Scruggs v. Myers
Scruggs v. Myers
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court:
This action was instituted in the circuit court of Greene county, on the 27th of January, 1873, upon a note for $1,500, in the words and figures following:
“$1,500.00.
“Twelve months after date, we, or either of us, promise to pay to A. and W. C. Scruggs, executors of the estate of Richard Scruggs, deceased, fifteen hundred dollars, for value received, with interest from date. This, the 18th day of October, 1859.
“[Signed] ■ Jaoob Myers,
“J. O. Martin,
“John Willoughby.”
The co-executor, Abigail Scruggs, being dead, the action is brought by the surviving executor, Wm. O. Scruggs, against Jacob Myers, and the representatives of John Wil-loughby, deceased, the said J. O. Martin not being sued. The defense relied on is the statute of limitations of six years — and in behalf of 'Willoughby’s administrators, that of two years and six months. Upon the state of facts hereinafter to be considered, the circuit judge, to whose determination the issues were submitted upon a waiver of the jury Irial, was of opinion that the action, was barred under die statute of six years, and rendered judgment for the defendant accordingly. The plaintiff has appealed, and upon the facts argued below, demands a reversal of the judgment. The facts argued, upon which the judgment below was pronounced, need not be set out in detail. The whole question must turn upon the construction of a certain order of the late Chancellor Lucky, dissolving an injunction in a proceeding brought by bill in chancery, by the defendant, Jacob Myers, against this plaintiff and others. The bill was filed, among other purposes, to enjoin the collection of the note now in controversy, upon the ground
It is unnecessary further to notice the particular matters of controversy between the complainant Myers, and said Richard I). Scruggs, than to state the fact that upon the final determination of them, it was adjudged, among other things, that the note now in controversy had never been paid. On the 11th of June, 1861, a notice was> issued to the complainant, Jacob Myers, that on July 1, 1861, the defendants would apply to Chancellor Lucky, at chambers at Sneedville, to discharge the attachment and dissolve the injunction in the case in Greeneville chancery court, in which you are complainant and we and others are defendants. This notice was signed by Richard D. Scruggs, W. C. Scruggs, and Abigail Scruggs, by O. W. Hall, solicitor.
“Jacob Myers v. Nichard D. Scruggs et al. — Motion to dissolve an injunction and attachment at Sneedville, on July 1, 1861.
“The answers of defendants denying all of the material allegations in the bill, the injunction and attachment heretofore issued in this case is dissolved, on condition that any of the parties claiming the negroes attached, may take the same into their possession upon entering into bond and security before the clerk and master, in a sum double their value, to account for the value of the same if it should be so decreed on the final hearing of the cause. The judgments attached may be collected by the respondents, upon entering into bond in double the amount to account for the same, if so ordered on the final hearing. The' parties claiming the negroes may enter into separate bond each, in double their value. Upon the execution of the bond, the clerk and master will issue an order for the surrender of the negroes wherever they may be, to the parties claiming them. The attachment upon the house and lot may be released upon a like bond being executed in double the value.”
It appears that no bond whatever was executed under this order, or any other steps taken under the same, and that said cause in chancery, so far as the note is concerned, was placed at issue, the proof taken, and at the -- term, 1871, a decree was rendered dismissing the bill as to the note, from which the complainant appealed to this court, and at the September term, 1872, of this court, said decree as to this note was affirmed. That decree adjudged that the note had not been paid, and this present action upon the note was begun June 29, 1873.
Now, the specific prayer of the complainant’s bill in said cause was to enjoin the defendants, Abigail and ~W. C. Scruggs, from collecting, selling, or transferring the note
It is insisted on behalf of the plaintiff in this action at law upon the note, that the order of dissolution was not intended by the chancellor to embrace the note, and that the injunction as to the same was never dissolved at all until the final disposition of the cause at the September term of this court, 1812. The plaintiff bases his argument upon the fact that the note was not especially mentioned in the order of dissolution, and that no refunding bond was ever executed under the same.
We have arrived at a different conolusion. The fact is indisputable and undisputed, that the note was embraced in the injunction. The rule of chancery practice is to re-require a refunding bond on the dissolution of an injunction, when there are reasonable grounds to suppose that the parties will not he in statu quo- at the hearing. Davis v. Fulton, 1 Tenn., 121. The terms on which an injunction is granted (or dissolved), are in each case a question of discretion of the chancellor, but tbe general principle upon which the court proceeds is to put the party applying upon such terms as will enable the court to do justice to his adversary in the event of his failure to make out his case at the hearing. Kerr, Inj., 19. It. is almost the universal practice to dissolve an injunction when the answer fully denies all the facts on which the equity of the bill is founded. 1 Johnst. Chy., 211; 4 Ired. Eq., 105.
Now, the chancellor in this order of. dissolution, had very good reasons for requiring terms as'to that part of
Bor illustration, if the order of dissolution in this case required a refunding bond as to the negroes and land attached, and required none as to the note, and no refunding bond was given as to the negroes and land, upon what principle can it be contended that the order of dissolution as to the uote must fail also'* That is a substantive thing, having no connection with the property attached, and resting upon equities totally different. The complainant alleged that the note had been paid, and its collection was enjoined; the executors of Richard Scruggs denied it. Who, then, is likely to he injured by dissolving that injunction against its collection? Certainly the complainant cannot, while this defense and his only equity against the note still remains to him to set up and establish at the trial that the note has been paid. We are of opinion, then, that the discretion of the chancellor was not improperly exercised in dissolving the injunction as to the note without imposing terms, and that the injunction against the collection of the note was dissolved by the order in question. The only interest W. C. and Abigail Scruggs had in that litigation was this injunction against the collection of this note. They asked a dissolution and it was granted, and every impedí
Let the judgment be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.