Curiac v. Packard
Curiac v. Packard
070rehearing
When a rehearing was granted, we had overlooked a clause in section one hundred twenty-three of the Practice Act, as amended in 1860, and were under the impression that sections one hundred thirty-six and .one hundred thirty-seven controlled the case.
Section one hundred twenty-three of the Practice Act pro
Order denying a new trial affirmed.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff, Curiae, sued the firm of D. Abadie Freres, December 15th, 1862, and attached their stock of goods. Thereupon Abadie Freres, as principals, with defendants Packard and Burton as sureties, gave to the Sheriff a bond entitled in said cause, in the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars, reciting the attachment by him of said goods, and conditioned that “if the said plaintiff recover judgment as against the said defendants in the above entitled action, that the said judgment will be well and truly paid to the extent of the said sum of two thousand five hundred dollars, including costs.” Upon
Appellant insists that the only evidence of the tender is the admission in writing, by plaintiff’s attorney, filed in the case of Curiac v. Abadie et al., and that the admission thus made in another case by the attorney of record is not evidence of the fact in this case. The Judge, in his finding, says the facts were admitted. The statement does not, however, directly so state. But it appears by the statement that “the defendant offered and read in evidence, without objection, the admission
The question, therefore, is, did the tender discharge the sureties ? We think it did. The contract of the defendants, both in substance and form, was one of suretyship, to secure the sum due the plaintiff from Abadie Brothers—if anything should be found due—to the amount of twenty-five hundred dollars. The full amount due for principal, interest and costs of suit, was subsequently tendered in lawful money by Abadie Brothers to the plaintiff, and he had an opportunity to receive his money from the principals in the bond. His refusal to accept it was a breach of good faith toward the sureties, and their interests were imperilled by the wrongful acts of the plaintiff. The averments of plaintiff’s complaint show, that', in point of fact, the principals have become “ utterly bankrupt,” so that, in all probability, if plaintiff should recover in this action, the loss would fall upon the sureties—and this in
“The contract of suretyship becomes extinct or discharged by a lawful tender made by the principal or his authorized agent to the creditor or his authorized agent.” (Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, title, “Suretyship.”) But we have recently fjrlly discussed the rights of sureties in the case of Hayes v. Josephi, 26 Cal. 535. We there said: “So when the means of satisfying the debt subsequently comes into the hands of the creditor, and he does not avail himself of such means, but parts with them without the knowledge or consent of the surety, the surety is discharged. (Baker v. Briggs, 8 Pick. 129; Hays v. Ward, 4 John. Ch. 129; 8 Serg. and R. 457; Serg. and R. 157.) Under these authorities, certainly a tender by the principal debtor, and a refusal by the creditor to accept the money, would discharge the surety.” We see no reason to doubt the soundness of these views. Defendants were sureties for the debt for which the tender was made, and the question is not, what might be its effect,upon the question of costs between the parties to the suit—but whether there was such a tender as made it the duty of the plaintiff to receive the money and exonerate the sureties.
We think the new trial,was properly denied, even though the particular reason assigned may not have been the prpper one.
Order denying new trial affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- DONAT CURIAC v. ALBERT PACKARD and LEWIS T. BURTON
- Cited By
- 23 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Discharge of Sureties on Bond to Sheriff.—If the principals in a bond given to a Sheriff to release goods from attachment, tender to the plaintiff in the attachment suit the full amount of his debt and costs, and tile plaintiff refuses to receive the tender, the sureties are discharged from their obligation on the bond; and for the purpose of discharging the sureties, it is not necessary that such tender he paid into Court, or kept good. Undertaking to procure Release of Attachment.—An undertaking given to a Sheriff to procure a release of goods attached, is for the benefit of the plaintiff, who may sue on it, and if the Sheriff takes a sufficient statutory undertaking, he has no further responsibility. Dorm of Undertaking to Discharge Goods Attached.—A common law bond, in form, upon the prescribed statutory conditions, given to a Sheriff to procure a discharge of goods attached, is a sufficient compliance with the provisions of the statute. Admission of Incompetent Testimony without Objection.—If testimony not competent in law to prove a fact is admitted without objection, and the testimony is treated by the parties as competent in the Court below, the question as to its competency cannot he raised in the appellate Court.