Oberleitner v. Moore
Oberleitner v. Moore
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff, Oberleitner, seeks recovery from the garnishee defendant Moore, as receiver of the Campbell-Moore Lumber Company. The plaintiff, deeming himself aggrieved by the judgment
On January 28, 1919, appellant was awarded recovery against A. H. Campbell and Carrie E. Campbell, his wife, by judgment of the superior court for Whatcom county, in the sum of $852.95. • Appellant caused a writ of garnishment to be issued in the case and served upon the Campbell-Moore Lumber Company, commanding it to answer as to the amount, if any, it was indebted to Campbell and wife, or either of them; and also what property, if any, it then had in its possession or under its control belonging to them, or either of them. On January 31, 1919, the garnishee defendant lumber company answered as follows:
“ (1) That it has in its possession a certificate for sixty-six shares of the capital stock of Campbell-Moore Lumber Co., a corporation, issued to defendant A. H. Campbell, being certificate No. 4; that it has no other personal property in its possession or under its control belonging to said A. H. Campbell, nor is it indebted to him in any sum or amount whatsoever.
“(2) That the garnishee defendant is unable to answer as to whether or not it is indebted to defendant Carrie E. Campbell in any sum whatsoever, the said Carrie E. Campbell claiming that an indebtedness of approximately $3,000 exists, but numerous creditors of said Carrie E. Campbell claimed that they furnished supplies to this garnishee defendant and charged them to this garnishee defendant instead of to said Carrie E. Campbell, and that the aggregate of the claims of such creditors is approximately the amount claimed to be due from this garnishee defendant to said Carrie E. Campbell; that this garnishee defendant was operating a sawmill, and the said Carrie E. Campbell operated a cook-house, where the employees of said mill boarded, and likewise operated a small store at which said employees also traded; that the board and store bills of said employees have been deducted from
On February 21, 1919, a judgment was rendered with reference to the shares of stock owned by Mr. Campbell, by which judgment the shares of stock were ordered sold and the proceeds thereof applied towards the satisfaction of appellant’s judgment against Mr. and Mrs. Campbell. No disposition was then made by the court of the question of whether or not either Mr. or Mrs. Campbell was indebted to the garnishee defendant lumber company at the time of the service of the writ of garnishment upon it. This judgment concluded as follows:
“It is further ordered that the garnishee defendant be and it is hereby granted further time within which to ascertain the state of its account with defendant Carrie E. Campbell, and to file a supplemental answer as garnishee herein.”
This judgment is silent as to any indebtedness owing to Mr. Campbell by the garnishee defendant lumber company—that is, it is not, in terms, either for or against appellant as to any indebtedness owing by the garnishee defendant lumber company to Mr. Camp
“It is therefore now ordered that said William A. Moore, as receiver, be substituted for said Campbell-Moore Lumber Company, a corporation, as garnishee defendants to plaintiff at the time of the service of the answer and return herein regarding the liability of defendants to plaintiff at the time of the service of the writ of garnishment herein. ’ ’
On July 17,1919, the respondent, as receiver, in compliance with this order, answered as follows:
“That at this time the defendant, Campbell-Moore Lumber Co., a corporation, is indebted to Carrie E. Campbell in a sum of approximately $1,400; that all of said sum so indebted to said Carrie E. Campbell is owed to various wholesale merchants, and all of said account has been assigned in writing to said wholesale merchants by the said Carrie E. Campbell, and that this answering garnishee defendant has been instructed to turn said moneys over to the respective assignees to whom it belongs; that in view of said assignments, this garnishee defendant answers that he has no money in his possession belonging to said defendant Carrie E. Campbell.
“As to defendant A. H. Campbell, this defendant answers that the company is indebted to said A. H. Campbell at this time in the sum of approximately $700, which said sum has been assigned in writing to H. J. Frolich, and this answering defendant has received instructions that the moneys should be turned*596 over to said H. J. Frolich. He therefore answers that there is no money due H. A. Campbell. ’ ’
On July 23, 1919, appellant replied, controverting respondent’s answer so made, alleging that larger sums were due from the garnishee defendant lumber company to Mr. and Mrs. Campbell at the time of the service of the writ of garnishment upon the garnishee defendant lumber company, and that the assignments of- such indebtedness by them was void as to him, particularly because such assignments were made long after the service of his writ of garnishment upon the garnishee defendant lumber company. The issues as to Mr. and Mrs. Campbell being indebted to the garnishee defendant lumber company thus raised being heard upon the merits, the trial court, on September 15, 1919, rendered its final judgment as follows:
“It is ordered that W. A. Moore, receiver, is not indebted or has he any personal property in his possession belonging to A. H. Campbell.
“It is further ordered that W. A. Moore, as receiver of the Oampbell-Moore Lumber. Co., is indebted to Carrie E. Campbell in the sum of $811.45, and that Hans Oberleitner, the plaintiff herein, is entitled to siich dividends as may be declared on said $811.45. ’ ’
.This is the judgment from which this appeal is prosecuted.
It is apparent from recitals in the final judgment appealed from, which for present purposes we may regard as findings and conclusions duly excepted to, that the trial court rested its conclusion that there was nothing owing from the garnishee defendant lumber company or Moore, as its receiver, to Mr. Campbell available to appellant, upon the fact of his failure to reply to and controvert the original answer of the garnishee defendant lumber company; and that therefore the first judgment directing the sale of Mr. Campbell’s
Some contention is made in behalf of respondent seemingly rested upon the theory that our conclusion here reached will result in appellant being unlawfully paid in full to the detriment of general creditors of the garnishee defendant, Campbell-Moore Lumber
In the final garnishee judgment the trial court did not, in terms, make any award of costs to either party, and it is now argued in appellant’s behalf that he was entitled to costs incurred in the superior court. We think, in view of his success in that court and also in this court, he is entitled to costs in that court. The judgment seems capable of being considered as meaning this; but we make this observation to the end that there be no uncertainty in this particular.
The judgment appealed from, in so far as it adjudges appellant not entitled to judgment against respondent, as receiver and garnishee defendant, upon the $700 indebtedness owing Mr: Campbell—that is, not entitled to the dividends upon that sum which would he payable to Mr. Campbell, is reversed; and the trial court is directed to correct its judgment, making award to appellant accordingly, as it did with reference to the indebtedness owing to Mrs. Campbell.
The judgment, in so far as it awards appellant recovery upon the $811.45 indebtedness owing Mrs.
Holcomb, C. J., Main, Mitchell, and Bridges, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Hans Oberleitner v. William A. Moore, as Receiver etc.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Judgment (227)—Bar—Matters Concluded—Garnishment Proceedings. A judgment in garnishment proceedings which found that defendant was the holder of certain shares of capital stock of the garnishee, but failed to determine whether or not the garnishee was indebted to the defendant, and granted the garnishee further time to ascertain the state of its accounts with the defendant, is not res judicata upon the question of the indebtedness of the defendant to the garnishee. Garnishment (32)—Liability of Garnishee—Assignment of Claims Pending Garnishment. An assignment by the garnishee for a past consideration, after service of the writ and insolvency of the defendant, will not relieve him from liability to the plaintiff. Appeal (263, 316)—Record—Statement of Facts—All the Evidence—Certificate as to all the Facts. Error cannot be assigned upon findings of fact where it appears from the record that all the facts ■ properly considered by the court were not brought up in the statement of facts, notwithstanding the court certified the statement to contain all the material facts. Garnishment (54)—Proceedings—Costs. Where plaintiff is successful in garnishment proceedings below, he is entitled to costs in that court.