Thomas v. Taylor
Thomas v. Taylor
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
This is an action of assumpsit, by the assignees of a promisory note, against their assignor; bn the promise implied by the assignment.
James Thomas, bolding anote on John C. Cotton, for $100, due the 28th of June, 1818, assigned it to the defendants in error, on the 1st of September, 1818. The assignor, assignees and obligor, all lived, at that time, in Clarke county. A writ issued in favor of the assignees, against the obligor, on the 16th September, 1818, returnable to the September term, and
The only question presented for consideration, by the record is, whether the assignees have shown due diligence in prosecuting their remedies, for coercing the amount of their note, from Cotton, or his representatives.
It is proved by the clerk of the Clarke circuit court, that he had not time to issue an execution before the 1st of May, 1819, although the court adjourned on the 6th of April preceding, and the execution was ordered immediately after the adjournment.
It was proved for the plaintiff in error, that Colton had property enough to have enabled the assignees to make the amount of the note, if they had obtained a judgment at September, 1818, and that he sold his personal estate, which was sufficient to pay off the judgment, in Winchester, about the last of April, 1819, at auction, having previously advertised the sale, and invited his creditors to attend and buy property in discharge of their demands.
No reason is shown for not instituting the suit in ti^e to have obtained a judgment, at the September
They might have revived their judgment sooner than they did. But they were not bound to revive it at all, after a return of “no property,” on the fieri facias against Cotton, unless he had removed himself and property to Fayette, before the fieri facias and the car sa: issued to Clarke, and that fac.t was known to them. In that event, they would have had no cause of action on the assignment, without showing a due prosecution of their remedy against the administrator. No sufficient reason appears for not issuing, a'ca: sa: to Fayette.
Judgment reversed and canse remanded for a new; trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.