Thomas v. Callihan's Heirs
Thomas v. Callihan's Heirs
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of _ . . , , court. In this case, the plaintiff claims, as ' transferee of John Stafford, the amount of judgment which the latter had obtained the ancestor of the defendants. They oppose, to his right to recover, a plea of res and also compensation, by virtue of a judgment
Leroy Stafford intervened in the cause, and set up a claim to the judgment against Calli-han, the ancestor, in consequence of a right acquired under a sheriff’s sale, wherein that judgment, or J. Stafford’s interest in it, had been seized by virtue of an execution issued at his instance, on the judgment which he had obtained against said John.
The district court rendered judgment in fa-vour of the plaintiff, from which the defendants appealed.
There are two bills of exception in the cause taken by the counsel of the defendants; but as they have no close connection with the principles on which the case must be decided, it is thought needless to notice them.'
The claim of the intervener, which seems to be the most formidable, when opposed to that of the plaintiff, so far as it is supported by the seizure and sale of the judgment against Cal-lihan, 4>e ancestor, may be at once dismissed,
All questions relative to the conflicting claims of the parties being still open to investigation, they must be in reference to the facts and law of tire cause. The facts which are important to its decision may be limited to the transfer of the two judgments, under one of which the plaintiff claims rights which are opposed by the defendants, by those which they attempt to deduce from the .other.
In 1823, J. Stafford obtained a judgment against the defendants for $1245 52; subsequently, Leroy Stafford obtained a judgment against John for $950 dollars. Immediately after the latter had obtained his judgment, he transferred it to the plaintiff, which, together with the transfer, was recorded in the office of the parish judge, of the parish of Rapides.,
By the act of transfer from J. Stafford, of his judgment against the ancestor of the defendants, to the plaintiff, the latter acquired a full and complete right to the debt, as against the transferror; the assignment placed him in the situation of the latter, leaving the judgment subject to seizure by the creditors of the assignor until the notice, required by law, was given to the debtors. In the present case, they claim a right to compensate a debt acquired by transfer, from L. Stafford, against that which the plaintiff holds as transferee from J. Stafford.
In relation to these, the appellee is in the situation of a third person, and as there is no evidence of notice to the debtor of the transferee’s rights, the plaintiff cannot be affected by that
It is therefore ordered,adjudged, and decreed, that the judgment of the district court be affirmed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THOMAS v. CALLIHAN'S HEIRS
- Status
- Published