Waddington v. Vredenbergh
This text of 2 Johns. Cas. 227 (Waddington v. Vredenbergh) 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.
Opinion
delivered the opinion of the court. 1. A feoffee, or purchaser of lands subject to a judgment, cannot have an audita querela, quia timet, but is entitled to sue out this writ, only after execution issued. So a feoffee, or purchasee of part of the land, cannot have it till after execution against him, although the execution be issued against the residue of the lands of the original debtor. (3 Viner, 321, B. pi. 1, 2, 3, 4.) Hence the assignees, in the present case, viewed in the light of purchasers, if they were entitled to this writ, could not bring it till after the expiration of six months, to which time the injunction was extended, and till after the execution issued. They are not, therefore, too late.(
2. The writ must be allowed in open court, and is not of itself a supersedeas, which may be granted or not, according to the circumstances of the case. (2 Cromp. 43G, 437. 1 Salk. 92. 1 Com. Dig. 652, 653, E. 3 and 5.)(
3. The proper process, where the party is not in active custody, or where he sues quia timet, is a venire facias. (1 Salk. 92. 2 Cromp. 443. 1 Com. Dig. 650, 651.) The process applied for is, therefore, proper, if the writ of audita querela be well brought.
The principle on which the writ is brought, and endeavored to be maintained by the plaintiffs, is, that the judgment was paid and satisfied by Stout, one of the defendants thereto, and was thereby discharged, and cannot again be set up by him and acted upon against White, notwithstanding the circumstances under which Stout *was obliged to pay it, and the agreement between him and the then plaintiff, Vredenbergh.
On the part of the defendant, it is objected, 1. That the matter, on which this writ is brought, is the same that was offered in chancery, and on'which that court refused to interpose ; that the merits have been there decided ; and it being [230]*230the decision of a court to which the question properly belonged,, this court ought not now to interfere.
2. That on the merits, Stout is to be considered in the light of a surety, and in equity is entitled to the benefit of this judgment; and that the plaintiffs, as assignees, could only take the property of White, subject to his equitable lien.. ■ As to the first point; the proceedings in chancery do not fully appear. In the affidavit of the defendant’s counsel it is stated that he is informed, and believes, that this application is founded on the same matters, the merits of which were determined in the court of chancery. If the determination of that court ought to preclude the remedy sought here, the whole proceedings, with the bill and answers, ought to have been shown, that we might fully see the grounds on which that court went. But from the circumstance, that the injunction was there retained for six months, in order to afford the opportunity of proceeding at law, it is to be inferred that that court intended to leave the parties to their legal remedy,, without restraint or prejudice to their legal rights. If it had finally decided on their rights, and concluded them by its decree, it would rather have enjoined the present plaintiff from proceeding at law, than have continued the former injunction.
.. 3. On the merits, I am inclined to think, that after the dissolution of the partnership between White and Stout, and White’s-undertaking to pay the whole of the partnership debts,.Stout, in relation to him, is to be considered as a surety merely; and if so, he is entitled to all #equitable liens on the property of White. (2 Vernon, 608. 1 Vesey, 251. 2 Yesey, 100, 371.) It was competent for him and Yredenbergh, the original plaintiff, to make the agreement, that he should have the benefit of the judgment. A court of equity would allow Stout to proceed for that purpose,on the judgment,in the name of Yredenbergh, and an audita querela, being in. the nature of an equitable suit, we ought not to grant a supersedeas to the prejudice of the equitable rights of Stout. The plaintiffs here, as assignees of an insolvent, for the benefit of his creditors, do not stand in a better condition than [231-1]*231-1■any other assignee or purchaser of White would do. They must take the property, subject to all equitable claims.(
The granting a supersedeas being in the discretion of the court, we are of opinion that under the circumstances of this case, it ought not to be allowed.
Motion denied.
(a) See note (a), p. 262, to Wardell v. Eden,
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