August v. Sorsby
August v. Sorsby
Opinion of the Court
On Motion to Dismiss.
delivered the opinion and decree of the court in the words and figures following, to wit;
Plaintiff sued defendant, a non resident, and issued an attachment, serving interrogatories in garnishment upon the London Liverpool and Globe Insurance Company. Judgment was duly rendered against defendant, through a curator, and from that decree there is no appeal. Garnishee to interrogatories responded, in substance, that defendant had been insured with it and had met a loss; but that the amount thereof was not yet adjusted, and that the said sum was already seized in other suits pending in the Civil District Court. Later, garnishee presented a supplemental answer, declaring that the policy in question had been assigned to a third person previous to issuance of this attachment.
Plaintiffs move to have garnishee, under its answer condemned to satisfy its judgment against defendant. On trial of this rule, there was judgment condemning the Insurance
Plaintiff moves to dismiss the appeal because the defendant and the curator ad hoc are not made parties, there being an order taxing the fee of the latter; because the judgment is interlocutory and not final; and because there is no assignment of errors.
I
The law does not arbitrarily require every person who is impleaded in a cause to be made parties to an appeal. The rule is that only those who have interest in maintaining undisturbed the judgment appealed from, need be impleaded before the appellate court. Elder vs. Rogers, 11 La. 606; Gordon vs. Dreux, 6 Rob. 399; Baruer vs. Gordon, 16 La. Ann. 324; Lane vs. Roselius, 22 La. Ann. 267; Cox vs. Rees, 16 La. 109; Garcial vs. Creditors, 3 Rob. 436; Dugan vs. De Lezardi, 5 Rob. 224; Oliver vs. Williams, 12 Rob. La. 180; Swearinger vs. McDaniel, 12 Rob. La. 203; Armstrong vs. Creditors, 8 La. Ann. 367; Joy vs. Lusk, 11 La. Ann. 186; Simmons vs. Creditors, 12 La. Ann. 755; Cummins vs. Husband, 14 La. Ann. 315; Bellevill Iron Works vs. Creditors, 16 La. Ann. 78; Succession of Penniston, 18 La. Ann. 281; Bervery vs. Bird, 21 La. Ann. 209.
We have no means of ascertaining on which side of this special controversy, the wishes, or interest of the defendant Sorsey may lie. It is reasonable to infer however that he would be opposed to having this fund, if it belongs to him, taken from his control, where if he be the owner, it is supposed to be, and placed in that of the court. In all events we think that, to entitle a party to notice of an appeal, it must be apparent that he has such an interest in the question at issue, as is by law required, in order for his being impleaded. The
So far as the curator ad hoc is concerned, the order taxing his fee, does not give him an interest in the controversy between the creditor and the garnishee. If, as the beneficiary of one portion of the taxed charges he is to be made party to the appeal, then sheriff, clerks of court, auditors, experts, and in some cases, perhaps unpaid witnesses would be entitled to a similar notice, if at any prior stage of the case, costs had become due to them.
We consider the judgment appealed from as final and that the garnishee may appeal. It determines the fact of the garnishees’s indebtedness to the debtor, and of its owing an adjustment within 7 days. It also condemns it to satisfy plaintiff’s claim, if it does not comply with the order to adjust and deposit. Carroll vs. Wallace, 1 McGloin 9, see also Wabash and Erie Canal vs. Beers, 1 Black 54. We are not asked to dismiss the appeal because it is taken from a confessed judgment, we have therefore no right to determine, under the issues presented, whether the Insurance Co. has confessed— This reference approves P. Rielley Deputy Clerk — or whether for other reasons it was rightfully condemned. We examined the judgment and ascertained that it is final; and if it is such the law accords the right to the party affected to have it reviewed.
His Honor Judge Frank McGloin delivered the opinion and decree of the court in the words and figures following, to wit;
We are asked in this case to reverse our ruling upon the motion to dismiss and now dismiss the appeal herein ex officio for want of proper parties. In coming to the conclusion arrived at, upon that feature of the case, we followed the only precedent we found in the reports of this state, touching directly upon the questions involved, Elder vs. Rogers, 11 La. Ann. 606. Our attention has since been called to the opinion in Katz & Varnett vs. W. B. Sorbsey, No. 8347 of the Honorable Supreme Court of this state, lately decided. We have carefully considered the opinion last referred to; but after mature deliberation, have determined to follow Wilder vs. Rovers, as determining the practice of this court.
The case of Cossley vs. Snow, 3 La. Ann. 623, is not in our judgment a precedent for this. There, defendant appealed from a decree against the garnishee; and of course that garnishee having been a necessary party of the judgment below, was equally necessary to the proceedings whereby it was to be maintained, or disturbed, in the appellate court. The garnishee having abstained from an appeal, it was fair to presume that he was satisfied and desired the finding to remain undisturbed.
Nor do we consider Robinson vs. Miller, 14 La. Ann. 219, applicable. There is a marked distinction between the judgment against the defendant in the original proceedings, or suit,
Upon the merits appellant asks us under act 27 extra session 1877 to ignore plaintiff’s rule because not filed within 20 judicial days. We consider this law applicable only to cases where a judgment creditor desires to disprove or traverse the answers filed, and not to one where, as in this, he seems satisfied with the responses made.
The rule in this case was to condemn the garnishee absolutely to pay the amount of the judgment. Under the answer, the decree complained of compels appellant to adjust the loss, within a fixed delay, or in default thereof to pay the claim sued upon. There is no evidence in the record, and this condemnation seems to have been made upon the face of the answers. Parties seeking relief by rule, the same as those asking by petition, are bound by the laws of pleading. They must state their demand clearly, and the prayer must be in accordance with the facts they set up. The court has no more
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.