Slawson v. M'Caffrey
Slawson v. M'Caffrey
Opinion of the Court
The defendants excepted no cause of action, that the petition was contradictory and unlawfully accumulated conflicting causes of actions, that it sought to recover the same thing both ex contractu and ex delicto and that the petition did not disclose what was claimed under these distinct causes, in addition, the prescription of one year was pleaded. An answer was filed which especially reserved the exceptions, the latter were fixed, tried and submitted and were by order of court, referred to the merits, and were never passed on except as disposed of by the final decree. They are now pressed on our attention, and were obviously not waived by the answer or by the reference to the merits. The petition is not as clear as it might have been and seems to have been drawn with the intention of making all the claims up to the demand of the bonds or contracts as ex contractu and the surplus ex delicto. However all vagueness as to the sum claimed on each cause of action was dispelled as upon the demand of the defendants, the plaintiff elected and declared that he predicated all his claim but the sum of $1,400 on the bonds and contracts, stated in his pleadings, the $1,400 being asked ex delicto. The damages claimed having resulted from the acts of defendant, all connected with the attachment, it was not bad pleading to sue for the whole by one demnnd, on the bonds or contracts up to the amount thereof and the surplus ex delicto.
We think the plaintiff has fully shown damages, caused by the illegal seizure of the defendant, up to the amount withdrawn by defendant from the sheriff’s hands, that is $334.60. When the seizure of the defendant was made, the mules, as we have seen were already in the hands of the sheriff under a prior writ, when that writ was executed they were advertised to be sold at public auction, the effect of the consent was s'mply to allow the sale to take place just as if no seizure had been made. The proceeds went into the hands of the sheriff to abide the result of the litigation, which consent was violated by the withdrawal of the amount in part by one, and the remainder by the other creditor. We think the measure of the defendant’s liability is the extent of his violation of
The third is the bond given when the money was withdrawn, it being for $496, with John Ford as security. We are dispensed from considering whether, not being valid as a judicial bond, it could be enforced as a conventional, siuce we have already on the attachment bond allowed items as damages to an amount exceeding this bond, and which would be chargeable against it. Even were we to hold it good as a conventional bond, we could not, because two bonds covered one liability, make the liability twofold. If the security, John Ford, were herein sued we might be called upon to enforce the amount found due on the attachment bond and equally due on the release bond if enforceable, but he is not sued, and we therefore express no opinion as to the validity or legal efficacy of this bond.
Judgment, reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ansey L. Slawson v. John M'Caffreys.
- Status
- Published