Stevens v. Benton

2 Lans. 156
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1869
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2 Lans. 156 (Stevens v. Benton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevens v. Benton, 2 Lans. 156 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1869).

Opinion

By the Court.

Foster, J.

On the 17th day of June, 1868, the plaintiff appeared before Dexter Gilmore, a justice of the peace of the county of Oneida, and made oath in writing that Seth P. Benton was justly indebted to him on a demand, arising on contract, in the sum of $200 over and above all discounts, &c. That Benton was not a resident of the county of Oneida “ and that no warrant can issue against him on the demand of this deponent, according to the act to abolish imprisonment for debt and to punish fraudulent debtors.” lie also gave bail pursuant to the said act, and demanded that an attachment be issued.

The justice thereupon issued a short attachment in the usual form, returnable before him on the 19th day of the same month.

On the 17th day of June the constable levied the attachment on certain personal property of the defendant in the possession of one Battey, and served a copy of the attachment and inventory of the property on Battey, as appeared by his return; and he further returned to the attachment, that he did not find the defendant in the county, but that ho Was absent therefrom ; and that he had no residence therein.

At the time and place mentioned for the return of the attachment, the parties were called by the justice, and the plaintiff appeared in person, and by his attorney; and the defendant appeared by William P. Battey, for the purpose ofmahing objection to the process j and was sworn as to his authority. And he objected to the attachment on the ground, that the affidavit on which it issued was insufficient, [158]*158and the attachment wrongfully issued. The justice overruled the objection. The counsel for the defendant declined to appear and answer generally, and the justice issued a short summons returnable on the 22d of June. The constable returned the summons, with his return thereon, by which it appeared, that after diligent search, the defendant could not be found in the county, and had no residence therein.

On the 22d of June both parties appeared, and the plaintiff claimed against the defendant in writing for work, labor, and services,' done and performed for him by the plaintiff, and demanded judgment in the sum of $200.

The defendant answered in writing, denying the complaint and claiming that the work, labor and services wore performed by the plaintiff under a special contract for a specified sum. That the whdle amount had been paid to him, and that there was a balance due to the defendant of five dollars and sixty-four cents, which he claimed to recoup; but no objection was then taken to the sufficiency of the affidavit on which the attachment was issued, nor was any such objection afterward made in the justice’s court.

The action was afterward tried before the justice and a jury, and a verdict was rendered in favor of the plaintiff for $126.25, for which judgment was rendered with costs.

The defendant appealed to the County Court, and in his notice of appeal desired a new trial in that court, and stated as grounds of appeal that the judgment was contrary to the law and evidence of the case. That the justice erred in refusing to nonsuit the plaintiff and in the admission of evidence, and that the judgment should have been more favorable to the defendant.

In the County Court, when the case was called for trial, the counsel for the defendant moved that the judgment of the justice be reversed, on the ground that the affidavit on which the attachment issued was insufficient, and that it did not sufficiently set forth the facts and circumstances upon which the application therefor was founded, and that in addition to [159]*159the facts and circumstances set forth, it should have set forth facts and circumstances which would have entitled the plaintiff to a long attachment had the defendant been a resident of the county. The counsel for the plaintiff objected to the motion upon the ground that it had been waived by appealing for a new trial; that the affidavit cannot be returned by the justice, and, if returned, it is unofficial, and this court cannot act upon it; and that by appealing for a new trial, the defendant waived all objection to the sufficiency of the affidavit upon which the attachment issued, and was estopped from raising the question at that time in that court.

The court denied the motion, and the defendant’s counsel excepted.

It is quite clear that the County Court, in denying the motion of the defendant’s counsel, did not do so because the notice of appeal called for a new trial, for it had just before decided to entertain the motion, and in doing so had overruled precisely the same objections of the plaintiff’s counsel, as those above stated, and I have no doubt that in overruling the objections of the plaintiff’s counsel the court was correct. The statute authorizes a party to a judgment in a justice’s court to appeal to the County Court upon questions of law only, in which case no retrial is had; but the questions of law are to be decided upon the evidence and proceedings had before the justice, as returned by him, or he may appeal for a new trial; in which case the justice does not return the testimony taken before him, but returns the process by which the action was commenced, with the proof of service thereof and the pleadings or copies thereof, the proceedings and judgment, together with a brief statement of the amount and nature of the claims litigated,” while on an appeal on questions of law only the justice returns the testimony, proceedings and judgment. (Code of Procedure, § 360.)

I think it is clear, that where a party appeals from a justice’s judgment for a new trial, he can, in the appellate court, raise all questions which -were properly raised in the court below (except such as were raised to proceedings which [160]*160took place on the trial of the action), as fully as he could do if the appeal were on questions of law only. The return of the justice in such case, as we have' seen, is quite as ample, except in regard to the testimony, as in the case of appeal on questions of law. Indeed, unless the word “ proceedings ” covers everything that took place in the court helow, except “ testimony” and “judgment,” the return, in case a now trial is asked for, is more comprehensive; for it contains in terms all that is provided for in a return on an appeal on questions of law only, and also the “process,” “proofs of service,” and “ pleadings.” And yet I have no doubt that all these are covered by the word proceedingsand that the return in both classes of appeals is to he the same, except as to the testimony and rulings upon the trial. The reason for the determination, by the appellate court, of all questions of jurisdiction, and of regularity, which arose in the court below, is the same in both classes of appeals. And, if all such questions do not come up before the appellate court, on an appeal for a new trial, the aggrieved party must either bring two distinct appeals from the same judgment, which surely cannot be done, or else the statute does not give the party an opportunity in the court above to re-try all the questions which arose in the justices’ court.

We do not know why the County Court denied the motion to reverse the judgment; but it must have been either because it thought the affidavit on which the attachment was founded was insufficient, or that the question was not properly raised before the justice.

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Bluebook (online)
2 Lans. 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-v-benton-nysupct-1869.