Wanack v. Michels

74 N.E. 84, 215 Ill. 87
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 17, 1905
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 74 N.E. 84 (Wanack v. Michels) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wanack v. Michels, 74 N.E. 84, 215 Ill. 87 (Ill. 1905).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Magruder

delivered the opinion of the court:

The bill in this case, as filed by the appellant, who was complainant in the court below, alleges that on September 21, 1896, one C. L. Wanack, as principal, and Basil Wanack and appellant, as sureties, executed a bond in the penal sum of $3000.00 payable to the people, for the payment of which they bound themselves, their “heirs, executors, administrators and assigns and legal representatives, jointly and severally,” the condition of which bond was that, whereas C. L. Wanack had obtained from the common council of the city . of Taylorville permission to keep a dram-shop at the brick building, situated on the east one-half of lot 11 in block 14 in said city, from the 23d day of September, 1896, to the 23d day of September, 1897, then if C.’R. Wanack should well and truly pay all persons all damages, which they might sustain, either in person, or property, or means of support, by reason of the said C. L. Wanack selling or giving away intoxicating liquors, and should well and truly observe all the laws of the State of Illinois, and the ordinances of said city concerning,the sale of intoxicating liquor, then in that case the said obligation should be null and void, otherwise, should remain in full force, virtue and effect.

The bill then represents that, under said bond, a license was issued to C. R. Wanack to keep a dram-shop in the said building, and that he did keep the same therein, selling intoxicating liquors for one year from the date of the bond; that, at the time of issuing the license and during the occupancy of the building by C. L. Wanack, the appellee, Peter Michels, was the owner in fee of said premises, and had charge of the same and knew that the same were used and occupied by C. L. Wanack as a tenant of his, and that C. L. Wanack was using the same as a dram-shop, and was selling intoxicating liquors therein, and that Michels leased the same to C. L. Wanack for the purpose of keeping a dram-shop and selling intoxicating liquors; that, while C. L. Wanack was operating a dram-shop on said premises, at the November term, 1897, of the circuit court of Christian county, Dora Alexander and Homer Alexander, Cocoa Alexander, Orie Alexander and Merle Alexander, by their mother and next frietid, Dora Alexander, brought an action in case against C. L. Wanack, and appellee, Peter Michels, as defendants, for the sum of $5000.00 under the Dram-shop act, charging in their declaration that on February 11, 1897, and while C. L. Wanack was keeping said dram-shop, he sold, furnished and gave to one John Alexander intoxicating liquors, by reason of which the latter became intoxicated and fell from his wagon and was killed, and that by reason of his death the plaintiffs were injured in their means of support and the cause of action accrued ; that said declaration further charged that at the time the liquor was so sold and injury caused thereby, Peter Michels, the appellee, was the owner of said premises and knew that the same were used and rented for the purpose of keeping a dram-shop, and knowingly permitted intoxicating liquor to be sold by C. L. Wanack, his tenant in said building.

The bill further alleges that the plaintiff’s intestate, the widow and children of John Alexander, deceased, recovered a judgment against C. D. Wanack and Peter Michels, jointly, for the sum of $2000.00, and that on appeal from said judgment to the Appellate Court, the same was affirmed.

The bill further alleges that, at the November term, 1898, of said circuit court, the People of the State for the úse of said widow and children of John Alexander, deceased, brought suit against the appellant, Tobias Wanack, for the sum of $3000.00, alleging in their declaration that the appellant had executed the bond above described; that license had been issued to said C. L,. Wanack as above stated, and that he had furnished and given to John Alexander intoxicating liquors, as a result of which he was killed, etc.; and further setting out in their declaration the suit, brought by the above named plaintiffs against C. L. Wanack and Peter Michels in an action on the case, setting out the declaration in said first suit, and the proceedings had thereon, and the judgment obtained therein against C. L. Wanack and Peter Michels; and further alleging that the Charles. L. Wanack, mentioned in the first suit, was the same Charles L. Wanack mentioned in the second suit, and that the John Alexander námed in the first suit was the same John Alexander named in the second suit, and that the judgment in the first suit against C. L- Wanack and Peter Michels had not been paid, or any part thereof, and that a cause of action accrued to the plaintiffs against the appellant, Tobias Wanack, to recover 'the amount of said judgment; that judgment was obtained by the People for the use of said widow and heirs, against appellant, Tobias Wanack, for the sum of $2000.00, and upon appeal to the Appellate Court said judgment was affirmed.

The bill further alleges that.execution was issued upon the last named judgment, and that the appellant had been compelled to pay the same together with interest and costs, and that the same had been satisfied and discharged of record; that said C. L. Wanack, the principal in said bond, and Basil Wanack, a co-surety with orator, Tobias Wanack, were both insolvent, when said suits were begun, and judgment obtained, and have ever since been, and are now both insolvent, so that said judgment cannot be collected from them or either of them; that appellee, Peter Michels, is sol- ■ vent, and has a large amount-of property and means, and did have at the time 'the judgment was rendered against him, and has property above his indebtedness of the value of $30,-000.00; that the plaintiffs in the original suit colluded with l Michels, and refused to collect the judgment of him, but at his instigation prosecuted the second suit against appellant, and obtained judgment and the collection thereof through j fraud against appellant, and that said suit was prosecuted j and judgment obtained through the collusion and the fraud of plaintiffs and Michels, in order to relieve Michels from the payment of the judgment and his pro rata share of said amount, as co-surety by operation of law with the appellant j therein.

The bill then proceeds to represent as follows r “That at the time the said judgment was obtained against your orator he was a cosurety with said Peter Michels of the said C. L. Wanack, they being equally liable and bound for the debt or miscarriage of the said C. L. Wanack as principal, who was engaged in the keeping of the dram-shop as aforesaid, and that the statute of the State of Illinois through the Dram- I shop act has made said Peter Michels liable as owner of said building for the debt or miscarriage of said C. D. Wanack! the same as that of Tobias Wanack, who entered into the bond as aforesaid.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 N.E. 84, 215 Ill. 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wanack-v-michels-ill-1905.