Lewis v. Rosler
Lewis v. Rosler
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
This proceeding on the part of Lewis, as receiver, against Rosier as sheriff, and Grogan, in whose favor the ft. fa. had issued, is clearly a proceeding auxiliary to the chancery cause of Stribling, trustee, &c., v. Splint Coal Company et al, pending in the circuit court. If Lewis, as receiver, had reason to believe that the property, levied on and about to be sold under the ft. fa. in favor of Grogan, was part of the property which the court had placed in his keeping and control, it was his duty to bring the matter to the attention of the court, and seek
The auxiliary bill, or petition, in this case, sufficiently states the aggressing parties to enable the court to know against whom to specifically award the writ of injunction ; and as Grogan appeared and demurred to and answered the bill, it is plain he was fully notified of the proceeding, and who were the parties intended as defendants by the bill, and had been made parties specially by the order awarding the injunction. The case being auxiliary to the Stribling trustee case, which was still pending, it was not absolutely necessary to have made exhibit in the bill of the order appointing Lewis receiver, because the whole proceeding, in that case, was open to the court's inspection in proceeding against the sheriff and Grogan, for the purpose of seeing whether or not they were violating the order of the court as alleged in the bill. The court did not err in overruling the demurrer.
Was the property levied on by the sheriff liable, to be taken under execution ? There is no question that the brass and copper levied on had been, before severance,
The order appointing Lewis receiver states: “the court being of opinion that the property of the defendant corporation, the Splint Coal Company, is in danger of loss and misappropriation, it is adjudged, ordered and decreed that C. C. Lewis be, and he is hereby appointed a special receiver of all the real estate, together with all the privileges and franchises appertaining thereto belonging to said Splint Goal Company, situated in the county of Ka-nawha, and State of West Virginia, and that said special receiver do forthwith proceed to take charge of said real estate, together with all the privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging, and rent or lease the same, either as a whole or in separate parcels, and either by private or public letting,” &c.
In the case before us, the broad language of the order appointing the receiver, viz : “The property, of the defendant corporation, the Splint Coal Company, is in danger of loss and misappropriation, ” would seem, as argued by the learned counsel for the receiver, to “'have reference to such kinds of property.as could be removed, stolen, destroyed or sold, and thereby be in danger of of loss and misappropriation,” and it appears from the testimony that the brass and copper were severed from the realty by Thayer to prevent such loss or misappropriation. But the court has interpreted its .own meaning by declaring in its order perpetuating the injunction, “that, the copper and brass, are part of the property placed in the hands of the plaintiff as special receiver of this Court in the cause of Stribling, trustee, v. Splint Coal Company, et al."
“On the 11th day of February, 1876, I leased from the Splint Coal Company all that property on the south side of the river, including two salt furnaces, for a term
Nothing is shown by the record as to Thayer’s authority or right to sever the property, that is, whether it was done with the owner’s consent or not. If done with the owner’s consent it is clear from the testimony that the severance was only temporary and for the purpose of safe-keeping, and was not a severance of that permanent nature as to give the chatel-character. On the other hand, if the severance was done by Thayer without the authority or right to do so, then under the well established principles, the severance could not change the character of the article. I am therefore of opinion, that the brass and copper in this case did not lose its character, as a part of the realty, by the severance; and the circuit court did not err by its order perpetuating the injunction. The decree of the circuit court must be affirmed, with costs and $30.00 damages.
Decree Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lewis, Receiver, &c. v. Rosler, Sheriff
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. The words “fixtures and appurtenances” have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning, and are to be construed according to such meaning, having due reference to the context and to the connection in which the words are used. 2. To convert an article, which is part of the freehold, into a chattel state by severing it from the realty, the act of severance must be done by one having the authority or right to do so; and it must be severed wiih the intention of converting it into a chattel state.