State Ex Rel. Bozicevich v. City of Eveleth

265 N.W. 30, 196 Minn. 307, 1936 Minn. LEXIS 954
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJanuary 31, 1936
DocketNo. 30,558.
StatusPublished

This text of 265 N.W. 30 (State Ex Rel. Bozicevich v. City of Eveleth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Bozicevich v. City of Eveleth, 265 N.W. 30, 196 Minn. 307, 1936 Minn. LEXIS 954 (Mich. 1936).

Opinion

Julius J. Olson, Justice.

The case has been here before. 194 Minn. 44, 47, 260 N. W. 223. Reference to that opinion is hereby made to avoid repetition of issues there decided.

In conformity with that opinion the case was retried upon the single issue therein limited, i. e., whether relator had executed “a sufficient bond which the council were bound to accept” before relator would be entitled to his back salary. After trial duly had, the court found for relator, holding the bond legally sufficient and directing entry of judgment that relator receive his back pay. Appellants moved for amended findings or new trial. Their motion being denied, this appeal followed. Review is necessarily limited to the single question of determining whether the evidence reasonably sustains the findings.

By 1 Mason Minn. St. 1927, § 226, it is provided that such officers as relator “shall give bond to the city * * * for the use of all persons interested, to be approved by the council of such city anq conditioned for the faithful performance of their duties as such. * * *” The bond in the instant case provided that relator would faithfully perform the duties of his office. There is no provision that it is “for the use of all persons interested.” The court in its memorandum refers to 2 Mason Minn. St. 1927, *309 § 9698, as authority for holding the bond sufficient. That section provides:

“The official bond or other security of a public officer, Avhether Avith or Avithout sureties, shall be security to all persons seArerally for the official delinquencies against Avhich it is intended to provide, as Avell as to the obligee designated therein, * * *. When a public officer, by official misconduct or neglect, forfeits his bond or renders his sureties liable thereon, any person injured thereby, or Avho is by laAV entitled to the benefit of the security, may bring an action thereon, in his OAvn name, against the officer and his sureties, to recover the amount to which he is entitled by reason of the delinquency. “

We think the court Avas right. Many cases have been before this court in respect of bonds and undertakings of this nature. The rule is Avell stated in Vukmirovich v. Nickolich, 123 Minn. 165, 168, 113 N. W. 255, 256:

“Statutory bonds must be construed in the light of the statute creating the obligations intended to be secured, and either extended or restricted in scope, as the case may be, to cases contemplated by the statute, unless violence thus be done to the language of the bond.”

In Guaranteed G. & S. Co. v. Aetna C. & S. Co. 171 Minn. 366, 375, 219 N. W. 546, 550, this court held the statute by reason of Avhich the bond was given to be a part’ of it, the same as if it had been therein Avritten. There, as here, “the parties intended to comply Avith the statute. The contract and bondAvere made in reference to the statute. The purpose of the parties being established to be the same as the purpose of the statute, the joint purpose cannot be defeated by a failure to Avrite into the contract and bond one of the provisions of the statute Avhether such omission is due to the voluntary act of the parties or is attributable to their oversight or inadvertence. Under such circumstances the laAv imputes such provisions to the contract Avhether written therein or not. In such a situation the contract is made in reference to the Iúav which is *310 read into the contract and out of which the liability arises. Bau-mann v. City of West Allis, 187 Wis. 506, 204 N. W. 907. The statute is a part of such contract whether embraced within the written language thereof or not; and its faithful performance means that the requirements of the law must be met.”

In the instant case two persons were appointed by the mayor to the position of “court officer” of the municipal court of Eveleth. Relator’s bond and that of the other court officer so appointed are here as exhibits. Both are identical in form and substance, and the city paid the surety company’s premium charge for both. The other bond was approved by the council, but relator’s was not. The reason for failing to approve or act upon his bond, as testified by the city clerk, is set forth in the record:

Q. “Do you mean by that that there was a motion made to accept the bond or approve the bond that Avas voted down ?
A. “There Avas no motion made, either to accept or reject.
Q. “They just declined to act?
A. “Exactly.
The Court: “The situation Avas just this, wasn’t it? They declined to confirm Mr. Bozicevich’s appointment ?
Witness: “That Avas the first thing, yes.
The Court: “And therefore they Avould not accept his bond because in their opinion he Avas not a court officer ?
Witness: “I think that was the reason.”

The alleged defect, respecting the manner and form of execution of the bond here involved, is that the person executing it for the surety did so as “attorney” instead of using the form of expression “attorney in fact.” We think this objection too attenuated to require much discussion. The bond is written upon a printed form prepared by the surety company. Acrqss the top in bold-faced type appears the corporate name of the surety: “The Fidelity and Casualty Company op Eew York.” Immediately beneath the formal contractual provisions thereof are the signatures of the principal, surety, and witnesses, thus:

*311 “Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of
“Maurice Levant
“Harry A. Levant
John Bozicevich
“(as to the Principal)
Principal
“The Fidelity and Casualty Company op New York
“M. F. Lesch
“M. C. Palther
Ruth I. Westlund
“(as to the Surety)
Attorney
“(Corporate Seal)”

The surety’s acknowledgment read:

(Venue) “On this 15 day of January 1934, before me appeared Ruth I. Westlund to me personally known, who being by me duly sworn, did say that she is the attorney of The Fidelity and Casualty Company op New York, a corporation; that the seal affixed to the foregoing instrument is the corporate seal of said corporation, and that said instrument ivas executed in behalf of said corporation by her by authority of its Board of Directors; and the said Ruth I. Westlund did acknowledge said instrument to be the free act and deed of said corporation.”

This is in strict conformity Avitli statutory requirements. 2 Mason Minn. St. 1927, § 6970. Section 6971 provides:

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Related

State Ex Rel. Bozicevich v. City of Eveleth
260 N.W. 223 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1935)
Ginsburg v. Byers
214 N.W. 55 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1927)
Guaranteed Gravel & Sand Co. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
219 N.W. 546 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1928)
Vukmirovich v. Nickolich
143 N.W. 255 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1913)
Baumann v. City of West Allis
204 N.W. 907 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1925)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 N.W. 30, 196 Minn. 307, 1936 Minn. LEXIS 954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-bozicevich-v-city-of-eveleth-minn-1936.