Taacks v. Schmidt

18 Abb. Pr. 307
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1864
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Abb. Pr. 307 (Taacks v. Schmidt) 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
Taacks v. Schmidt, 18 Abb. Pr. 307 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1864).

Opinion

James, J.

This was, a motion to confirm the report of a' referee, and exceptions to such report.

The defendant, Schmidt, was plaintiff in anaetion- commenced against the firm of Schroeder & Go., of Buenos Ayres, upon which an attachment had been issued to the defendant [331]*331Lockman, sheriff of Richmond county, who claimed to liave lawfully seized certain hides of Schroeder & Co., subject to the revenue duties.

This action was commenced by plaintiff claiming to be the owner of said hides, to restrain defendants from interfering therewith, in which an injunction was issuéd to that effect, whereby plaintiff obtained and sold said hides.

On trial, the complaint was dismissed, the injunction dissolved, and a reference ordered to ascertain the damages by reason of such injunction.

The referee reports that said hides were shipped by Schroeder & Co., from Buenos Ayres to their agents in blew York, to séll on account; that on February 27, 1858, said agents, having a small sum of money in hand, an attachment was issued against Schroeder & Co., and delivered to the sheriff of blew York, who served a notice on the said agents, attaching all funds and property in their hands; that Feburary 22d an attachment in favor of the defendant Schmidt against Schroeder & Co. was also issued and delivered to said sheriff; that on the 9th of March the bills of lading of said hides having arrived the day before said agents gave the sheriff of bfew York a certificate of the same, and agreed to hold said bills, or said hides to arrive, or the proceeds thereof, subject to said attachments; that March 3d another attachment in favor of said Theodore Schmidt against Schroeder & Co. was issued and delivered to the sheriff of Richmond county; that on -the 10th day of April, before noon, said agents sold said hides to arrive, to plaintiff Taacks; that in the áfternoon of same day the sheriff of Richmond county seized said hides in his bailwick before they had even been within the county of blew York, of course subject to the United States revenue laws; that he accompanied the same to bTew York, and kept the custody of the same as far as,:possible, subject to said revenue laws, until forced to surrender his claim by force of.said injunction.

As conclusions of law, the referee found that the sheriff* of Richmond had a valid- levy upon said hides, and a special property therein equivalent to any judgment recovered in the action in which such attachment issued;' and if final judgment should be obtained in said action, the amount of said judgment, the legal fees and charges of said sheriff, and the sum paid his [332]*332deputies for services and expenses, would be proper damages occasioned by said injunction; and, also, that the costs, fees, expenses, and disbursements in this action were also damages occasioned by said injunction.

The plaintiff interposes five exceptions to this report which I will first consider.

The first three involve the same question; whether or not the sheriff of Richmond had a valid levy upon the hides by virtue of the attachment:

The plaintiff insists the hides could not be attached by the sheriff of Richmond :

1st. Because they had been previously attached by the sheriff of ¡New York, and were consequently in the custody of the law.

2d. Because they were plaintiff’s property.

3d. Because the hides were in the legal custody of the United States for duties.

These points were satisfactorily answered by the referee in his opinion, and it will not be necessary for me to go over the same ground. I fully concur in his conclusions and in most of his reasoning.

The fourth exception is to the allowance for damages.

The referee allows as follows:

1st. The amount and interest of any judgment which may be recovered under the attachment.

2d. The legal-fees and charges of said sheriff of Richmond county upon the amount for which such judgment shall be recovered.

3d. The sum of $336 for services and expenses of deputies in seizing and watching said hides.

4th, The sum of $50 for referee’s fees on first hearing.

5th. The sum of $500 for the costs, fees, and disbursements of the attorney and counsel of defendant Schmidt in this action.

6th. The sum of $500 for the costs, fees, and disbursements of the defendant Lockman in this action; and

7th. The sum of $200 for the costs and expenses of the hearing before said referee.

I infer from the papers that no final judgment has been as yet entered in this case; that upon dismissing the complaint [333]*333this referee was ordered under section 222 of the Code, to ascertain what damages had been sustained by reason of the injunction, and that no judgment will be entered herein until the coming in and confirmation of the referee’s report.

In ascertaining the damages, the referee had nothing to do with the question of fees, costs, disbursements, or allowances, either in this action or the action under the attachment.

The final judgments recovered in these actions are proper damagesbut the fees, costs, and disbursements must be fixed and adjusted in each case as required by statute Code, §§ 243, 307, 308, 309, 311, 312 (2 Rev. Stat., 646).

The adjustment must in all cases be performed in part by the officer who issued the attachment (2 Rev. Stat., 646; Code, 243); the part being fixed by law must be adjusted by the clerk, and all extra allowances by the court.

It is a power that cannot be delegated to a referee, even under the cover of fixing damages sustained by an injunction.

Some of this extra labor under the attachment allowed by the referee was occasioned by the injunction.

If the plaintiff succeeded in the action in which the attach- ° ment issued, the injunction has probably deprived Schmidt of the means of satisfying such judgment out of the property of Schroeder & Co.; and, therefore, the plaintiff in the injunction- v. suit, and his sureties should be held to make Schmidt good; should pay his jhdgment. So in the injunction-suit the plain- ,-v tiff and sureties are liable for the judgment as damages; but the costs and disbursements which the law allows, arid such extra compensation as the court may think proper and right under the circumstances, are to be carried into and form, part of that judgment; and such costs should include the*costs and expenses of. the reference under the order to ascertain the damages. It may be otherwise when other damages than costs which are not to go into" a judgment are sought.

■ In this case all which the defendants can legally claim as damages, by reason of the injunction, is the judgment herein; > the costs and expenses of the referee, if not included in said judgment; and the judgment, if one shall be recovered by the plaintiff, in the action in which the attachment issued.

I confess there seems an inconsistency in proceeding to an assessment of damages before the damages can be known, and [334]*334the true course in this case would have been to have waited until the final determination of the attachment-suit.

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18 Abb. Pr. 307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taacks-v-schmidt-nysupct-1864.