Maughlin Mill Co. v. Hamilton
Maughlin Mill Co. v. Hamilton
Opinion of the Court
This is an action upon a bond executed by the defendant Eric Hamilton as principal, and the defendant American Bonding Company as surety, to secure to the plaintiff costs and damages which might result by reason of the issuance of a restraining order against it at the instance of the defendant Hamilton. The plaintiff, on and prior to May 8, 1908, was conducting a logging camp and carrying on logging operations upon land in King county, under a conveyance of the timber thereon, executed to it in December, 1906, by William E. Mills and wife, the then owners of the-land. The allegations of the complaint necessary for us to notice are as follows:
“That on or about the 6th day of May, 1908, the above named defendant, Eric Hamilton, commenced an action in the above entitled court, being cause No. 61,194, entitled ‘Eric Hamilton, plaintiff, vs. Maughlin Mill Co., a corporation, defendant’ ; that said plaintiff therein, Eric Hamilton, on said 6th day of May, 1908, applied to said court for a temporary restraining order enjoining said defendant Maughlin Mill Company, plaintiff herein, from going upon or trespassing; upon the land above described, and further restraining said*68 defendant, plaintiff herein, from cutting and carrying away, or causing to be cut or carried away any timber or trees from said lands or selling, removing, or disposing of any trees or timber cut or removed on or from said lands.
“That in accordance with said application, the above entitled court granted the restraining order on said 6th day of May, 1908, and the same was duly served upon said defendant, Maughlin Mill Company, plaintiff herein, on the 8th day of May, 1908, and that in accordance with said order the said Maughlin Mill Co., shut down its logging camp and ceased operations and remained closed until the 22nd day of May, 1908, when the above entitled court refused to continue said restraining order, and said cause was, on motion of plaintiff therein, Eric Hamilton, dismissed by the court, and judgment entered for said defendant therein!
“That the order granting the restraining order above described required the said plaintiff therein to file a bond in the sum of $500 to indemnify said defendant therein against all costs and damages which might accrue by reason of the issuance of said restraining order, and in accordance with said order, the above named defendant, Eric Hamilton, secured from the above named defendant, American Bonding Company, of Baltimore, an obligation or bond in writing, conditioned to pay all costs and damages that said Maughlin Mill Company might suffer by reason of the issuance of said restraining order, which bond was duly filed, properly executed, and a copy thereof is hereto attached, marked Exhibit A, and made a part hereof.
“That by reason of the shutting down of said logging camp and the ceasing of operations, the above named plaintiff was damaged in the sum of $532.75, as follows:
For loss of time of men employed by month for the period of 13 days..........................$357.50
For meals furnished to men during said period, of 13 days, and board of horses . .................. 45.25
Loss of time of A. J. Maughlin, at $10 per day. . . . 130.00
Total .................................$532.75
“That the above named plaintiff was damaged to the extent of $100 per day by reason of loss of profit during said period of 13 days, or a total sum of $1,300.”
The defendant Hamilton in his answer, as a “further and affirmative defense and cross-complaint,” alleged trespass upon the land by the plaintiff since August 29, 1907, the date of the conveyance from Mills and wife to him, claiming treble damages on account thereof in the sum of $7,978. The answer of the defendant bonding company, is in substance the same as that of Hamilton, omitting the cross-complaint. A trial before the court and a jury resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum of $470.- The defendants’ motion for a new trial was denied, and judgment was entered upon the verdict. The defendants have appealed.
It is first contended by learned counsel for appellants that the complaint improperly unites a cause of action based upon tort with one based upon contract, and that therefore the
Our attention is called to Willey v. Nichols, 18 Wash. 528, 52 Pac. 237, relied upon by appellants. That was an action where the plaintiffs sought to recover from the principal and sureties upon a temporary injunction bond the amount of the bond, $200, for damages resulting from the issuance of the injunction; and in the same action sought to recover from the principal alone, who was plaintiff in the injunction suit, $1,550 damages, alleged to have resulted from his malicious prosecution of the injunction suit. This court held these causes could not be united. That was clearly a different situation from the one here presented. We do not think that this complaint attempts to state two causes of action. The overruling of the demurrer was not erroneous.
Upon the question of appellant Hamilton’s having notice of respondent’s rights, there was evidence tending to show the following: In February, 1907, respondent went upon the land and commenced the establishment of a logging camp there, and soon thereafter completed a stable, bunk-house, cook-house, office, water tank with tower, and some other small structures. It also built a skid road upon the land, rendering practically all of the land and timber accessible. It commenced and carried on logging operations and had cut in the neighborhood of three quarters of a million feet of logs up to the 29th of August, 1907, the date of appellant Hamilton’s purchase of the land. These logs were all lying upon the ground at that time. There was also evidence tending to show that appellant Hamilton had actual knowledge
We have noticed that appellant Hamilton by his cross-complaint claimed damages against respondent on account of its alleged trespass upon the land after he had acquired title thereto by the conveyance to him from Mills and wife. Upon the trial, counsel for. respondent obj ected to the introduction in behalf of appellant Hamilton of any evidence of damages resulting from this alleged trespass, upon the ground that the issues raised by the cross-complaint were not properly in the case. The court sustained this objection, apparently upon the ground that the cross-complaint did not constitute such a counterclaim as may be properly contained in an answer to the complaint in this action. It is argued that this was error. Since the jury must have found, upon sufficient evidence, as we have noticed, that respondent was rightfully upon the land, removing its timber therefrom, the exclusion of evidence of the amount of appellant Hamilton’s alleged damage caused by respondent’s alleged trespass could, in no event, have been prejudicial error. It necessarily followed from the jury’s finding that respondent was not guilty of trespass. Neither
The restraining order was returnable May 15, and by consent of all parties the hearing thereon was continued until May 22, to enable respondent to prepare therefor. It is contended that the trial court erroneously admitted evidence of damage resulting to respondent from the delaying of their business during this period. In view of the evidence showing the necessity for respondent having this additional time to prepare for the hearing, we think it was not error to admit evidence of damage caused by the delay of the business of respondent during this period, as well as the damage resulting from delay of its business caused by the restraining order before the return day fixed in the order.
We find no prejudicial error in the record. Appellants had a fair trial, and the evidence was ample to support the verdict. The judgment is affirmed.
Rudkin, C. J., Mount, Fullerton, and Gose, JJ., concur.
Reference
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- Maughlin Mill Company v. Eric Hamilton
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- Syllabus
- Actions — Misjoinder op Causes — Injunction—Bonds. An action upon an injunction bond indemnifying tbe plaintiff to tbe extent of $500 is not demurrable on tbe ground of misjoinder of causes of action, from tbe fact that it alleges damages and prays for judgment in excess of tbe amount of tbe bond, where all tbe damages alleged were of sucb a nature as to be secured by tbe bond up to tbe amount limited tbereon. Vendor and Purchaser — Bona Hides — Constructive Notice — Possession. A purchaser of timber lands has sufficient notice of a prior unrecorded deed of tbe timber to put him on inquiry, where be bad knowledge that tbe purchaser of tbe timber bad constructed a logging camp, bouses, etc., and a skid road on tbe land and had cut nearly a million feet of logs then lying on tbe ground. Appeal — Review—Harmless Error — Counterclaim—Exclusion. It is not prejudicial to exclude evidence of damages under a counterclaim for trespass, in an action upon an injunction bond which restrained tbe plaintiff from cutting timber on defendants’ lands, where the principal issue was over the plaintiff’s right to tbe timber conveyed to him by a deed prior to defendants’ deed to the land, and both parties were allowed to introduce their evidence on this issue, which was resolved in favor of the plaintiff. Injunction — Bonds—Indemnity—Damages Recoverable. In an action on an injunction bond, to indemnify plaintiffs from damages by reason of a temporary restraining order, until the hearing could be had, returnable May 15, it is not error to allow the plaintiff to show damages suffered up to May 22, at which time the hearing was had and the order dissolved, where it appeared that the plaintiff required that additional time in order to prepare for the hearing.