Richards v. Craig
Richards v. Craig
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
In accordance with the prayer of the bill certain persona] property of the defendants was attached. Soon after, to-wit, on the 2d of March, 1870, the defendants desiring to replevy the property, it was released and restored to them upon the execution by them and their securities of a bond demanded by the master. The bond was in double the estimated value of the property, as clearly appears, each horse and buggy, etc., being valued separately. The condition of the
"We have several times construed sec. 3509 of the Code so far as to hold that it gives the defendant, whose property is attached, the right to replevy it, and in doing so the option to execute either one or two different bonds. That is, the option to give a bond in double the amount of the plaintiff’s demand, conditioned to pay the debt, interest and costs if the plaintiffs succeed, or a bond in double the value of the property attached, conditioned to pay the value of the property attached with interest, etc. We deem it proper to say that we think it would be the better practice for the clerks to take the bond either in the one form or the other as the defendant may elect, and not insert both conditions in the same -bond. When it' is done, however, we give the defendants the benefit of the construction most favorable to them. This bond was in double the value of the property, and the condition should have been to pay its value and interest, etc. ‘ It will be observed that this section of the Code, 3509, does not provide that there shall be a condition in the bond that it may be satisfied by a return of the property, but secs. 3514 and 3535 direct the judgments that should be entered upon the bonds in case the plaintiff recover; that is, that the judgment should be for the penalty of the bond, which may be satisfied by the payment of the plaintiff’s recovery, interest and costs, or by the delivery or forthcoming of the property or the payment of its
We have held at the present term, that the “value of the property attached” which may be paid in discharge of the judgment for the penalty is not the estimated value fixed in the bond, but its actual value to be fixed by proof. But the question here is, whether there should have been any judgment or decree upon the bond after the property itself had been, by the order of the court, delivered up by the defendants and sold, and the proceeds applied to the benefit of the complainants, and we hold there should not. The record does not show that this was done at the instance of the sureties and for their benefit. It was simply a decree in the cause which the complainant was prosecuting. As we have seen by the express
To the argument, that the defendants may use the property and return it depreciated in value at the end of the litigation, we reply first, that such is the right given him by the statue, and second, that this is no greater hardship than befalls all creditors where the property of their debtors depreciate in value pending the litigation. We predicate nothing upon the amendments of the bond, but for the purpose of this decree we treat it as of no effect. There is, we think, nothing in the authorities referred to in conflict with this view.
Decree will be reversed and decree rendered in favor of the sureties on the bond with costs of the court.
070rehearing
Petition to re-hear:
The petition to re-hear this case has been attentively considered. The argument of the counsel, we think, is fallacious. The bond in question was in double the value of the property attached. As shown in the opinion heretofore rendered, the judgment authorized by this statute on this bond is subject to be satsfied by the return of the property by the express provision of secs. 3514 and 3535 of the Code. This being so it is impossible to maintain that the complainant has been injured in a legal sense by being
In an action of replevin at law the judgment in favor of the defendant for the value of the property and interest may be satisfied by a return, but the judgment for damages for the detention of the property cannot be thus satisfied. 7 Col., 117. This is upon purely statutory grounds.
We think the decision heretofore announced is correct, and dismiss the petition to rehear. We know of no principle upon which we could require the defendants to account for the loss upon the property by reason of its use or wear during the time they held it under the replevin bond.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jas. C. Richards v. E. T. Craig
- Status
- Published