Wilson v. Root

43 Ind. 486
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1873
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 43 Ind. 486 (Wilson v. Root) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Root, 43 Ind. 486 (Ind. 1873).

Opinion

Downey, C. J.

Wilson and Lowry sued the appellees in the Wayne Common Pleas, and in connection with their action, and as authorized by the code, they took out an attachment against the property of the appellees, and for that purpose executed an undertaking with security, in which they undertook that they would duly prosecute their proceeding in attachment in the action, and pay to the defendants all damages which they might sustain if their proceedings should be wrongful and oppressive. The attachment went into the hands of the sheriff, and by virtue of it he seized six thousand dollars of bank stock owned by the attachment defendants. A change of venue was granted in the action from the Wayne to the Union Common Pleas, at the instance of the appellees, where, after issues were found, there was a trial and final judgment for the appellees, not only as to the attachment, but also as to the existence of any cause of action against them.

This was an action by the appellees against the appellants on the undertaking which was executed and filed in that case by the appellants. In the complaint the plaintiffs allege the commencement of the action by the appellants, Wilson and Lowry, against them, on the 16th day of July, 1866, to [488]*488recover the sum of four thousand one hundred and ten dollars, which they alleged was due to them from the plaintiff herein, the execution of the said undertaking, which is made part of the complaint, and a copy thereof filed, the issuing of the order of attachment by the clerk against the property 'of the plaintiffs, the delivery of the same to the sheriff, the seizure of said bank stock by him; that the attachment continued in force from the 16th day of July, 1866, until the 6th day of December, 1867, on which last named day, it is alleged, said cause was tried in the said Union Common Pleas, and a judgment thereon rendered in favor of the plaintiffs in this action and against the defendants herein. It is then alleged that the said proceedings of the said Wilson and Lowry were wrongful and oppressive, in this, to wit: that plaintiffs did not owe and were not indebted to them in the said sum of four thousand one hundred and ten dollars, or in any sum whatever, and the said suit was wrongfully and vexatiously commenced and prosecuted, for the purpose of harassing the plaintiffs and extorting money from them; that at the time of the commencement of said suit, the plaintiffs resided in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where their business was carried on, and where they had property subject to execution more than sufficient to satisfy the amount claimed by said Wilson and Lowry in said suit: and by the seizure and attachment of said property the plaintiffs were compelled to incur great expense in travelling to the county where the suit was pending, and employing attorneys to defend said suit, and they lost a great deal of time in so doing, while they were compelled to neglect their legitimate business ; and they were also compelled to bring their books and papers from their office in Cincinnati into court, whereby great inconvenience and damage were occasioned to their business, and also to bring their book-keeper as a witness upon the trial, he being a material witness for them, and the matter involved in said suit being of such a nature that his deposition could not be taken so as to answer the purpose ; and plaintiffs were also compelled to pay out large sums of [489]*489money for the taking of depositions to be used in the said cause, and they were also deprived of the use of said property during the continuance of said attachment and were prevented from disposing of the same, whereby they sustained great damage ; and plaintiffs say that by reason of the commencement and prosecution of said attachment proceedings against them in manner aforesaid, they sustained damage^ as aforesaid, in the sum of one thousand dollars, which damage remains due and wholy unpaid, for which sum they demand judgment. The defendants demurred to the complaint, on the ground that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. This-demurrer was overruled, and the defendants excepted.

The defendants then answered in five paragraphs: 1st. A general denial. 2d. That all the damages sustained by the plaintiffs grew out of the action brought by Wilson and Lowry against them and their defence of the same, and not out of the attachment or the defence of the same. 3d. That the plaintiffs did not pay out any money whatever or incur any loss by reason of the issuing of said attachment. 4th. That the attachment was properly and legally issued against the property of the defendants, they being at the time and still being residents of the State of Ohio. 5th. This paragraph was by Wilson only, alleging his discharge in bankruptcy.

The plaintiffs demurred separately to the second, third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the answer, on the ground that neither of them stated facts sufficient to constitute a defence to the action. The court sustained the demurrer to the second, third, and fourth paragraphs, and the defendants excepted. The plaintiffs filed a reply by general denial to the fifth paragraph. Sylvester Johnson, one of the defendants, filed a pleading alleging that he was surety in the undertaking for the other defendants.

The cause was, by agreement of the parties, tried by the court, and there was a finding by the court, which is spo[490]*490ken of in the record and in the brief of counsel for the appellants as a special finding. It does not appear to have been made at the request of the parties or any of them, is not signed by’ the judge, nor incorporated in a bill of exceptions.

The defendants moved the court for judgment on the special finding of the court, and, in the same motion, for judgment in their favor notwithstanding the finding of the court. The court overruled this motion, and the defendants excepted.

The defendants then moved the court for a new trial, for the reasons following: ist. Because the damages were excessive. 2d. Error of the court in the assessment of the amount of the damages, the same being too large. 3d. The finding and judgment of the court are not sustained by sufficient evidence. 4th. The finding and judgment are contrary to law. 5th. Error of law by the court in the trial and proceedings of said cause, in this, to wit: xst. The court improperly overruled a demurrer to the complaint. 2d. The court improperly sustained demurrers to the second, third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the answer. 3d. The court improperly permitted the plaintiff to read in evidence the undertaking sued on, and the attachment, and the record certified by the clerk of Union county. 4th. The court improperly refused to allow the defendant to ask the questions in writing numbered one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten, respectively, to which the defendants at the time excepted. 5th. That the court improperly overruled defendants’ motion in wilting to suppress the depositions of G. G. Root and A. E. Smith, as to the defendants John W. Wilson and James Lowry. 6th. The court permit-' ted the plaintiff to give in evidence the testimony marked objected to by the judge in the minutes taken by him. 7th. Error of the court in overruling the motion of the defendants for judgment in their favor on the findings of the court.

This motion was overruled by the court, and the defend[491]*491ants again excepted. Final judgment was rendered by the court, from which the defendants appealed to this court.

The errors assigned are as follows: 1st. The damages are excessive. 2d.

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Bluebook (online)
43 Ind. 486, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-root-ind-1873.