Gardiner v. Ross
Gardiner v. Ross
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal by the defendant from two orders made by the circuit court of Roberts county bearing date of September 5 and October 27, 1903, in two cases which by stipulation are to be heard together upon abstract and brief in one case. As the proceedings were practically identical in the two cases, it will only be necessary to consider the proceedings and orders in one case. In February, 1900, the plain-tip recovered a judgment against the defendant James Ross and Alexander Ross for the sum of 5t514.ll, and about the same time a judgment against James Ross individually for the sum of $812.45. Subsequently, on April 30, 1900, an order to show cause was issued against said James Ross requiring him to be examined on supplementary proceedings, and on May 10th the order was granted with the usual restraining clause, and upon the report of the referee on May 19, 1900, the court made the following order: “Ordered, that the defendant James Ross forthwith deliver and pay to J. J. Batterton, the plaintiP’s attorney, a sufficient amount out of the sum of sixteen hundred dollars, in money, disclosed by said defendant, and now in his hands and under his control, and one share of one hundred
It will thus be seen that the. judgments were rendered Pebi’uary-2, 1900, that the. order requiring the defendant to pay over the moneys alleged to have .been .disclosed .by him was made on May 19th, and that a motion that defendant be adjudged guilty.of contempt of court in failing, to pay over the said money was denied on June 15, 1900, and that the motion to set aside .and vacate the former orders of May 10 and 19, 1900, was denied. No appeal was taken *from either of these orders made in May and June of 1900. -It further appears that the bankruptcy proceedings were instituted on May 26, 19.0.0, and it is disclosed by the record that these proceedings culminated .in an order discharging the bankrupt, on the .4th day of
The appellant seeks a reversal of the orders appealed from upon the grounds (1) of the insufficiency of the evidence to justify an order for.contempt, and that the court had no authority to make such an order on a judgment obtained in an action on contract; (2) that the bankruptcy proceedings were a bar to proceedings supplementary to execution; (3) that the property ordered to be turned over was exempt from forced sale and execution. The respondent has interposed a preliminary objection to the hearing of this appeal on the ground that the orders made on May 19 and June 5, 1900, not being appealed from are res judicata, and cannot be questioned in any subsequent proceeding, and that the motion of the appellant-to vacate and set aside said order was properly denied on the ground that the said order had become res judicata, and could not be subsequently attacked after the expiration of 60 days from the date of the order; and the respondent farther, con» tends that the only question before the, circuit court was as to whether or not the appellant had complied with the order so made on May 19 and June 5, 1900 But, as we have seen, the motion made in June, 1900, that the defendant be adjudged guilty of contempt for failure to comply with the order of May 19th, was denied without prejudice; and hence, when the order
In the-view we take of the case, it will only be necessary to consider and discuss the effect of the bankruptcy proceedings, and we therefore shall express no opinion upon either of the other two questions presented. Assuming, therefore, without deciding, that the order of May 19th was properly made upon the evidence then before the court, we are inclined to agree with the appellant that the subsequent proceedings in bankruptcy rendered null and void nob only the judgment of Pebi’uary 2d, but also the order of the court made on May 19th, such order having been made within four months of the defendant’s application to be discharged as a bankrupt. The defendant’s discharge in bankruptcy is as follows: “Whereas, James Ross * * * has been duly adjudged a bankrupt un
Section 67f, Bankr. Act July 1, 1898, c. -541, 30 Stat. 565 [U. S. Comp. St. 1901, p. 3450], provides: “That all levies, judgments, attachments, or other liens, obtained through legal proceedings against the person who was insolvent, at any time within four months prior to the filing of (he petition in bankruptcy against him, shall be deemed null and void in case he is adjudged a bankrupt and the property affected by levy, judgment, attachment, or other lien, shall be deemed wholly dis
It is contended by the respondent that the provisions of the bankruptcy act above referred to do nob apply to cases' of voluntary bankruptcy, but the act seems to make no such distinction, and its provisions have been held to equally apply to voluntary as well as involuntary bankruptcy. In re Richards, 96 Fed. 935, 37 C. C. A. 634; In re Rhoads (D. C.), 98 Fed. 399.
These views lead to the conclusion that the learned circuit court erred in making the order of September 5, 1903, and in making the order denying plaintiff’s motion of October 22, 1903,-and these orders are reversed. . • ■ ■
Reference
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- Gardiner v. Ross Same v. Ross
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- Syllabus
- 1. Where a motion for an order adjudging defendant guilty of contempt for ' failure to comply with an order previously made in supplemental proceedings, requiring him to pay certain money to plaintiff’s attorney, was denied without prejudice, defendant was entitled, on a subsequent motion for an order to show cause, why he should not be punished for contempt for the same reason to present a defense arising after the making of the order in the supplemental proceedings. 2. Where, after the making of an order in supplemental proceedings, re- • quiring the payment of-a judgment, it was rendered void by a discharge of the judgment debtor in bankruptcy, he was entitled to move to set aside the order, and his liability was uot res judicata by reason of the fact that the order in the supplemental proceedings was not appealed from'. 3. Under Bankr. Act July 1, 1898, c. 511, § 67f, 30 Stal. 565 [U. S. Comp. St. 1901, p. 3450], providing that all levies, judgments, attachments and other liens obtained within four months prior to the filing of a petition in bankruptcy shall bo deemed void, etc., an order issued in supplemental proceedings less than four months before the filing of the petition, and requiring the bankrupt to pay a certain judgment, is rendered void-by the discharge. 4. Bankr. Act July 1, 1898, c. 541, § 67f, 30 Slat. 565 [ü. S. Comp. St. 1901, p.. 3450], providing that all levies, judgments, attachments, or other liens obtained within four months prior to the filing of a petition in bankruptcy shall be void in case the party is adjudged a bankrupt, applies to voluntary as well as involuntary bankruptcy.