Egbert v. Mercer
Egbert v. Mercer
Opinion of the Court
Milton Mercer filed a complaint in the Elkhart Circuit Court, in which he alleged, “ that on the 21st day of March, 1872, one Samuel H. Kinsey obtained, in the Elkhart Circuit Court, a judgment against him for $742.50 and costs; that a portion of said judgment is still unpaid; that on the 2d day of April, 1873, said Kinsey died, leaving a widow, unpaid debts and an unsettled estate; that he died testate, leaving a will in which he made divers large bequests; that on the 10th day of November, 1873, Rush M. Johnson, pretending to be the attorney of said Kinsey, deceased, caused a pretended execution to be issued by the clerk of said court upon said judgment, in favor of said deceased plaintiff, and against the goods and property of the plaintiff in this suit, and caused the same to be unlawfully levied upon his goods, and he, supposing an administrator had been appointed or executor qualified upon said estate of said Kinsey, deceased, who had procured the issue of said execution, executed a delivery bond for the property levied on; that afterward said Johnson procured a vendi. for the sale of said property to be placed in the hands of -Egbert, the sheriff, who is about to sell said property thereon,” etc.
Copies of the execution, etc., were made exhibits. He prayed an injunction. A temporary injunction was granted.
The court sustained a demurrer to this answer, for want of facts, and exception was entered.
The defendants declined to amend or answer further, and the court granted a perpetual injunction. Appeal and submission of the cause by agreement.
1. Overruling the demurrer to the complaint;
2. Sustaining the demurrer to the answer.
Joinder, denying that there is any error in the record.
"We condense a statement of facts mostly from the answer :
On the 21st of March, 1872, Samuel H. Kinsey obtained, in the Elkhart Circuit Court, a judgment against Milton Mercer, for $742.50; during the lifetime of said Kinsey an execution was issued upon said judgment; in consideration that an execution was to be kept continuously in the hands of the sheriff so that the lien of the first execution should not be lost, said Kinsey extended the time on said execution; that on the 2d day of April, 1873, said Kinsey died, intestate, leaving no debts to he paid, and a widow who was his sole hem, and assumed the control of the estate of the deceased, and the collection of said judgment; that said Mercer continued the arrangement with said widow and heir, for the keeping in the hands of the sheriff an execution to perpetuate the lien on the property, in consideration of time given, said Mercer regularly executing delivery bonds for the property; that he paid to said widow and heir, at one time, $200, and at another $450, making in all $650 of said $750 judgment; that, on the 18th of May, 1874, said widow and heir caused a vendí, to issue for the sale of said property then levied upon and for the surrender of which for sale a delivery bond was held, etc.
And the question arises, what necessity for, what merit was there in, this application for an injunction ? What justice was there in granting it ? See 2 R. S. 1876, p. 93, sec. 137, .as to when injunctions may issue; also Bicknell Civil Prae. 175, etseq.
Mercer, the appellee, owed the money due on the judgment. This is conceded. Could he have safely paid it on the execution ? We think so, for two reasons :
It was not necessary that the judgment should have been revived before execution issued. Armstrong v. McLaughlin, 49 Ind. 370.
2. The execution issued was not void, and a sale under it might have been valid. Payment of the. execution to the sheriff would have been valid.
In this ease, it will be borne in mind, it was the execution plaintiff, not the execution defendant, who died. In Murray v. Buchanan, 7 Blackf. 549, it is decided that:
“If the plaintiff' die after & fieri facias sued out, it may he executed notwithstanding, and his executor or administrator shall have the money ; or if the plaintiff has made no executor, or administration is not granted,_ the money must be brought into court and deposited, until there be a representative to receive it.” Doe v. Hayes, 4 Ind. 117 ; Ewing v. Hatfield, 17 Ind. 513.
A vendi. may issue after the death of the judgment plaintiff. Doe v. Hayes, supra.
The irregularities in this case were all committed under an agreement with the execution defendant, and for his benefit, and were, therefore, waived by him. To this point, the authorities are numerous and direct. McClure v. McCormick, 5 Blackf. 129 ; Doe v. Harter, 1 Ind. 427 ; Doe v. Dutton, 2 Ind. 309 ; May v. Johnson, 3 Ind. 449 ; Cooley v. Harper, 4 Ind. 454; The State v. Melogue, 9 Ind. 196; Stockwell v. Byrne, 22 Ind. 6 ; Sullivan v. Winslow, 22 Ind. 153 ; Culbertson v. Milhollin, 22 Ind. 362; Zug v. Laughlin, 23 Ind. 170.
“ The death of the defendant, after the execution is placed in the hands of the sheriff to be executed, shall not affect his proceedings thereon, that the amount of property, allowed absolutely to the widow of the decedent, shall be exempt from levy and sale under such execution.” See the notes to this section. The court erred in sustaining the demurrer to the answer.
The judgment is reversed, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.
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