Bradbury v. Morgan
Bradbury v. Morgan
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This suit is against the sheriff, Morgan, to compel him to pay to the plaintiffs $1455, with interest and damages. They claim the principal sum, as belonging to them by assignment from Samuel Paxton & Co., and interest and damages on account of an illegal detention of it by the defendant. Ogilvie & Co. and Armstrong intervened, and claim this money as having been seized in the hands of the sheriff by an execution which issued on a judgment obtained against the assignors of the plaintiffs. The court below decreed, in favour of the intervening party, and the plaintiffs appealed-
The sheriff in this case is a mere stake-holder. The rights of the other parties depend on the facts as made out by them in a statement agreed; from which it appears, on the part of the plaintiffs, that they had obtained a judgment against Pax-ton & Co. in the District Court of the United States, on the 23d January, 1830, for $4709 91, which was signed by the judge on the 3d of February following; and that a fi. fa. is-ssued on the same day. On the 30th of January, Samuel Paxton, acting for his firm, assigned to the appellants a judgment which Paxton & Co. had previously obtained in the Parish Court of New-Orleans, against one Hofner and the brig General Morales. On this judgment the money now in
The legislation of the United States having been made in reference to the state law's in force at the time the act was passed, must be considered as embracing their provisions, and not those of state rules of practice which might be subsequently introduced by the legislative power of the state; consequently, for the government of judicial proceedings in the United States courts within the limits of Louisiana, its laws directing the mode of practice in the courts of the state, passed prior to the 26th of May, 1824, must be looked to as the legitimate rules of practice in those of the United States.
In the 14th section of the act of the legislative council of the territory of Orleans, regulating the practice of the superior court in civil cases, it is declared that the personal pro
Jf the facs were clearly established that the is. fa. which . • . , . r. - , __ • -, ~ , , issued irom the District Court of the United States reached ^le hands of the marshal prior to the 13th of February, 1830, perhaps it would give a lien and preference in favor of the appellants on the fund now in dispute. But there is no evidence shewing when it came into the possession of that officer, and we do not believe that any legal presumption fairly arises from the facts as stated, sufficient to destroy the rights of the appellees acquired under their execution, which was delivered to the sheriff on that day, and operated as a seizure of the money in his hands belonging to the defendants, Samuel Paxton & Co.
It is therefore ordered, adjudged, and decreed, that the judgment of the District Court be affirmed with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BRADBURY AND FOSTER v. GEORGE W. MORGAN. OGILVIE INTERVENING
- Status
- Published