Patterson's Appeal
Patterson's Appeal
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered, by
— This is not a contest between Stewart, the purchaser at the assignee’s sale, and Tarr, the equitable owner of the judgments of Smith against the assignor. If it were, the payment by Stewart to Smith the assignee, who was also the legal judgment-creditor of the assignor, would be held a payment sufficient to discharge, pro tanto, his liability for the purchase-money of the land. The contest now, however, is between Tarr, a creditor in equity of McKibben the assignor and Smith the assignee. The account is Smith’s account, though presented by his sureties, and it is upon Smith’s liabilities as assignee that we are now to adjudicate. When the assignment was made and accepted, it created a trust in the assignee for the benefit of the assignor’s creditors, of whom Tarr was one. It became a right of the assignor that Tarr rather than Smith should be paid the judgments of which he had become the owner, and whatever Smith received by virtue of the assignment, he necessarily held, stamped with the trust created by that instrument. Now, that Stewart holds his title to the land, bought by him, under the assignment, and that the money he paid for it was proceeds of the assignment, is perfectly plain. The assignee was accountable
The sureties stand in no better position than Smith their principal stands in. The measure of his responsibility is the measure of theirs. It is enough, however, for the present that we are now passing upon his account, and determining how far he is liable as trustee.
The decree of the court below is affirmed, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.