Brown v. Lee Chuck
Brown v. Lee Chuck
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OP THE COURT BY
This was an action to recover the sum of $1625 upon a bail bond executed November 27, 1906, by the defendant -Lee Chuck, as surety, and the other defendants, sixty-five in number, as principals, the latter having been convicted in the district court of Honolulu of being present where gambling games were carried on and sentenced to a fine of $25 each and costs from which they appealed to the circuit court. Upon the trial on appeal, January 25, 1907, the principals named in the bond were again convicted and their motion for a new trial was denied. They then brought here a bill of exceptions which they withdrew August 28, 1907, and an order was thereupon made October 17, and transmitted to the circuit court, dismissing the exceptions. December 11, 1907, the circuit court made an order that the defendants — the principals on the bond — appear December 13 at 10 o’clock a. m. and that Lee
The argument by the defendant is (1) that the plaintiff had no legal capacity to sue since his office as sheriff w'as occuped by another person when the action w^as brought and (2) that the order requiring the defendants to appear was made without notice to them and hence was void, and that the order declaring the bond to be forfeited, having been made without notice to the principals named in the bo2id, was of no effect.
It is admitted “that the general rule at common law was that only the obligee or his personal representative could sue on a bond,” but it is clai2ned that “there exists no statute in Hawaii which would specifically apply to the case at bar” and tha,t “the whole current of legislation in these islands relative to actions on bonds shows that the custom a2id practice that the real party must sire for the enforcement of an obligation exists here and is a part of our law.” The legislation referred to is Sec. 1561 R. L. providing that any person injured may bring an action for breach of the condition of a sheriff’s bond for faithful performance of his duties, and Sec. 1887 R. L. allowing an action to be brought in the name of the clerk of the judiciary department for the use of any person for whose benefit a statutory appeal bond is made, which is required “to run to the clerk of the judiciary department and to his successors in such office.”
The second question presented by the defendant in support of his demurrer is whether the condition of the bond that the principals named in it would appear at the opening day of the court at its next term and “thereafter from day to day and time to time as ordered or directed” meant or required that if an order for their appearance should be made while they were not in attendance at some other day than at the opening day of the term or a day certain to which their cause was continued they would be served with a copy or otherwise officially notified of the order. After their conviction in January until withdrawal of their exceptions the following August they would have been in the custody of the officer, as their fines were not paid, but for their bond for appearance which, by Sec. 2770
The bond in this case was joint and several. Notice to one of several persons having common interests in the same subject matter operates as notice to all as, for instance, in cases of notice to one of several trustees of an estate.
The cases cited by the defendant in which notice was, “under the condition of the bond, a prerequisite to an appearance (6 Cyc. 125), are a Louisiana case in which the condition was to appear “when called on;” a New York c'ase to appear from time to time as directed; an Arkansas case in which the prisoner was told that he would be notified.
■ It would have been better, perhaps, if the court had ordered service upon the other defendants of the order requiring their appearance, but it is not apparent that the rights of the surety have been prejudiced by the omission.
Exceptions sustained, order sustaining demurrer vacated.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ARTHUR M. BROWN v. LEE CHUCK, TAI KONG, CHANG WONG, LUM CHOY, HOP GIP, YONG TONG, LEE SUM, KO KAN, HO YAU, AH TAI, TONG KWONG, AH JACK, AH FAT, MAU LEONG, TIN YEE, AKANA, AH PACK, LUM LOOK, CHING SANG, AH MING, AH FOOK, LEE CHING, Y. AH PEU, YOOK LUNG, CHO KON, TUNG CHING, LUM TAI, CHUNG KET, PAK FOO, AH ON, CHANG CHEONG, CHONG WO, AH KAU, YEE LING, AH LONG, CHING FOON, AH TUCK, YEE SING, PAU LING, CHING WO, CHOONG SOON, TING CHEONG, TAU TAI, AH ING, YIM KWONG, AH NAU, LONG JOHN, SING CHONG, CHANG HOONG, LEE CHOON, PAU CHAI, AH LEE, CHING HIM, LOO CHUNG, AH LOOK, HOO SONG, LEE SUNG, YONG TAI, NEE SO, CHONG HOOK, YIP YAN, AH CHEONG, AH HANG, CHONG SEE AND AH TUCK
- Status
- Published