Markert v. North Augusta Warehouse & Fertilizer Co.
Markert v. North Augusta Warehouse & Fertilizer Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
The plaintiff brings this action for the value of certain bales of cotton that were in the possession of and sold by the defendant. The plaintiff claims that he had a lien on the cotton for rent, and that he notified the defendant of his lien before sale, and while the defendant was still in possession of the cotton. The cotton had been sold and delivered to the defendant by the plaintiff’s tenant.
In so far as pertinent the facts can be stated as the questions arise.
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The appellant asked permission to review Parks v. Cotton Mills, 70 S. C. 274, 49 S. E. 871. The Parks case should not be overruled, and is conclusive here. Notice of the lien was given while the defendant had the cotton. The defendant made itself liable to plaintiff by subsequent sale.
The portion of the charge complained of, taken with its surroundings, shows that the whole refers to the failure of the defendant to prosecute the tenánt who sold the crop under lien. Judge Prince stated the law correctly when he *138 said, “It is not the policy of the law to collect debts by criminal prosecution.”
The contract between the plaintiff and his tenant was that the tenant should deliver the cotton at the warehouse. No authority has been cited, and we know of none, that requires a party to a contract, to vary its terms to save an unknown third party from loss. There is nothing in the case to show that the plaintiff had reason to suspect that the tenant would sell the cotton to the warehouse people.
Again, we know of no authority, and we have been cited to none, that makes the two fund doctrine applicable in pais. The two fund doctrine is applied by Courts that have before it at least two parties and two funds. There was only one fund here, and the doctrine is not applicable here.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
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- Markert v. North Augusta Warehouse & Fertilizer Company
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- Syllabus
- 1. Landlord and Tenant — Lien for Rent — Notice to Purchaser.— Where plaintiff notified defendant of his lien on cotton sold by plaintiff’s tenant prior to the sale, such notice, being given before defendant’s purchase, was sufficient to preserve plaintiff’s right. 2. Landlord and Tenant — Lien for Rent — Equitable Estoppel.— Where plaintiff’s tenant sold to defendant cotton on which plaintiff had a lien, the fact that defendant refrained from criminally prosecuting the tenant because plaintiff promised to attach the cotton does not raise any estoppel against plaintiff; it not being the policy of the law to collect debts by criminal prosecution. S. Damages — Duty to Minimize Damages. — Where the contract between plaintiff and his tenant required the tenant to deliver cotton at a warehouse, plaintiff is not, the tenant having breached his contract and made a sale of the cotton to defendant, bound to accept two bales of cotton tendered him by the tenant so as to diminish defendant’s loss. 4. Marshaling Assets and Securities — -Right to Require.- — Where a tenant, who was required to deliver cotton, raised at a warehouse sold to defendant cotton on which the landlord had a lien, the landlord’s claim could not be defeated on the-ground that he should first seek satisfaction in any other possible way before attempting to reach the cotton sold to defendant; there being no place in such.case for the doctrine of marshaling of assets.