Allen v. Seaver
Allen v. Seaver
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is a writ of review, based on the provisions of the statutes of this State, and the questions for our consideration arise upon a motion made in the court below to dismiss the proceedings.
It appears that Seaver, the defendant, was constable and collector of the town of Pomfret, and as such collector held a rate bill and warrant for the collection of taxes, and therein was assessed (among others) a tax against the said Allen, the plaintiff, and which it was the duty of the said defendant to collect; the said Allen at the time not being a resident of this state, and having neglected to pay the said tax, and not having known personal property in this state sufficient to satisfy such tax. The defendant, Seaver, according to the provisions of the 34th section of the 84th chapter of the General Statutes, brought, in his own name, a trustee suit against the said Allen, founded upon said tax, and summoned one Alonzo Snow, of said Pomfret, as the trustee of said Allen. ' Such proceedings were had therein that a judgment was rendered against the said Allen, by default and without notice, for the amount of said tax and costs, and a judgment against the said Snow, as trustee, for the same amount, which was subsequently collected of the said Snow. After the rendition of said judgment and before taking out an execution thereon, the said Seaver, the plaintiff in that suit, entered into a recognizance with surety in double the amount of such judgment, to refund to the said Allen such sum not exceeding the amount of debt or damages in such judgment, as should be recovered by writ of review, according to the provisions of the 31st chapter of the General Statutes relating to “ absent defendant and writ of review.” And it is upon such pro„ ceedings in that suit, and the provisions of such statute, that this writ of review is based.
It is urged in support of the motion to dismiss, that no writ of review can legally be had in any case, where the suit in which the judg‘
But it is insisted that suits brought by a collector according to the provisions of the statute to collect a tax by means of the trustee process, do not come within the provisions of the act giving the writ of review.
By the 34th section of chapter 84 of the General Statutes, it is enacted that “ whenever any person not a resident of this state shall be delinquent.in the payment of any tax legally assessed against him in this state, and shall not have known personal property in this state sufficient to satisfy such tax, the collector of such tax may, in his own discretion and in his own name, commence a suit founded upon such tax, against such-delinquent person, and may summon any person as trustee of such delinquent person, and the same service upon the process shall be made and the same proceedings and judgment had as is now provided by law in the case of trustee suits.” This act allows the collector of taxes to commence a suit against a delinquent and non resident tax payer, based-upon the tax, and to summon any person as trustee, and that in prosecuting the suit the same proceedings and judgment are to be had as in other trustee suits. That is, the collector must first obtain a judgment against the principal defendant before he can take one against the trustee. After having obtained his judgment, the plaintiff, before he is entitled to an execution (if betook his judgment by default and without notice), must enter into a recognizance as required by the statute in other cases, and the defendant will be entitled to his writ of review if he chooses to commence such a proceeding within three years after the rendition of such judgment. These proceedings are what, we have already seen, are to be had in other trustee cases, and by the terms of the act are to be followed in cases of this kind.
In this case the defendant,, Seaver, brought his suit upon the tax,
The security furnished by the recognizance and remedy by the writ of review is what the legislature obviously intended to provide in cases of this kind, as well as in all others of a like character.
The rights of the parties in proceedings under this statute, are not affected by the nature of the obligation resting upon the tax payer, or the character of the claim the collector has upon him for the tax. The statute having given the collector a right to bring an action therefor by the trustee process, if he exercises that right he must do it subject to all the liabilities and incidents that attach to the same mode of proceeding in other cases.
The fact that the plaintiff in this suit has not alleged that a judgment was obtained against the trustee, furnishes no ground for dismissing the suit. This proceeding is not instituted to review the judgment against the trustee, and that judgment is not affected by the result of this suit, inasmuch as it has been paid by the trustee to this defendant. The effect of such payment is that the original judgment against this plaintiff, Allen, is affirmed, and then the original cause of action is investigated the same as though there had been no judgment upon it; and if it appears that such judgment was erroneous, in whole or in part, this plaintiff recovers a judgment against the defendant for the amount which the defendant has collected that the plaintiff ought not to pay.
The judgment of the county court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jeremiah Allen v. Francis T. Seaver
- Status
- Published