Taney v. Vollenweider
Taney v. Vollenweider
Opinion of the Court
delivered tbe opinion of tbe court
Tbis action was commenced in tbe district court by tbe plaintiff to recover tbe sum of $45 and to establish and foreclose a mechanic’s- lien upon certain property in Anaconda, Montana. Tbe complaint is in the usual form-. Tbe denials in tbe answer raise no material issues. As an affirmative defense tbe defendant alleges tbat after she became indebted to tbis plaintiff, and before tbe commencement of tbis action, sbe was served with a writ of attachment and notice of garnishment in an action in the justice of tbe peace court of O. H. Williams, a justice of tbe peace of Anaconda township*, wherein Frank Hall was plaintiff and tbis plaintiff, P. S'. Taney, was defendant; tbat a judgment was recovered by Hall against T'aney for $45.50; that an execution was issued tbereon, a copy of wbicb, with notice of garnishment, was also served on tbis defendant; and tbat by reason of these facts, and tbe demand of tbe constable, she paid into that court tbe sum’ of $45, being tbe whole of her indebtedness to this plaintiff. A reply was filed, wbicb assumes to put in issue the allegations of this affirmative defense. Upon the trial the defendant admitted that tbe plaintiff bad performed tbe work for her as alleged in bis complaint. Tbe plaintiff then offered in evidence tbe record of tbe county clerk’s office showing tbe filing of bis lien, and then rested. The defendant offered in evidence tbe records of tbe justice of the peace court showing the proceedings had in tbe case of Hall against Taney from tbe commencement of tbe action to the entry of judgment, all substantially as alleged in her answer. Sbe also introduced in evidence the receipt for the money paid into* court by her. No rebuttal testimony was offered whatever,
If, at the conclusion of plaintiff’s testimony, no further evidence had been offered, a prima facie case would have been made out in plaintiff’s favor for the amount of his claim. However, the defendant offered in evidence record proof of the fact that she had paid into court, in answer to garnishment served upon her, $45, the full amount of her indebtedness to plaintiff; that such notice of garnishment had been served upon her before the commencement of this present action; and that a judgment was recovered in the justice of the peace1 court against this plaintiff. Nlo attempt was made to dispute these facts, and upon this showing we deem them proved. This defendant having paid into the justice of the peace court the full amount of her indebtedness to this plaintiff upon the garnishment served upon her, and a judgment having been'obtained against this plaintiff in that court, that judgment operated to fully discharge the indebtedness from this defendant to the plaintiff herein, and she was, therefore, entitled to a judgment in her favor for costs. We do not understand how the district court can enter up a judgment, including attorney’s fees, upon an open account for work and labor done and for material furnished; in the absence of any finding that (plaintiff isi entitled to a lien (assuming that, in the event a lien was established, an attorney’s fee might be recovered as a part of the costs). It appears from the record of the justice of the peace court that after defendant, Taney, appeared in that action, he moved for a change of venue, which was granted upbn the condition that he pay, the accrued costs, as provided by Section 1484 of the Code of Civil Procedure. This he refused to do; and the justice proceeded to try the cause, and entered judgment against him. It is now urged here that
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- TANEY v. VOLLENWEIDER
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- 1 case
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- Published