State Nat. Bank of Shawnee v. Wood Co.

1922 OK 122, 212 P. 1002, 88 Okla. 292, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 353
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 4, 1922
Docket10544
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1922 OK 122 (State Nat. Bank of Shawnee v. Wood Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Nat. Bank of Shawnee v. Wood Co., 1922 OK 122, 212 P. 1002, 88 Okla. 292, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 353 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

PITCHFORD, Y.

C. J. This action was brought by Wood & Company, of Shawnee, Okla., by filing a petition in the superior court of Pottawatomie county against J. G. Peppard Seed Company, a foreign corporation, with its place of business in Kansas City, Mo,-, claimirig damages for alleged breach of contract.

The facts in the case, briefly stated, are as follows: The plaintiff purchased from the defendant a certain carload of cane seed. The defendant received from the railroad company a bill of lading, and drew a draft, with lading attached, on the plaintiff payable to the New England National Bank, of Kansas City, Mo., for the price of the seed. This draft, with other items, was deposited by the defendant with the New England National Bank and received by the latter as cash items, with the right of the defendant to check on the deposit made. It seems that there was arrangement whereby the bank was to charge the defendant six per cent, interest from the time the draft was received until it was paid. The New England National Bank then forwarded the draft, with the bill of lading attached, to the State National Bank of Shawnee, Okla., After the same was received by the Shawnee bank, Wood & Company were notified, the draft was paid, and bill of lading delivered to Wood & Company.

Upon inspection, the seed was found to be defective, the defect being discovered after a portion of the seed had been sold to the customers of plaintiff. Thereupon the plaintiff filed action against the defendant for damages alleged to have been sustained by reason of the inferior quality of the seed, and attached the seed remaining unsold. Summons in due form was issued commanding the sheriff of Pottawatomie county to notify the defendant that it had been sued by Wood & Company. The sheriff returned this summons stating that “The defendant not found in my county.”

On the same day of the filing of the petition, plaintiff filed an affidavit showing that the defendant was a nonresident of the state of Oklahoma; and, further, that the State National Bank of Shawnee was indebted to the defendant. A summons in garnishment was thereupon issued, which was returned by the sheriff showing that he had served the State National Bank of Shawnee with the summons; and, further, that “Said defendant is not found within my county.”

The seed remaining on hand was sold under attachment and bid in by plaintiff; the amount realized was credited on the damages claimed. Thereafter an ' answer was filed by the garnishee, denying any indebtedness to the defendant, or that it had in its possession or under its control, property or effects of the defendant.

The plaintiff filed its motion taking issue on the answer so filed by the garnishee. The plaintiff contended that the draft was taken by the New England National Bank for collection, and that the proceeds of the draft belonged to Peppard Seed Company; while the garnishee contended that the draft was received , by the New England National Bank as a cash item, with the privilege of the defendant to check out on the deposit so made; that the title, therefore, passed to the New England National Bank.

Upon the conclusion of the evidence, judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff and against the garnishee for the sum of $4,597.88, from which judgment the garnishee appeals. The assignments of error may be summarized under two propositions : First, that the trial court was without jurisdiction; and, second, that the judgment of the trial court is without evidence to support it.

The jurisdictional question was not raised in the trial court, and was raised for the first time on appeal. Plaintiff insists that this objection cannot now be raised for the first time. In this we cannot concur. The rule is well settled that an objection that the trial court had no jurisdiction over the subject-matter may be raised at any state of the proceedings. It is not waived by a fail *294 ure to raise the question in the trial, but may be raised for the first time in the appellate court. Otherwise, consent of parties could give jurisdiction.

The statute provides that a void judgment may be vacated at any time on motion of the party, or any person affected there by. State National Bank v. Lowenstein, 5: Okla. 259, 155 Pac. 1127; Cummings v. P. H. McDermid, 4 Okla. 272, 44 Pac. 276.

In Clark v. Farmers’ State Bank, 48 Okla 592, 149 Pac. 1189, it is said: -

'“There is no rule of this court better settled than that errors not raised in the trial court will not be considered on appeal, when they do not go to the jurisdiction of the court.”

In Keenan v. Chastain et al., 64 Okla. 16, 164 Pac. 1145, it is held that the question of jurisdiction • is primary and fundamental in every ease, and cannot be waived by the parties or overlooked by the court. We quote the following:

“The fundamental question of jurisdiction, first, of this court, and then of the court from which the record comes, presents itself on every writ of error or appeal, and must be answered,by the court, whether propounded by counsel or not.”

In First National Bank of Poteau v. School District No. 49 of Hughes County, 61 Okla. 45, 160 Pac. 68, it is said:

“The jurisdiction of the court from which an appeal comes to this court is a fundamental question in every case, and if such court had no jurisdiction, the parties cannot waive its want of jurisdiction, and this court should not overlook the want of jurisdiction of the trial court, even though the parties have not seen fit to challenge the jurisdiction of the trial court in some proper manner.”

Defendant in error concedes that this is not an action against the nonresident defendant, but is against certain property within the state of Oklahoma, claimed by plaintiff to be the property of defendant; that it is an action in irem and the judgment operates only to the extent of the value of the property actually found, and not against the defendant or any other property of defendant not subject to this particular action; that the defendant is really the property itself, and not the nonresident. Assuming th'at the defendant in error is correct in this concession, it follows that in that event the “property itself” would be just as much entitled to have its day in court as. would any other defendant; and, in order to bring the property within the jurisdiction of the court, it is just as necessary that the statutory requirements be followed as if an individual were being sued. Attachments and garnishments are purely statutory proceedings, and must be strictly followed, and failure to do so renders a resultant judgment void.

In Rood on Garnishment, R-108, Definition and Essentials, p. 283, it is said:

“Jurisdiction is the authority to hear and determine the cause, and refers to the power of the court over the parties, the res or property in contest, and the authority of the court to entertain the suit or proceeding and render the judgment or decree which it assumes to make. In garnishment proceedings, all the statutory prerequisites to commencement of suit are jurisdictional, and must be strictly complied with.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 122, 212 P. 1002, 88 Okla. 292, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-nat-bank-of-shawnee-v-wood-co-okla-1922.