Tate v. Holly
Tate v. Holly
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Judgment was obtained in the district court of the county of Otero against the defendants, jointly, as copartners, under the firm name and style of Tate and Smith, the firm consisting of Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith. From this judgment defendants prayed a joint appeal to the supreme court which was allowed on condition that within thirty days they “file bond in the sum of three thousand dollars.” Within the time specified, the defendants filed, their appeal bond, the portions of which deemed necessary for consideration, are as follows:
“Know All Men By These Presents, that we, Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith, as principal, and J. F. Hardy and Thomas Conyers, as sureties, * * are held and firmly bound unto John H. Holly and Samuel T. Grimsley, copartnérs under the firm name and style of Holly and Grimsley, in the penal sum of three thousand dollars. * * The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the said * * copartners * * did * * obtain a judgment against the above bounden Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith, copartners under the firm name and*453 style of Tate and Smith, # * from which they, the said Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith, copartners under the firm name and style of Tate and 'Smith, have prayed for and obtained an appeal to the supreme court of said state of Caolorado. Now if the said Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith, copartners under the firm name and style of Tate and Smith, shall duly prosecute said appeal, and shall moreover pay the amount of the said judgment, costs, interest and damages, rendered and to be rendered against Thomas Tate and L. B. Smith, copartners under the firm name and style of Tate and Smith, * * then the above obligation to be null and void,” etc.
This bond was signed by Tate, one of the co-partners, and by Hardy and Conyers, and approved. Motion was made to dismiss the appeal upon the ground that the appeal has been and is being prosecuted by Thomas Tate, only, from a judgment that was joint, and upon an appeal that was prayed for and allowed as a joint appeal, the motion being based upon the fact that the bond was not signed by both Tate and Smith. The code provision relative to appeals to the supreme court was that, “The party praying for such appeal shall, by himself, his .agent or attorney, give bond with sufficient surety,” etc. It is contended by counsel for appellees that the failure of Smith, one of the defendant copartners, to sign the appeal bond, is of itself conclusive evidence of his failure to prosecute, and his abandonment of the appeal, and he cites as authority a number of decisions of the supreme court of this state which seem to sustain his position, namely, Andre v. Jones, 1 Colo. 489; Fuller et al. v. Swan River
The contention is made by counsel for appellees in his reply argument, although not raised by the motion, that because Smith did not sign the bond the sureties will not be liable to appellees in case the decision of the trial court shall be affirmed or the appeal dismissed, and cites in support .thereof, City of Sacramento v. Dunlap, 14 Cal. 422, in which the court held that sureties upon the bond of a city official, not signed by the principal, were not liable. Other courts in similar circumstances have held that if such official take the oath of office and enter upon the discharge of the duties thereof, both he and his sureties become liable upon the bond in case of the default of the principal. The bond now under consideration recites that Tate and Smith “as principal, ’ ’ together with the sureties named, are held and firmly bound; that both principal and sureties shall be liable in case the copartnership of said Tate and Smith shall fail to prosecute the appeal, or the judgment be against them or the appeal dismissed. It appears to be a partnership contract although signed by only one of the partners. A partner may bind the firm by a contract in his name when it is shown to be a partnership contract. — 30 Cyc. 485; Barcroft et al. v. Haworth, 29 Ia. 462; Hopkins v. Thomas, 61 Mich. 389; Seekell v. Fletcher, 53 Ia. 330; Beckwith v. Mace, 140 Mich. 157; Burnley v. Rice et al.,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.