Dietz v. Bignall
Dietz v. Bignall
Opinion of the Court
On December 19, 1889, plaintiff recovered judgment against Charles H. Bignall before a justice of the peace for the sum of 888.65 damages and 83.50 costs. This judgment was rendered upon a promissory note given by Bignall to the plaintiff, of date September 26, 1887.
The summons by which suit was commenced was issued on December 11, 1889, and on the same day the garnishee summons was issued in favor of plaintiff against one Henry C. Bussell, as garnishee of said Charles H. Bignall. Bussell, the garnishee defendant, on the return-day of the garnishee summons made disclosure to the justice that he was indebted to the said Charles H. Bignall in the sum of 8150. On December 26, 1889, the judgment in the principal case not having been appealed from, a second summons was taken out by the plaintiff against Bussell, the garnishee defendant, returnable before the justice on January 4, 1890, at which time the cause was continued by consent till January 11, 1890. On that day the garnishee defendant further disclosed that Emma A. Bignall, the claimant in this case, claimed the money which he had previously disclosed he owed to Charles H. Bignall, whereupon he paid into the hands of the justice the sum of 8163.65, being the amount of his disclosed indebtedness. No judgment was rendered againt him, and the cause was adjourned till January 27, 1890, and a discharge was given 'the garnishee defendant for the amount so paid by him. At the same time a notice was issued by the justice to the claimant, Emma A. Bignall,
Plaintiff brings error.
The cause was tried before the circuit court without a-jury, and the court, at the request of the parties, made a finding of facts and of law. The court found as facts, that the husband of the claimant, and as her agent, made a contract with the garnishee defendant, Henry C. Russell, for the construction of certain stone-work, and to furnish the stone, lime, and material for the foundation of the building to be built by the claimant, at the price of about seven or eight hundred dollai-s; that Russell, the garnishee defendant, paid all the said moneys on said contract, except 8165; that one of the checks given by said Russell was given (not payable) to Charles H. Bignall, payable to Emma A. Bignall, claimant in this suit; that before his disclosure in garnishment in justice’s court, but after service of' the summons in garnishment was made on him, he was first informed that the claimant was entitled to the money, and “that she was the contractor, and said Charles H. Bignall was only her agent, and which was the first direct notice he had received thereof; that the claimant purchased all the material that went into the Russell job, and paid the
The court found as matter of law: -
1. That the contract was made between claimant and said Russell.
2. That the money due on said contract all belonged to the claimant.
The court thereupon directed judgment "in favor of the claimant for the moneys due on the contract, and for costs against the plaintiff.
Several other findings of fact made by the circuit judge are found in the record, which we;do not deem it necessary to discuss.
Some 20 errors are assigned upon the record by plaintiff’s counsel; but if the facts found by the circuit judge heretofore set out are supported by any evidence, It must end the case in favor of the claimant. The controversy is therefore necessarily narrowed down to this one question, to wit: Is there any testimony that claimant was the contracting party with Russell under this contract? The husband of the claimant had been engaged in th© same business prior to March, 1888. The testimony of claimant tends to show that at that time her husband had lost everything he possessed, except three or four
The findings of fact by the circuit judge cannot be disturbed by this Court upon the ground that the weight of evidence is against the findings, or that this Court would have arrived at a different conclusion in passing upon the testimony. It is sufficient if there is some testimony tending to show the facts as found.
We cannot say upon this record that there is no testimony to support the findings, and the judgment must be affirmed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Louis Dietz v. Emma A. Bignall
- Status
- Published