Board of School Directors v. Kuhnke
Board of School Directors v. Kuhnke
Opinion of the Court
The action should have been brought in the corporate name of tbe district, viz. “School District Nuin--ber Three of tbe Town of Lake.” ’ Sec. 417, Stats. 1911. Tbe .error in tbe title of tbe action, however, is not substantial. Tbe district board is made up of the director, the treas-' urer, and tbe clerk (sec. 432, Stats. 1911), and it is tbe duty of tbe director to prosecute actions for breach of tbe treasurer’s bond “in tbe name of the district.” Sec. 442, Stats. 1911. A recovery in tbe name of the district' board instead of in tbe name of tbe district itself would unquestionably bar any second action for the same breach, hence tbe inaccuracy of tbe name is not prejudicial.
Tbe trial judge held that, notwithstanding Peterson’s failure to give a new bond after bis re-election in July, 1908, be continued to be treasurer until bis death, under that clause of sec. 443, Stats. 1911 (as construed by State ex rel. Wheeler v. Nobles, 109 Wis. 202, 85 N. W. 367), which provides that tbe treasurer shall bold bis office until bis successor be elected or appointed and qualified. We see no reason to doubt tbe correctness of this conclusion. He also held, under Supervisors v. Kaime, 39 Wis. 468, and Fond du Lac v. Moore, 58 AVis. 170, 15 N. W. 782, that the liability of tbe sureties “goes no further than as to tbe $1,299.70 in bis bands in July, 1908.”
Upon these premises tbe judge concluded that tbe sureties could not be held for tbe deficit existing at tbe time of Peter
Under the decisions in State ex rel. Wheeler v. Nobles, supra, and Supervisors v. Kaime, supra, Peterson was de facto and de jure treasurer during the entire time which he acted, but the sureties upon the bond in suit were only held until the expiration of Peterson’s term in July, 1908, and for such further time as was reasonably necessary for the election and qualification of his successor. Such successor should have been appointed by the remaining members of the district board at the expiration of ten days after Peterson’s election, when it appeared that he had failed to file a new bond. Secs. 433, 443, Stats. 1911.
No such appointment was made and so Peterson rightly held over, under the doctrine of the Nobles Case, but that fact
In'any view of the case, we have been unable to perceive how the sureties can be held liable.
By the Court. — Judgment reversed, and action remanded with directions to dismiss the complaint.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.