Vandiver v. American Can Co.

67 So. 299, 190 Ala. 352, 1914 Ala. LEXIS 684
Supreme Court of Alabama·Decided November 7, 1914·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

de GBAFFENBIED, J.

On the 28th day of June, 1912, the plaintiff, the American Can Company, obtained a judgment in the circuit court of Montgomery county against Henry F. Vandiver and J. G. Musgrove, “late partners doing business under the firm name of Vandiver Planting & Canning Company.” On the 26th day .of July, 1912, the defendant Henry F. Vandiver took an appeal from said judgment to this court. In' taking the appeal he superseded the judgment of the circuit court by giving a supersedeas bond with two solvent sureties on said bond. The case was submitted in this court for the judgment of this court on said appeal, on December 19, 1912.

1. It appears, from certain applications which have been made to this court to set aside the above submission, that on the 1.9th. day of September, 1912 — after the appeal had been taken to this court and before the submission of the cause in this court — an involuntary petition in bankruptcy was filed in the federal court against the said Henry F. Vandiver, and that on the 10th day of October, 1912, the said Vandiver was adjudicated a bankrupt, and George Stuart was elected trustee in bankruptcy in said proceedings. On the 28th day of December, 1912 — after this case had been submitted on the appeal taken to this court — Henry F. Vandiver filed in the said bankruptcy proceeding a petition for his discharge.

[354]*3542.. On the 10 day of December, 1912, the said defendant, J. G. Musgrove, filed in the federal court a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, and on the 11th day of December, 1912, was adjudicated a bankrupt. On. that same day the said George Stuart was appointed, trustee in said bankruptcy proceeding.

3. The schedules in the above bankruptcy proceedings show the above judgment as a debt against both. Vandiver and.Musgrove, and the said American Can Company has received a dividend out of the estate of the said Vandiver as a bankrupt.

'4. We learn the above facts with reference to- the-bankruptcy proceedings against Vandiver and Mus-grove from the applications which have, since this case was submitted on this appeal for the judgment of this court, been filed in this court, wherein we are asked to set aside the submission and permit the bankruptcy proceedings to be shown to this court. There are also-in our hands certain papers telling us that, since this application to set aside this submission was made, both Vandiver and Musgrove have received their discharges-in their respective bankruptcy proceedings, but not until after this case had been here finally submitted was this court in any way informed of the bankruptcy proceedings. We presume that this application to set aside this submission is really dictated by a desire to save the sureties upon, the supersedeas bond of Henry F. Vandiver.

(1, 2) 5. When a cause is regularly and appropriately submitted on appeal.to the court, the case is no-longer under the control of the parties. Neither the-death, nor any other sort of disability, of any of the-parties, occurring after the submission, is permitted to disturb the submission. When this court renders a judgment or decision in a cause which, on appeal, has-[355] been regularly and appropriately submitted to this court for its judgment or decree, and the situation of the parties materially changes subsequent to the submission of the cause, then, in such a case, the judgment or decree will be rendered by this court as of the day of the submission. — Booker v. Adkins, 48 Ala. 529; R. C. L. 215.

(3) The bankruptcy of Vandiver and Musgrove occurred after the judgment was rendered against them in the circuit court, and the general rule is that: “Matters occurring after judgment in the lower court do not affect the determination of the question whether the judgment shall be affirmed or reversed.”- — -2 R. C. L. 214, and authorities there cited.

(4) In addition to this, the parties saw proper to voluntarily submit this cause for the judgment of this court on this appeal without, in any way, calling the attention of this court to the above bankruptcy proceedings. The situation of the parties is now substantially the same as it was when they voluntarily appeared at the bar of this court and submitted their cause to this court for a judgment of affirmance or reversal. This court therefore should not now, -after the submission, in the absence of a clear right, accept the suggestion of bankruptcy and set the submission aside. — Booker v. Adkins, supra; 2 R. C. L., supra.

6. In addition to the above, it is not made to appear that it matters to„ the estate of the bankrupt whether this submission is or is not • set aside. The worst thing that can happen to the estate of the bankrupt at the hands of this court is the affirmance of the judgment.

As -we understand these applications, the judgment is being treated by the trustee as a valid debt against the estates of the bankrupts, and the only persons real[356] ly interested in this proceeding are the sureties on the supersedeas bond of Henry P. Vandiver.

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Vandiver v. American Can Co., 67 So. 299, 190 Ala. 352, 1914 Ala. LEXIS 684 (Ala. 1914).

67 So. 299 (Vandiver v. American Can Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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