Sutton v. Heinzle
Sutton v. Heinzle
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
William B. Sutton brought action in Wyandotte county, Kansas, against Martin Heinzle, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., for an attorney’s fee,' •serving garnishment summons upon the Metropolitan Street Railway' Company, a Missouri corporation engaged in business in this state and amenable to process here. The garnishee answered stating in effect that
“We believe it to be a rule of law, sound in principle, and amply supported by the appended authorities, that corporations are properly subject to garnishment only in the states either-of their domiciles or of the residence of their creditors, and that a corporation, by going into another state, qualifying under its laws, transacting business there, and establishing an agent upon whom process may be served in suits against the corporation, does not thereby transfer to such other state the situs of debts which it owes to nonresidents thereof, nor subject such debts to seizure in such state under process of garnishment.” (p. 122.)
“A foreign corporation coming into this state, and leasing property and doing business here, may be garnished for a debt due to one of its employees, although such employee is not a resident of this state, and although the- debt was contracted outside of the state.” (Syl. ¶ 3.)
In the opinion it was said:
“A mere debt is transitory, and may be enforced wherever the debtor or his property can be found, and if the creditor can enforce the collection of his debt in the courts of this state, a creditor of such creditor should have, equal facilities.” (p. 196.)
As the court obtained jurisdiction of the indebtedness by the service of the summons in garnishment, it could determine upon substituted service whether a nonresident claimant had any interest in the fund. (Civ. Code, § 241; 20 Cyc. 1132.)
If the indebtedness garnished had actually been in the form of a judgment, by the weight of authority it would not have been subject to garnishment in the courts of another state. (20 Cyc. 1010; 14 A. & E. Encycl. of L. 777; Wabash Railroad Co. v. Tourville, 179 U. S. 322.) But the plaintiff claimed, and the court must be deemed to have found upon sufficient evidence, that after Heinzle’s claim against the railway company had been reduced to judgment a part of the amount was paid and the balance satisfied, the creditor thereafter looking to the company to pay the difference, thus converting it into an ordinary contract debt.
The appellant seeks to question the sufficiency of the plaintiff’s petition and the regularity of the garnish
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William B. Sutton v. Martin Heinzle, Individually and as Next Friend, etc., and Richard J. Smith
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Garnishment — Foreign Corporation — Debt Contracted Outside of State — Jurisdiction—Publication Service. A foreign corporation doing business in this state, and subject to process here, may be garnished for a debt owing to a nonresident defendant, which was incurred outside the state; and'jurisdiction over the fund, as against the defendant, and as against a nonresident claimant of it disclosed by the garnishee’s answer, may be obtained by publication service upon them. 2. - Foreign Judgment. .Where a judgment rendered in another state is satisfied without the indebtedness having been fully paid, under an agreement that the defendant is to pay the balance, the remaining obligation is a contract debt and is subject to garnishment in this state. 3. Minors —■ Necessaries — Attorney’s Fee-. Beneficial services rendered to a minor by an attorney under an express or implied contract are classed as necessaries, and payment therefor can not be avoided on the ground of the client’s minority.