Troxler v. Wilson
Troxler v. Wilson
Opinion of the Court
Appellee, W. H. Wilson, instituted suit against appellants, Joe Troxler and E. L. Dixon, in the Randolph circuit court on a promissory note for $200.00 and interest, executed on the 8th day of July, 1916, and due on November 15, 1916.
Appellants pleaded a want of consideration in that appellee induced appellant Troxler to buy a team, wagon and harness upon the guarantee that the horses were sound, and that the gray horse purchased was not even eleven years old; whereas, the bay or black horse had pneumonia at the time, of which it soon died, and the gray horse was twenty-four years of age.
Appellee demurred to W. L. Dickson’s answer on the ground that he was surety for Troxler and could not plead as a defense misrepresentations, if any, made by appellee to Troxler; and filed a plea of res adjudicaba to the answer of Troxler.
The cause was heard by the court upon the pleading and evidence introduced in support of the plea of res adjudicaba. The demurrer and plea were sustained and judgment rendered against appellants, from which an appeal has been prosecuted to this court.
The substance of the evidence introduced in support of the plea of res adjudicaba disclosed that a short time after the black horse died, Troxler brought a suit in replevin in a magistrate’s court for the recovery of the note constituting the basis of this action. The note had been placed in the Eandolph County Bank for safe keeping, and the bank was made a defendant in the replevin suit. Appellant, Dickson, who had signed the note as surety for Troxler, also became surety on the replevin bond. It was stated in the affidavit for replevin that the note was executed in part payment for a balance due on the team, wagon and harness, and was without consideration because misrepresentations were made as to the soundness of the bay horse and the age of the gray horse. This suit was tried in the magistrate’s court and judgment rendered in favor of appellant Troxler and he secured a return of the note. Appellee appealed the case to the circuit court and demurred to Troxler’s complaint or affidavit. The court sustained the demurrer to the affidavit and dismissed the replevin suit. An appeal was prayed by Troxler but was never prosecuted to the Supreme Court.
It is insisted by appellants that the court erred in sustaining the demurrer to Dickson’s answer and the plea of res ad judicata to Troxler’s answer to the suit on the note. Appellee insists that even if the court erred in sustaining the demurrer to Dickson’s answer no prejudice could result to him for the reason that he signed the bond in replevin and is as much bound by the former adjudication as Troxler. The main question, then, to be determined in this suit is whether or not appellants were precluded from pleading a failure of consideration for the note because they prosecuted a suit in replevin for the recovery of the note on account of a failure of consideration therefor. The solution of the question must depend upon whether the issue in the replevin suit and the issue in the instant case were identical. If replevin was not a proper remedy and would not lie for,the recovery of the note, then no issue on the merits could have been joined between the parties in that case. This court has said that “The true test of whether or not a particular point, question or right has been concluded by a former suit and judgment is whether such point, question or right was distinctly put in issue, or should have been put in issue, and was directly determined by such former suit or judgment.” Fourche River Lumber Co. v. Walker, 96 Ark. 541; Pulaski County v. Hill, 97 Ark. 450.
The court therefore erred in sustaining the demurrer to Dickson’s part of the answer and also in sustaining the plea of res adjudicada to Troxler’s answer.
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings not contrary to this opinion.
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