Dorman v. Soto
Dorman v. Soto
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought to recover certain personal property (eight horses and forty tons of hay), or the value thereof. The defendant appeals from the judgment in favor of plaintiff, and from an order denying his motion for a new trial. The defendant, a constable, justifies the taking and detention of the property by virtue of a writ of attachment issued by a justice of the peace at suit of Williams against Thurber and wife, alleging that the horses and hay
“Know all men by these presents: That for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar ($1) to me in hand paid, and other valuable consideration to me moving, I have this day sold, assigned, set over, transferred and delivered unto Asenath Dorman (widow), of Alameda county, state of California, the following described personal property, now in Contra Costa county, state of California, on the premises this day conveyed by myself and Ellen D. Thurber (my wife) to said Asenath Dorman, to wit: Eight work horses; all hay on said premises owned or belonging to me.
“Witness my hand this 20th day of August, 1892.
“A. S. THURBER.
“Witness: CARY HOWARD.”
The appellant contends that there never was any delivery of the property described in the bill of sale, and consequently that the transfer was not followed by any actual change of possession, and is therefore void as against Williams, the attachment creditor; and I think this point is well taken. Since it appears that, at the time of execution of the bill of sale, Thurber and wife had the possession and control of the property, were then indebted to Williams, the plaintiff in the attachment suit, and that the attachment proceedings were regular, the burden of proving an immediate delivery, followed by an actual and continued change of possession of the property described in the bill of sale, devolved upon the plaintiff. Yet there is no evidence sufficiently tending to prove a delivery and continued change of possession to raise a substantial conflict with the evidence to the contrary. Indeed, it is neither alleged, nor found as a fact, that there was any delivery or change of possession. But conceding that an allegation and finding that plaintiff was the owner, and entitled to the possession, is sufficient to uphold the judgment, yet such finding is not justified by the bill of sale alone, which was executed in Oakland, Alameda county, while the property described therein was on Thurber’s ranch, in Contra Costa
“ ‘Oakland, Cal., August 20, 1892.
“ ‘ Chas. Dunn, Esq., Concord, Cal.—
“ ‘Dear Sir: You are hereby requested and directed to take possession of the land and premises next formerly owned by Alfred S. Thurber and wife, near Concord, with all personal property thereon, owned or claimed by them, or either of them, except wearing apparel and household furniture, and the same to hold, as my agent, and subject only to my orders and control. Yours truly,
“ ‘ASENATH DORMAN.’ ”
Charles Dunn, having been called as a witness for defendant, testified: “I lived during the year and fall of 1892 on the Treat ranch. Thurber and wife lived there also. [“Treat Ranch” being the name of the ranch owned by Thurber and wife.] I claimed an undivided one-half of the hay Soto attached, .... and served notice on Soto, the constable. The other half belonged to Mrs. Thurber, wife of A. S. Thurber. . . . . The share of Mrs. Thurber was hauled away in November, 1892. ’ ’ Being called by plaintiff in rebuttal, Charles Dunn testified that his mother’s letter to him of August 20, 1892, was given to him by Mr. A. S. Thurber a few days after its date; but he did not testify that he took possession or charge of the property for the plaintiff, or that he did anything directed by that letter, nor is there any evidence that he did. On what ground he claimed one-half of the hay at the time of the levy does not appear, nor why, if the other half belonged to Mrs. Thurber, as he testified it did, her half was not subject to the attachment. Plaintiff, also, in rebuttal, introduced a deed to her from Thurber and wife for one-half of the Treat ranch, undivided, which appeared to have been
We concur: Searls, C.; Belcher, C.
For the reasons given in the foregoing opinion the judgment and order appealed from are reversed and a new trial granted.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- DORMAN v. SOTO
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Sale—Change of Possession—Attachment.—Where plaintiff’s son in law gave to her a bill of sale of articles on his ranch, which remained there and were used by him, there was no delivery and change of possession that would defeat an attachment of the property in an action against the son in law, though, with the bill of sale, there was given to plaintiff a deed of an undivided half of the ranch, and, before the attachment, plaintiff visited her son in law.