Porcheler v. Bronson
Porcheler v. Bronson
Opinion of the Court
The legal effect of a judgment upon which suit is brought, whether it be a domestic or foreign judgment, is to be determined by the court, and not the jury. In the absence of an averment in the petition, of a law, custom, or procedure in the courts of the State where the judgment was rendered requiring a different construction to be given it, a foreign judgment must be interpreted and held to have the same legal effect as if it had been rendered by our own courts. (Bradshaw v. Mayfield, 18 Tex., 21.) If by the law or usage of the State from which the judgment comes it has a different force and effect from that which a similar judgment by our courts would have, like force and credit will be given to it here as it has where rendered; but, to enable the court to see that it is entitled to the credit claimed for it, the law or usage entitling it to this effect, must be averred. (Taylor, v. Runyan, 3 Clark, (Iowa,) 474.) If there is no averment of a law or usage of the State where the judgment is rendered entitling it to the legal effect asked to be given it, the petition is defective, and should be so held by the court, if excepted to. It is no answer to the demurrer to say that the existence of the law or usage which entitles the judgment to the effect claimed for it, is a question of fact, even if the evidence to prove the law should be submitted to the jury instead of to the judge, contrary to what Mr. Greenleaf says seems to be the better opinion. (1 Greenl. Ev., sec. 486; Story’s Confl. of Laws., sec. 683.) Eor as the evidence is not admissible unless its existence is averred in the petition, this concession, if made, is no answer to a demurrer to a petition seeking to give an effect to the judgment to which, in the absence of the particular law or usage, it would not be entitled.
The judgment upon which appellant’s action is brought is not for the recovery of money of appellee’s intestate, but for the foreclosure of a mortgage. In other words, it is not a personal judgment, but for the enforcement of a lien, for the satisfaction of an amount recovered in the judgment, by the
The judgment is affirmed.
Aeeirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- D. Porcheler v. John M. Bronson, Adm'r of R. W. Barrow
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Suit on foreign judgment.—In the absence of an averment in the petition on a foreign judgment, of a law, custom, or procedure in the court where the judgment was rendered requiring a different construction, such judgment will be construed to have the same legal effect as if it had been rendered in our own courts. 2. CHARGE.—It is the duty of the court to consume a foreign judgment when sued on, and not for the jury, upon evidence. 3. Pleadings not supplied by evidence.—Wain of material averment as to a judgment cannot be supplied by evidence on the trial. 4. Effect of foreign judgment—Foreclosure.—A foreign judgment for foreclosing a mortgage will be construed to extend no further, unless it be shown by averment and proof that such judgment when rendered had additional effect. 5. Construction and effect of judgment.—It seems that the court would not so construe such judgment, with aid of averment and proof, where the transcript of the proceedings shows no prayer for a personal judgment, and where the judgment clearly extended no further than to decree a foreclosure of a mortgage. 6. Correct decision for wrong reason.—That the judge below rendered a correct judgment upon a wrong reason, (as in this case, liad the special exception improperly been the cause of the judgment while the petition was subject to general demurrer,) would be no ground-for reversal.