Fulton v. Gesterding
Fulton v. Gesterding
Opinion of the Court
— Many errors are assigned, some, of which are so imperfectly presented by the ordinary bill that they will not be considered, and others are without merit, so that the discussion will be confined to two questions, vis: The ruling permitting the further answer to be filed, and that denying the motion for a new trial.
II. The testimony shows without contradiction that Neumann in making the deposit of $2,100, with the railroad company acted as the agent and used the money of Gesterding, and that the draft drawn by Neumann in favor of Carstens was originally given to the latter as Gesterding’s agent. Though it was subsequently redelivered to Carstens by Sillem another agent of Gesterding for the purpose of collection and to pay himself a sum from the proceeds, the railroad company has never accepted the draft or in any way become liable to pay it. Unless, therefore, the draft operated as an assignment of the deposit of money to Carstens, its possession by the latter would not affect plaintiff’s right to garnish the money deposited with the railroad company. There is no suggestion in the testimony that the deposit was ever assigned to Carstens unless the draft alone operated as an assignment. That it did not is clear from' the terms of the negotiable instruments law which was in force when the draft was executed. See section 127, chap. 4524, act approved June 1, 1897; sec. 211 Crawford’s annotated Neg. Insts. Law (2nd ed.); Eaton & Gilbert on Commercial Paper, sec. 133, p. 578.
In the statement of facts we have shown that the judgment and certain other parts of the record in the former garnishment proceeding were introduced in evidence by the garnishee. These documents do not appear in the evidentiary or ordinary bill, but the further answer under which they were introduced purports to give the substance of the pleadings. The answer of the garnishee under our statutes as we have shown is very general in its terms, simply denying indebtedness and the possession of property subject to the writ, and under it many issues may be litigated. It is sufficient to raise an issue as to whether the garnishee is in fact indebted, or whether in fact he holds
The judgment is reversed and a new trial granted.
Maxwell and Cockrell, JJ., concur.
Taylor, C. J., and Shacklefford, J., concur in the opinion.
Hocker, J., not sitting.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William A. Fulton, as Receiver of Franco-American Phosphate Company, in Error v. Frederick Gesterding, as and Florida Central & Peninsular Railroad Company, Garnishee, in Error
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. The answer of a garnishee denying indebtedness to and possession of property of the defendant, is sufficient under section 1673, Rev. Stats, of 1892, to enable the garnishee upon the trial of the issues raised by a traverse thereof, to avail himself of the defense of res adjudicate or estoppel by reason of a former judgment in garnishment rendered in a suit between himself and the creditor, without formally or specially pleading such defense. 2. The prima facie effect of the record of a judgment in favor of a garnishee rendered upon a traverse of his answer denying generally indebtedness to and possession of property of the defendant, is merely that the garnishee was not at the time of the service of the writ, the time of filing his answer or at any period of time between those dates indebted to the defendant, in such manner as to be liable to a writ of garnishment and that he did not at such times have any chattels, money, effects or credits of said defendant subject to garnish■ment, in his hands, custody or control. 3. An answer to a second writ of garnishment setting up a prior judgment for the garnishee in garnishment proceedings between the same parties upon issues raised by traverse of the garnishee’s general answer in the former suit more than two years before the second garnishment was instituted, with no allegation that any matter in issue in the second suit, was also in issue in the first, and decided for the garnishee, and no allegation that any indebtedness or property sought to be subjected by the second writ was involved in the first, is bad. 4. In order to sustain the contention of res adjudicate, the complete record of the former suit including the judgment therein should be produced and not incomplete or detached portions thereof, and if the matter in issue in the former suit does not appear upon the face of the record offered as evidence of such former adjudication it may be shown by extrinsic evidence. 5. If it appears from the record of a former judgment offered in evidence as an estoppel that several distinct matters may have been litigated upon one or more of which the judgment was rendered, the whole subject-matter of the action will be at large and open to a new contention unless the uncertainty be removed by extrinsic evidence showing the precise point involved and determined. 6. Under section 127, chap. 4524, act approved June, 1897, known as the Negotiable Instruments Law, a draft or bill of exchange not specifying a particular fund for payment does not of itself operate as an assignment of the money on deposit with the drawee, though the amount named in the instrument is the precise amount of the deposit in the drawee’s hands.