Alexander v. Hemrich
Alexander v. Hemrich
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The Huron Lumber Company sold to one Heuss certain lumber, which was used by him in the construction of a building for one Winehill. Winehill having failed to pay therefor, Heuss filed a notice of a lien on the premises, and brought an action to foreclose the same, and recovered a judgment for the sum of $1,025. Appellants attached this credit in the hands of Winehill owing to Heuss, claiming that there was due them from Heuss the sum of $1,121 and interest. This attachment was made October 9, 1891, and on the 29th day of said month, after
The complaint failed to state a cause of action, and the demurrer should have been sustained. There is no claim made that the debt from Heuss to the appellants, upon which their action was brought, was not a bona fide one, but it was contended that there were no grounds sufficient to justify theissuance of the attachment. The Huron Lumber Company didnotfile anynotice ofalien upon the premises of Winehill for the lumber furnished by it to Heuss and was not a party to the suit foreclosing the lien claimed by Heuss. The suit instituted by appellants against Heuss was begun and was of record in a public office; in fact it was begun in the same court wherein the plaintiff proceeded against Heuss. The process was issued by the same clerk, and served by the same sheriff, who issued and served the process of respondent against Heuss. There is no pretense that the papers or the records were in anywise concealed by appellants or by said officers. The fact that said company furnished the lumber to Heuss for which he obtained the judgment against Winehill gave it no prior right to the money paid to satisfy the same as against appellants. A way was provided by statute whereby respondent could have obtained and enforced a prior right by claiming a lien, but this was not done. The parties had a right to compromise their claims, and their having done so was no evidence of any fraud.
The complaint fails to state any equity or cause of action against the appellants, and the judgment is reversed, and cause remanded.
Anders, O. J., and Dunbar, Stiles and Hoyt., JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- F. A. Alexander, Receiver of the Huron Lumber Company v. Andrew Hemrich
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- ATTACHMENT — FRAUD IN PROCURING — PLEADING. Where the judgment obtained by a contractor on the foreclosure of a lien for lumber furnished in the construction of a building has been attached by a creditor of the contractor; the attachment proceedings will not be set aside on the ground of fraud at the suit of the lumber company which furnished the lumber to the contractor, when the fraud charged consisted in allegations that there were no grounds for the issuance of the attachment; that the attachment suit was compromised for a less sum than was sued for, and that the attaching creditors paid the contractor to conceal the attachment from the lumber company. Nor, in such case, will the attachment be set aside on the ground that the lumber company has a prior right to the money recovered by the contractor for lumber furnished by the company in the construction of the building, as the company should have enforced that right by claim of lien.