May v. Newingham
May v. Newingham
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
It is a well settled principle that the law casts upon the assignee of a bond or a judgment note the duty of notifying the obligor or the promisor, in order to protect his rights thereto and prevent the extinguishment of the debt by payment to the obligee or promisee. Bury v. Hartman, 4 S. & R. 175, Brindle v. McIlvaine, 9 S. & R. 74, Henry v. Brothers, 48 Pa. 70, Horstman v. Gerker, 49 Pa. 282, Hodgdon v. Naglee, 5 W. & S. 217, Foster v. Carson, 159 Pa. 477, and Lee v. Sallada, 7 Pa. Superior Ct. 98, are a few of the numerous cases in which this principle has been applied. “ It is impossible to conceive upon what principle of justice a debtor should be prejudiced by an assignment of which he knows nothing. If the party whose interest and duty it is to give him notice, so that he can regulate his conduct according to his new relations, make it a point to keep him ignorant, he should certainly not be compelled to suffer, since one man is not to answer for the default of another. Down to the moment of notice the debtor may do whatever he could legally have done if no assignment had been made:” Black, C. J., in Gaullagher v. Caldwell, 22
The assignments of error are sustained, the judgment is reversed and a venire facias de novo awarded.
Reference
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- Attachment execution — Notice of assignment — Payment—Bond. The rule that the assignee of a bond or judgment note must notify the obligor or the promisor in order to protect his rights thereto and prevent the extinguishment of the debt by payment to the obligee or promisee, applies with equal force to a debtor who has been compelled by an attachment execution to pay the money to an attaching creditor of the obligee, and this is especially so where the obligee has assigned the instrument without consideration, and for the sole purpose of defrauding his creditors. All that the law requires of a garnishee is that he shall, in good faith, see that the money is recovered from him by due course of law; and if in good faith and without notice of the assignment the garnishee makes truthful answers to the interrogatories that he owes the money and has no knowledge or notice that the debt has been assigned, he does all that the law requires of him.. Pleading — Evidence—Rule of court — Replevin. A rule of court providing that in actions founded on contracts, statements of fact in the pleadings verified by affidavits shall be taken as conclusive at the trial if not denied by a proper plea verified by affidavit, does not apply to an action of replevin.