state; that he has property in the state; that the respondent had jurisdiction of the subject of the action, the debt sued for; that the defendant could not after due diligence be found in this state; that garnishee summons had been served on the garnishee and such garnishee -had made answer admitting it had moneys of defendant on deposit- — -all of such facts appearing clearly and fully from the affidavit. Respondent contends that attachment is the only proceeding through which the court could acquire jurisdiction to enter a judgment in such action.

It will thus be seen that the only question that is really presented to this court is whether the trial court should have granted ■the order for publication herein. The question of whether such trial court could eventually render a judgment in the action wherein publication of summons is sought is not properly before us 'at this time; it has no bearing upon' the question as to whether or not relator is entitled to the order of publication. This application for an order for .publication was made under section 112, C. C. P., which provides that, where the person upon whom service of summons is to be made cannot, -after due diligence, be found within the state, and that facts appear by affidavit to the satisfaction of the court or judge thereof, and it likewise appeal's that a cause of action exists against such defendant, the court or judge may grant an order directing -that service of summons be made by [578]*578publication when the defendant is not a resident of this state but has property therein and the court has jurisdiction of the subject of the action. The facts confessed by the demurrer cover every statutory essential to entitle the relator to such order for publication. If no garnishment proceeding had been instituted and service made therein upon the party with whom Wagar’s money was deposited, yet the mere fact that the defendant had property in this state, a fact conceded by the demurrer, taken in connection with the other conceded facts, entitled relator to the order asked for. That Wagar might make no personal appearance, and that the respondent court might never acquire any jurisdiction over the property of the defendant, and that, for want of any jurisdiction over either the person or property of Wagar, relator might never be entitled to recover a judgment was a matter not before the trial court and which it could not rightfully consider. It is the settled law of this state, in conformity with the decisions in the majority of the states, that it is not necessary for the court to acquire jurisdiction over the property prior to the granting of the order of publication. Bank v. Jacobson, 8 S. D. 292, 66 N. W. 453; Hartzell v. Vigen, 6 N. D. 117, 69 N. W. 203, 35 L. R. A. 451, 66 Am. St. Rep. 589.

[2] While the above disposes of the sole question necessary for the 'disposition of this demurrer, yet it is apparent that if we merely overrule the demurrer and command the respondent to grant the order asked for, and thereafter the summons in the action of relator v. Wagar should be duly served by publication and Wagar should fail to appear, and plaintiff, without taking further steps to acquire any other different jurisdiction over Wagar’s property than he has 'or may acquire through garnishment proceedings, should apply for a judgment, respondent court might refuse the same upon the ground that it had jurisdiction neither over the person nor the property of Wagar; it appearing from respondent’s brief that the present judge of said court is of the opinion that garnishment proceedings cannot give such jurisdiction over the property (including choses in action) of a defendant as will support a judgment subjecting such property to the payment of relator’s claim. We therefore feel justified in determining the correctness of respondent’s view, a's by so doing we will undoubtedly avoid another appeal. Unless garnishment pro-[579]*579ceeclings give to the court some control or jurisdiction over the property or debt belonging to the defendant, such proceedings must certainly be a nullity.

[3] While a court of this state cannot reach beyond the boundaries thereof and acquire jurisdiction over the person of a party nonresident of this state or over property situate in another state, yet there can be no question bu't that it k within the sovereign power of a state to provide a method whereby, by proper process or proceeding, all property, both real and personal, situate within the state can be taken and applied to the payment of the -debts of its owners, wheresoever such owners may chance to reside. Property subject to actual seizure is so applied through attachment. Why should a man’s horse be attached and, through the attachment, applied to the payment of a debt and his choses in action beyond the reach of his creditors? Certainly there can be no reason lest it be the impossibility of devising a proper and efficient method for reaching them. It is to reach such choses in action, as well as tangible personal property in the possession of third parties, that the garnishment laws of this and other states have been passed; the proceedings therein are analogous to those in attachment; and the control or jurisdiction acquired over such debt or property is likewise of a similar nature to-, that acquired through the issuance and service of a writ of attachment.

In North Star Boot & Shoe Co., v. Ladd, 32 Minn. 381, 20 N. W. 334, it was said: “The garnishment is, in effect, an attachment of the ‘indebtedness’ of the garnishee to the defendant. Though, technically speaking, it may not give -a ‘specific lien’ upon such indebtedness,. its effect in conferring upon- the plaintiff a specified right (over and above that of a mere general creditor) to the indebtedness for the payment of his claim is substantially analogous to that acquired by an -attachment of tangible property.”

In Bragg v. Gaynor, 85 Wis. 468, 55 N. W. 919, 21 L. R. A. 161, it was said: “The procee-ss of garnishment operates as an attachment and fastens on such debts a lien by which they are brought under the dominion -and jurisdiction of the court.” See, also, Maxwell v. Bank, 101 Wis. 286, 77 N. W. 149, 70 Am. St. Rep.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cadwallader v. Lehman
451 P.2d 163 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1969)
Egland v. Neill
65 N.W.2d 576 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1954)
Cantor v. Sachs
162 A. 73 (Court of Chancery of Delaware, 1932)
Knittle v. Ellenbusch
159 N.W. 893 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1916)
South Dakota Commercial Ass'n v. Ramsey
147 N.W. 75 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1914)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
143 N.W. 892, 32 S.D. 573, 1913 S.D. LEXIS 249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-bank-of-herrick-v-circuit-court-of-gregory-county-sd-1913.